Sip and Forge Inclusive Innovation on International Women's Day

Sandra Fernholz is Head of Sustainability and Social Impact at HYPE Innovation. She collaborates with clients to innovate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals and therefore for people, planet, and prosperity. During the past five years, Sandra has worked with organizations worldwide such as UNICEF, Bayer, and EIT Food.

Natalie, award-winning author of "Yes, You Can Innovate" and contributing author to "Unleash Your Voice," is the inventor of The Six ‘I’s® of Innovation. With a diverse background spanning marketing strategy, organizational development, and entrepreneurship, she has served as a corporate innovation director and CEO of The Entheo Network. Natalie has collaborated with global leaders such as GSK, Kellogg’s, and Cisco, helping them foster innovation culture and generate impactful ideas. As an international keynote speaker and seasoned facilitator, she has shared her expertise on innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership at prestigious events worldwide, including TEDx Singapore and Harvard University's HPAIR.

With more than 15 years working in the world of HR in diverse and multiple roles, Smaranda is by heart and profession an HR passionate. She specialized in the area of HR business partnering and talent management & development, at the moment leading a team of HR professionals in the North Europe region for Hillebrand Gori, a company of DHL Global Forwarding. She has lived in more than 4 countries along her studies and career so far, and at the end, Germany – Bonn has chosen her. During these years, she operated in diverse, multiple environments, both personally and professionally, and learned a great deal from these life experiences. Smaranda has completed certification in Coaching and with great pleasure meets with different coachees to help them navigate through their lives and careers

Caitlin Lawrence is the Manager of Training & Development Innovation at Birla Carbon, working to drive a sustainable culture of innovation that empowers employees to transform their ways of thinking and operating. Before transitioning to the corporate world, Caitlin started her career in Public History, working as a facilitator and educational content developer in a museum. This role sparked Caitlin’s passion for helping others leverage their unique strengths for meaningful social impact, which she translated into the innovation space. In her current role, she helps employees across geographies and functions maximize business value from their ideas and creates safe and inclusive environments for collaboration. Caitlin has visited Birla Carbon’s manufacturing sites across 11 different countries and has experienced first-hand the impact of diverse innovation on increased employee engagement and professional opportunities. She is the recipient of the 2022 Aditya Birla Group Chairman’s Award for Emerging Professional and is a seasoned facilitator and keynote speaker.