Meet the Mentors

Challenge 1

Joscha Ritz

Head of Division, BDI/BDA The German Business Representation Brussels

Joscha Ritz is Deputy Head of the Brussels office of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Before joining the BDI in 2012, he worked as Manager at the EU-office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Brussels.
Joscha holds a MSc in European Political Economy from the London School of Economics (LSE), a Master from Sciences Po Lille, France, as well as a Diploma in Political Science from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany.

Challenge 2

Markus Löning

Managing Director and Senior Strategy Adviser

Markus is the founder and managing director of Löning – Human Rights & Responsible Business. He and his team help companies set up human rights due diligence processes to meet international requirements and standards.

Given his political background, he is an expert in strategic communication with various kinds of stakeholders. He has a global network of human rights, business and country experts.

Markus has been both a leader and member of the leadership of national and international political organisations and non-profit human rights organisations. Currently, he is a member of UNICEF’s German committee. He has been the chair of Liberal International’s Human Rights Committee, which brings together members of parliament and human rights activists from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. Furthermore, he is co-founder and chair of the NPO Finance and Human Rights a.s.b.l. 

From 2010 to 2013, Markus Löning was the German government’s Human Rights Commissioner and between 2002 and 2009 he was a member of the German Federal Parliament with a focus on European and development policy. Prior to his political career, Markus worked for 15 years in communications.

Challenge 3

Source: Freiburger Schule

Olaf Pruessmann

Director, Economic Affairs & Competitiveness, General Secretariat, Council of the EU

Challenge 4

Glen Hodgson

Founder & CEO, Free Trade Europa

With over twenty years’ experience in communications, public affairs and lobbying, Glen is the founder of the think tank Free Trade Europa, which focuses on promoting free trade, openness and the rule of law within the European Union and internationally. Glen also leads a stakeholder initiative on the platform economy in the Nordics.

Glen was previously responsible for the Nordics, Baltics and Central & Eastern Europe within an international communications agency. Prior to this he worked for the European institutions as well as governments, blue-chip international companies, start-ups and NGOs as a lobbyist, strategist and communications advisor.

Glen was also the Secretary General of a European trade association for five years. Today, Glen is a respected commentator on European affairs, as well as a frequent presenter, moderator and panellist at European policy events. Glen is also a trainer and coach on technology, migration, labour market, transport and sustainability policy as well as communications techniques for the public and private sectors.