Driving sustainable change in Bonn!

How can sustainable business practices be shaped locally? Which networks help make this possible? And what does this have to do with urban development? These are the questions posed by Verena Hermelingmeier, the new Junior Professor of Sustainability and Transformation in Business and Society at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences.

With Maarwerk in the Beuel district, she also wants to make a very tangible difference in Bonn and create a beacon project for sustainable business and work. The endowed professorship is funded by Globus Holding, which is thereby promoting exchange between research and practice.

Verena Hermelingmeier, who received her certificate of appointment from Rector Hans-Joachim Pieper at the last Senate meeting of Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, previously conducted research at the Center for Transformation Research and Sustainability at the University of Wuppertal. In her doctoral studies at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, she examined local business networks and their potential for sustainability transformation in depth. “Verena Hermelingmeier strongly combines research and teaching in her work with active transformation design in practice – this is the only way we can bring sustainability more strongly into implementation,” explains Gregor Krämer, Dean of the Department of Business at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences. “We thank Globus Holding for its generous support through this endowed professorship, which is so important for our department.”

The 35-year-old has already worked as an entrepreneur in Cologne and, among other things, co-founded the well-known Wandelwerk, a unique pilot project for start-ups driving urban change forward with innovative sustainability concepts. As Managing Director of bonnvivir GmbH, she is currently building a campus in the Beuel commercial area with Maarwerk for companies that are reimagining business in a new and sustainable way. Key topics include new forms of urban production and sustainable logistics. Among those involved is Vemo cargo bike logistics, a start-up founded in 2020 by Alanus graduates, which has since been delivering parcels, organic produce boxes and grocery deliveries throughout Cologne and Bonn exclusively by cargo bike.

“For me, it is a special honor to now be part of a fantastic team at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences that not only rethinks business, but also actively helps shape it locally,” says Verena Hermelingmeier. “Interested stakeholders and companies who would like to get involved with Maarwerk in Bonn are very welcome to contact us at wirtschaft@alanus.edu. There is plenty of room here for creative ideas, and office spaces are currently available as well.”

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