With a degree in textile and garment engineering, Jana Kern is a journalist and communications and strategy consultant. Together with her business partner Alex Vogt, she co-manages KERN in Frankfurt am Main and London. At the focus of KERN’s work is corporate responsibility in the fashion industry – a field that Jana Kern has devoted more than ten years to and in which she has firmly established herself as an expert. Following her studies at the Hochschule Niederrhein, University of Applied Sciences in Mönchengladbach, Jana Kern was economic editor of the industry journal TextilWirtschaft for more than six years, where her specialist subjects included fashion retail and sustainability in the garment industry.

Communications and strategy consultant Alex Vogt sees the complex of innovation management and corporate responsibility as an essential prerequisite of future-orientated business thinking. He initially studied politics and history at the Goethe University Frankfurt and then came into contact with the sportswear and fashion industry through the surf and skateboard scene, going on to gain an MBA specialising in the textile industry at the private LDT Nagold Academy for Fashion Management. His dissertation on the topic of CR marketing in the fashion industry won an award from the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation in 2009. Before joining London and Frankfurt-based communications consultancy KERN as a partner and devoting his full attention to the topics of innovation and CR, Alex Vogt held senior positions in fashion retail and marketing. Alex Vogt lives and works in Frankfurt am Main. And when he’s not there, he is most probably seeking new inspiration in far-flung corners of the world.

David is driven by one thing in particular: the opportunity to create work that matters. His commitment to this goal has earned him the reputation of delivering intelligent and engaging creative solutions.

In 2009, David established Rilke, an independent creative studio based in north-west London. His studio produces a variety of works across various disciplines. Regardless of the type of subject, medium or platform, however, he always begins with one fundamental step: by asking questions. After all, only when we understand a problem inside out can we turn it into an opportunity. David is a solution-finder, a doer and a storyteller.

With a Master’s degree in Fine Arts and following a brief television career (VPRO), Simon Angel worked as a change consultant for the Ministry of Finance, Interior, Justice, Economics and Foreign Affairs in The Hague for six years. Combining both professions, he is meanwhile an entrepreneur in the sector of (sustainable) fashion and educational institutions, specialised in incubator and scale-up activities. Whether as a strategic (sparring) partner, trainer/coach, consultant, business developer, teacher, cooperation partner or investor – as a result of his innovative thinking, Simon Angel is more than well-equipped to take on different roles in a variety of projects. He lives in a forest with his three children and a dog.

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility have been Barbara Samwer’s main topics of interest for more than ten years now. With a degree in linguistics, economics and cultural studies, she supported leading businesses in the alignment of their systematic approach – from strategic development to practice-oriented implementation. Amongst many other projects she developed a sustainability initiative. Working at several well-known agencies provided Barbara with extensive knowledge and the ability to apply various methods. Her time spent abroad in the USA between 2015 and 2018 has given her a global perspective on sustainability.