I am the founder and CEO of MORE THAN SHELTERS (MTS), a pioneer in the humanitarian innovation field that pushes the boundaries of current practices to scale greater impact. For more than 15 years I have been working and researching at the interface between planning, architecture, and design with deprived communities in slums and refugee camps.

My initiative MTS has become one of the leading European organizations to incorporate cutting-edge product, social- and ecosystem design into the humanitarian context. Over the last years, MTS has successfully implemented pioneering projects in Jordanian refugee camps, on European transit routes and arrival centers in Germany.

As a recognition of our great achievements and outstanding contributions, my team and I have received numerous awards from the German government and from leading foundations such as ZEIT Foundation (World Changers Award), BMW Foundation (Responsible Leaders Award) and UN Women (Champions for Change). In 2017 I was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship.

Prior to my involvement in humanitarian innovations, I worked as an artist with exhibitions and publications worldwide. I also taught social design at the Academy of Fine Arts, Hamburg and when time permits still lecture in different contexts.