Leadership Talent Academy

is Professor of Strategy and International Management at the ESB Business School at Reutlingen University and the founder of the Leadership Talent Academy. His work focuses on leadership, strategic transformation and the specific challenges faced by medium-sized and family-run businesses. Previously, he was Professor of Human Resource Management with a focus on medium-sized companies at Aalen University, where he carried out numerous practical projects with regional family businesses.

Alongside his academic work, he has gained extensive experience in international companies, consultancy projects and his own entrepreneurial ventures. Furthermore, he serves on the advisory board of a fourth-generation family business and is deeply involved in issues relating to long-term corporate planning and generational succession. As a lecturer and driving force, he is also actively involved in the other Leadership Talent Academies and is committed to fostering a stronger network between the programmes and institutions.

As LTA- Coordinator for Communication & Marketing, Samanta Hatic works to make Good Leadership visible and tangible within the Leadership Talent Academy. She develops, coordinates and supervises key communication and marketing initiatives from concept to implementation, ensuring that processes and events run smoothly. At the same time, she supports participants on their journey of professional development within the LTA.

She believes it is important to support people in their development through lifelong learning, to create spaces for exchange and networking, and to foster new ideas – thereby encouraging them to shape their own path with curiosity and open-mindedness.

holds a dual role at ESB Business School:

BSc International Management Double Degree (IMX):

• Programme Coordinator for the BSc International Management Double Degree (German-Chinese)
• Chinese as a first foreign language

Project coordination for the ‘Leadership Talent Academy’

• Project management and monitoring
• Applications and event management (including on-campus days)
• Advice and support for applicants and participants
• Coordination of lecturers, support staff and internal interfaces
• Digital platforms
• Quality management

is the founder of 'Klarheit durch Dialog' (clarity through dialogue) and has been working as a supervisor, coach and organisational consultant for around 20 years. Her work focuses on leadership, professional reflection, team and conflict dynamics, and supporting organisations through change and crisis situations. Her key areas of consultancy include professional development, resource and solution-focused work in challenging situations, burnout issues, and life and career planning. Other key areas are leadership development, role and leadership issues, team development, case discussions and conflict counselling.

Previously, she worked in various profit and non-profit organisations, including in leadership, quality assurance and human resources development roles. She has extensive experience in local government bodies, universities, social institutions, and in medium-sized and family-run businesses.

A particular focus of her work lies in organisational development and advising companies in the context of generational transitions and long-term development.

Her qualifications are based on recognised systemic and solution-focused training programmes in accordance with the standards of leading professional associations (DGSv, EASC, DBVC, GSOb, bso). In addition, she has been active as a training supervisor and coach in training institutes since 2015. Her work centres on people and their individual development goals. She believes that every individual, every team and every organisation possesses its own strengths and resources. Making this potential visible and integrating it into concrete solutions is an essential part of her work. Verifying sustainable implementation in everyday life forms the conclusion of the process, which she actively supports.

Appreciation, respect, a neutral stance and humour characterise her systemic, solution-focused consulting approach.

Today, Sebastian Rux is a successful keynote speaker, public speaking coach and university guest lecturer. He helps entrepreneurs and companies to present their complex topics convincingly in talks, using clear and accessible communications. However, this has not always been the case. He initially followed the traditional path: after obtaining his university entrance qualification, he undertook vocational training and went on to study, eventually working as a management consultant and in a large corporation, as well as holding a senior management position.

(born 1982; née Thiele) studied business administration, specialising in European management, at the University of Applied Sciences for Business (FHDW). She then worked in sales for several years before joining Grid International Germany in 2009. Christiane von der Heiden is now a managing partner at Synercube GmbH and a certified Synercube consultant. She is an expert in supporting international companies with their leadership and team development processes and holds an honorary doctorate (Doctor honoris causa) from the University of Telecommunications and Post in Sofia.

served as Director of the Global Ethic Institute from June 2018 to February 2025. A former entrepreneur, he completed his licentiate in economic and social sciences, studying at institutions including the Pontifical University in Rome. This was followed by a doctorate in Catholic theology and a postdoctoral qualification in religious education, specialising in applied ethics.

His research and professional focus lies on business ethics, economic anthropology and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Ulrich Hemel is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and President of the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs (BKU). At the same time, he is Chairman of the Board of the Catholic Schools Foundation of Germany e.V. (Stiftung Katholische Schulen Deutschland e.V.).

Monika Laun is an entrepreneur and the successor to what is now novahelden GmbH – formerly Lorenz & Company, which has been in business for over 30 years and is the creative and marketing agency with the most international awards in the region. Together with her husband, she took over the company and has continued to develop it.

Through novahelden, she not only advises and supports companies in successfully marketing their products and services. Her particular passion is business succession. She assists small and medium-sized enterprises as well as craft businesses in preparing for and organising the handover.

As a certified business succession consultant, she combines her own experiences with proven methodologies (NLP Master, Scrum Master) – to bring greater clarity, confidence and courage to the succession process.