About us

Isabel Jansen is Head of Consultancy & Training at Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft and is also interim Project Manager of the Cross Innovation Hub.

She previously worked in cultural and film production, worked at Betahaus Hamburg and taught freelance on the topics of digital education and project management. Isabel Jansen studied Cultural Studies (B.A., Leuphana University of Lüneburg) and Media Communications (B.A., University of South Wales) as well as part-time Cultural and Media Management (M.A., Institut KMM Hamburg).

She is also a committee member of the InnoFounder programme of IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH.

Raffaela Seitz has shared the management of the Cross Innovation Hub with Louisa Steinwärder since 2021. Previously, she was dedicated to the conception and organisation of cross-industry offers in the area of the Cross Innovation Hub.

As a cultural studies graduate (Leuphana University of Lüneburg) and art historian (University College London) with a background in economics (University of Mannheim, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, London School of Economics and Political Science), Raffaela Seitz works at the interface of art, culture, science and business. Before joining the Kreativ Gesellschaft team, Raffaela Seitz worked in strategic innovation consulting and trend research.

Louisa Steinwärder has shared the management of the Cross Innovation Hub with Raffaela Seitz since 2021. Previously, she was responsible for the conception and organisation of cross-industry offers in the area of the Cross Innovation Hub.

She studied Cultural Studies and German Literature at the University of Bremen and the Universidad de Valencia. As part of her Master's degree in German Literature at the University of Hamburg, she spent two months as a DAAD scholarship holder at Istanbul Üniversitesi. In addition to organising cultural events/projects, Louisa Steinwärder has worked in communications for theatres and festivals, most recently at Hamburg's Thalia Theater and at the "Theater der Welt" festival.

Louisa is on parental leave until autumn 2025.

Nicole Wittek is responsible for cooperation and partner management at the Cross Innovation Hub and is the point of contact for all companies and organisations that want to find out more about the potential of cross innovation with creative experts and are interested in working together.

She studied Cultural Studies, Media Studies and Business Administration at the University of Regensburg. There she played a key role in the development and management of the inner-city creative centre and helped to establish the area of cultural and creative industries promotion. Most recently, she worked in an interdisciplinary office for urban development, where she designed co-creative formats and implemented them in projects for city centre development and mobility.

Nicole has been voluntarily organising projects at the interface of culture, (creative) economy and urban development for over ten years and is a founding and board member of the association obenstadt e.V., which promotes multifunctional roof uses, and is co-initiator of the Hamburg Roof Days.

Sebastian works in both partner and programme management at the Cross Innovation Hub. He is the point of contact for companies that want to turn their challenges into creative innovation projects (partner management), while at the same time actively helping to shape the content and methodology of the programmes (programme management). Through this dual function, he ensures that the needs of the companies flow directly into the creative processes - a win-win situation for everyone involved.

After training as a media designer for image & sound, Sebastian completed his degree in Media & Information (Dipl.) at HAW Hamburg. His professional experience includes working as a software trainer at Apple and as a senior producer at a digital agency for YouTube formats.

Marc Behlau is the programme manager for the conception and implementation of the Cross Innovation Hub formats. He is also responsible for the documentation and evaluation of these. Following a bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on brand communication, Marc completed his Master of Science in Global Technology & Innovation Management at the Technical University of Hamburg. Marc has found his passion in the field of innovation management and his knowledge fits perfectly with the mission of the Cross Innovation Hub: supporting companies from different industries in finding innovations by means of cross innovation processes.

Hannah Kemper is a programme manager in the conception and implementation department of the Cross Innovation Hub. She also manages the German Creative Economy Summit organised by Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. Previously, she was part of the Consultancy & Training team, where she worked as project manager for the Creative Business Academy.

She studied Cultural Anthropology and Art History (M.A.) at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

Sebastian works in both partner and programme management at the Cross Innovation Hub. He is the point of contact for companies that want to turn their challenges into creative innovation projects (partner management), while at the same time actively helping to shape the content and methodology of the programmes (programme management). Through this dual function, he ensures that the needs of the companies flow directly into the creative processes - a win-win situation for everyone involved.

After training as a media designer for image & sound, Sebastian completed his degree in Media & Information (Dipl.) at HAW Hamburg. His professional experience includes working as a software trainer at Apple and as a senior producer at a digital agency for YouTube formats.

Patrick Scheckelhoff is responsible for the conception and realisation of innovation-promoting formats at cross-industry interfaces at the Cross Innovation Hub.

He studied Cultural Studies (B.A.) at Leuphana University Lüneburg and Hong Kong Baptist University with a focus on cultural organisation and urban sociology. Prior to his studies, he completed vocational training as a media designer and gained experience in project management and event organisation in various non-profit associations and at festivals. Most recently, he worked at the Social Change Hub at Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Sean Weingarten is Programme Manager in the Conception & Implementation department of the Cross Innovation Hub. Previously, he was part of the Consulting & Training team, where he worked as project manager for the third round of the Creative Future Academy and the Music WorX Incubator 2022.

He completed his studies at HafenCity University Hamburg in the Culture of the Metropolis programme in 2017. This was followed by a phase of reorientation from cultural studies to artistic-practical work. He studied Digital Media at Leuphana University Lüneburg and Digital Arts at the City University of Hong Kong until 2023.

Marie is responsible for the organisation and implementation of events at the Cross Innovation Hub. She also works as a concert organiser at Uebel&Gefährlich. She completed her degree in Culture of the Metropolis (B.A.) at HafenCity University Hamburg in 2017. She studied Empirical Cultural Studies (M.A.) at the University of Hamburg until 2023. During her studies, she focussed on event management and worked as a freelance event manager for Kopf&Steine GmbH, the Hamburg Short Film Festival and Filmfest Hamburg, among others.

As knowledge manager at the Cross Innovation Hub, Susanne is responsible for all questions relating to the theory of innovation, cross-industry collaboration, creativity, futurology, trends and much more. She develops topics, provides background information and decision-making aids, organises discussions and communication events on all issues relating to cross innovation and is always interested in learning and exchanging ideas.

Before joining Kreativ Gesellschaft, Susanne worked as a research assistant at the University of Hamburg and as a personal assistant to the theatre director at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. In her work as a freelancer with creative people from various sectors, such as cultural professionals and artists, she has always marvelled at how naturally, quickly and enthusiastically they create new things and move openly in new terrain. It was therefore also a wonderful development for her when she was able to help develop the Cross Innovation Hub at Kreativ Gesellschaft and be part of it, opening up the strengths of the creative industries to other sectors of the economy.

Marc Behlau is the programme manager for the conception and implementation of the Cross Innovation Hub formats. He is also responsible for the documentation and evaluation of these. Following a bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on brand communication, Marc completed his Master of Science in Global Technology & Innovation Management at the Technical University of Hamburg. Marc has found his passion in the field of innovation management and his knowledge fits perfectly with the mission of the Cross Innovation Hub: supporting companies from different industries in finding innovations by means of cross innovation processes.

Iris Jonak is responsible for communications for the Cross Innovation Hub of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. After studying communication sciences, sociology and psychology at RWTH Aachen University and King's College London, she initially spent several years in the Hamburg agency scene. This was followed by positions at a city initiative for founders and at a sustainable fashion label, where Iris was responsible for marketing and communications.

Lena is part of the Kreativ Gesellschaft communications team as a working student in social media and online editing. She is primarily responsible for managing the social media channels and also supports the communication of the Cross Innovation Hub. She is currently studying for a Master's degree in Digital Communication at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. There she was editor of the online magazine Fink.Hamburg and gained extensive experience in journalism, public relations and content creation.

Friederike Netzow is responsible for the administration and accounting of project funds at the Cross Innovation Hub. She is also responsible for human resources at Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft and is therefore also the contact person for applicants for our job advertisements.

Friederike Netzow studied International Management (specialising in Human Resources) in Flensburg, Denmark and Sweden and was involved in the implementation of various funded educational projects and worked in recruiting after completing her studies.