Speeches & Interviews

Encouraging Transformations

Upcoming Events

24 Feb., 03 Mar., 10 Mar., 17 Mar., 24 Mar., 31 Mar., 2022 - Transformation Literacy Conference

It is high time for us to start stewarding together a future we can enjoy living in. The challenge in front of us is a monumental one, but we know that with the right approach we can act collectively to create a future where humankind is in balance with itself and the planet.

To confront such a challenge, we need tools that are not only grounded in science and practice but also available to everyone: we all need to become masters in the language of transformation. What needs to happen together to enable this transformation? This is the focus of the Transformation Literacy conference which explores six mutually supportive Transformation Enablers. In each event we will take a deep dive into one of the Transformation Enablers: each of them is a necessary component to become a transformation literacy master, yet their mutually supportive character means that we need to combine them to be able to clearly see the path and the actions needed to lead us collectively toward a better world.

In each session Dr. Petra Kuenke will give an introduction to the respective topic (Narratives, Structures, Innovation, Metrics, Governance & Regulations) and Transformation Literarcy.

Each of us can become Transformation Literacy masters and in so doing create a change-maker who knows how to collaborate across institutions and societal sectors for transformative change. It is by bringing together the six enablers that we can steward change together and make transformation possible. The video gives a short introduction to what you can expect from the first conference 'Narratives'.

Stewarding Sustainability Transformations.

An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation.

Dr. Petra Kuenkel's new book as a Report to the Club of Rome 2019
• Serves as a guidebook for decision-makers, researchers and activists who need to navigate complex change towards sustainable development.
• Inspires academics and practitioners alike to explore new routes towards co-creating responsible futures in the era of the Anthropocene.
• Translates a pattern approach to systems theory into a practical guidance for planning and implementing interventions across all sectors of society.
• Sets a new direction in the field of sustainability transformations and will become a foundation for planning collective action and achieving impact at scale.

Learn more Order here

Past Speeches and Interviews

7th November 2021 - Keynote at the Online Larnaca Conference

On 7th of November 2021 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm CET, Dr. Petra Künkel gave a Keynote speech about the topic Economy of the Future and afterwards exchanged thoughts with Regina Brand & Dr. Jan Bellermann at the panel discussion.

The topic included questions like: How and why the growth motivated and globally ruling economy of today fires our waste of energy and natural resources and thereby eats up our means to build the infrastructure of renewable energy for the future?

Enjoy watching the recorded speeches of Dr. Petra Kuenkel.

Videos in English language.

For more information, please contact alina.gruen[at]collectiveleadership.com or visit the website FORMWELT – Larnaca Conferences Online.

Dr. Petra Kuenkel's Keynote on "Life Economies" at the Larnaca Conference

Panel Discussion at the Larnaca Conference

Breakout Session with Dr. Petra Kuenkel and Joanna Liu at the Larnaca Conference

22nd September 2021 - Keynote at Potsdamer Weiterbildungstage

“Co-creative future design with the Collective Leadership Compass” (in German: Ko-kreative Zukunftsgestaltung mit dem Kompass für kollektive Führung) was the topic of Dr. Petra Kuenkel’s keynote at the further education days conference in Potsdam. More information (in German).

Enjoy watching the recorded Keynote speech of Dr. Petra Kuenkel (in German).

Many thanks for the cooperation and support:

Event Host: City of Potsdam | Regional Advisory Board for Continuing Education | Weiterbildungs-Info-Laden
Organization: Goericke – Consulting for Strategy and Communication GmbH

Keynote von Dr. Petra Künkel für NACHHALTIGKEIT auf dem 10. Potsdamer Weiterbildungstag: "Ko-kreative Zukunftsgestaltung mit dem Kompass für kollektive Führung"

15th September 2021 - Speech at University Hospital Basel

Vitality and Meaning (in German: Vitalität und Sinn – wie kollektive Führung die Resilienz in Veränderungen stärkt) was the topic of Dr. Petra Kuenkel’s speech at the University Hospital Basel. Strengthening organisational resilience through collective leadership in times of pandemics is one of the aspects presented in this event.

For more information, please contact martin.fielko[at]collectiveleadership.com or visit the website https://www.unispital-basel.ch/lehre-forschung/fortbildungsakademie/ (in German).

18th December 2020: Dr. Petra Kuenkel's Keynote on "A change of perspective" at the 10th Aniversary Congreso Futuro

On 18th December 2020, Dr. Petra Kuenkel gave a Keynote speech on A change in perspective at the 10th Aniversary Congreso Futuro where she explains the connection between the Corona crisis, the Climate crisis and digitalization and humans ability to embrace uncertainty through the support of new perspectives.

It’s now or never. Humanity needs solutions to the complex problems that affect it, and one discipline will not be enough to think about the new tomorrow. This session makes visible the need to unite all fields of knowledge to find common solutions to these crisis for the common good.

Further information about the Compass Tool:

Video reference: Congreso Futuro

Video in English language with subtitles in Spanish language

Dr. Petra Kuenkel's Keynote on "A change of perspective" at the 10th Aniversary Congreso Futuro

SystemTalk with Gitta Peyn, Dr. Petra Kuenkel and Alina Gruen

Gitta Peyn from FORMWELTen-Institute invited Dr. Petra Kuenkel and Alina Gruen to her SystemTalk to exchange on “How to get people in collective action to design and implement Systems Change”.

Enjoy the exchange between Gitta Peyn, Dr. Petra Künkel, and Alina Gruen about challenges at relationship level, necessities of change in our hearts and lives for all of us to thrive.

For further information about:

New publication on “Leading Transformative Change Collectively – A Practicioner Guide to Realizing the SDGs – A Practitioner Guide to Realizing the SDGs“

We recommend:

FORMWELT: https://formwelt.net/
SystemTalk Playlist https://tinyurl.com/y6y5lkle
Larnaca Conference Playlist https://tinyurl.com/y6hv55bd

SystemTalk #19 on How to get people in collective action to design and implement Systems Change

4th September 2020 Stream Around The Clock: Online Conference WE NEED A CHANGE - Opportunities and challenges of the coming crises.

In the context of #StreamAroundTheClock Gitta Peyn, Kristin Eissfeldt, Conny Dethloff and Martin Geisenhainer talked with international experts from economy, politics and health about the exciting and important questions of our time at the Online Conference WE NEED A CHANGE – Opportunities and challenges of the coming crises.

On 4th of September 2020 at 4:15 PM CEST, Dr. Petra Kuenkel gave a Keynote speech on Economy of the future and climate crisis and opened up the conversation with Thy-Diep Ta, Simon Maluki, Markus Will, David Wood, Stefan Bauer, Alex Schleber. Gitta Peyn and Rebekka Manos moderated this session.

Do you want to learn more about the report to the Club of Rome written by Dr. Petra Künkel? Please explore Stewarding Sustainability Transformations – An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation to find out more about theory and practice of Collective Stewardship as a management tool that respects the integrity of human and natural systems with reference to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the Planetary Boundaries. Drawing on the work of transdisciplinary scientific scholars and seasoned sustainability practitioners, it shows how transformative change can be built on life’s inherent tendency to generate patterns of vitality and resilience. This ground-breaking monograph shows workable pathways to stewarding patterns of aliveness in social and ecological systems at all levels of the global society.

Economy of the Future and Climate Crises by Dr. Petra Kuenkel

9th July 2020: Online Executive Committee Meeting of the international Club of Rome

On the 9th of July 2020, Dr. Petra Kuenkel co-organized and participated in the Online Executive Meeting of the international Club of Rome.

While the Corona Virus has caused disruptions in our personal and professional lives, it also invites us to be mutually supportive and innovate our way into a new future. Therefore, Dr. Petra Kuenkel and the CLI team take the chance and jump into the online journey to increase impact in sustainablilty development around the world.

Join us and get valuable inspirations for your work

The Art of Leading Collectively

Co-Creating a Sustainable, Socially Just Future

The book by Dr. Petra Kuenkel with foreword by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker, is a guide to collaborative impact for leaders in industry, government, and social change networks.

Order here

Beginning of March Club of Rome meeting in Dubrovnik

In the beginning of March 2020 Dr. Petra Kuenkel co-organized and participated in the international Club of Rome Online meeting.

While the Corona Virus has caused disruptions in our personal and professional lives, it also invites us to be mutually supportive and innovate our way into a new future. Therefore, Dr. Petra Kuenkel and the CLI team takes the chance and jumps into the online journey to increase impact in sustainablilty development around the world.

Join us and get valuable inspirations for your work

23rd-24th January 2020 Changetagung 2020 in Basel, Switzerland

Photo by CLI

Photo by © Christian Jaeggi

Photo by CLI

On 23rd-24th of January, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW organized the Changetagung 2020 in Basel, Switzerland. The Subject of the event is “Der Mensch in der Selbstorganisation” (English: The Human Being in Self-Organisation).

Here people come together who appreciate the cross-industry overview and the balancing act between science, business, culture and society. Managers exchange their knowledge with social workers and professors learn from practitioners and vice versa.

On the 24th of January from 9.00 am till 9.45 am, Dr. Petra Kuenkel gave a keynote speech with the topic “Warum Sinn und das Management von komplexen Veränderungsprozessen zusammengehören – Ein Beitrag zur ko-kreativen Zukunftsgestaltung” (English: Meaning and Management – A Contribution to Co-Creative Future Shaping).

Later that day, at 11.00 am Alina Gruen, CLI’s Project Manager responsible for collaboration with the academic education sector conducted a workshop on “Ko-Kreative Zukunftsgestaltung: Ein Kompass für kollektive Führung zur Stärkung selbstorganisierter Systeme” (English: Co-creative shaping of the future: A compass for collective leadership to the Strengthening self-organised systems).

For more information see website: http://www.changetagung.ch/ (in German only)

Petra Kuenkel · Warum Sinn und das Management von komplexen Veränderungsprozessen zusammengehören

3rd December 2019; 10.15 am Keynote and 11.00 am panel discussion "How can networks become transformative?" - RENN.Tage Berlin

Bildrechte RNE @ Ralf Rühmeier

The RENN (Regional Nets Sustainability Strategies) support the creation of regional networks for sustainability strategies from private sector, public sector and civil society on different spatial levels in Germany. They host the conference RENN.tage in December 2019 together with the German Council for Sustainable Development where Dr. Petra Kuenkel gave a keynote speech at 10.15 am. Afterwards she gave a pitch and took part at the panel discussion with focus on “How can networks become transformative?”. Find more information at the website .

See detailed documentation here and listen to the keynote here (all information in German).

Petra Kuenkel · Petra Kuenkel - Keynote bei den RENN-Tagen 3. Dezember 2019

24th — 26 October 2019 Capacity Development Course: The Art of Leading Collectively in Potsdam

From 24th – 26th of October Dr. Petra Kuenkel conducted The Art of Leading Collectively Course in Potsdam, Germany.

Together with Dr. Petra Kuenkel, the participants worked on their interesting and complex cooperation projects and learned how to use the Collective Leadership Compass to strengthen these projects and make them more lively, so that challenges can be overcome collectively and tangible results and solutions can be found. During the course they also learned how to implement more outcome oriented and constructive co-creation on a day to day basis for themselves, their team, their organization, and their change initiative with diverse stakeholders.
The course equips dedicated change makers in public and private sector, as well as civil society organisations with a tool for better co-creation. The dimensions of collective leadership can be learned and enhanced – individual and collectively.

Stewarding Sustainability Transformations

The complete conceptual architecture for stewarding sustainability transformations

21st October - Online input session "Why is a Collective Leadership Approach Paramount for Quality Healthcare in LMICs?" - ISQua's International Conference - Cape Town, South Africa

The International Society for Quality in Health care was holding the 36th international conference, the whole programme can be found here
Dr. Petra Kuenkel attended online the session about “Why is a Collective Leadership Approach Paramount for Quality Healthcare in LMICs?” and spoke together with Eilish McAuliffe und Aoife De Brún.

"Why is a Collective Leadership Approach Paramount for Quality Healthcare in LMICs?"

16th October - Keynote “Dialogic change in climate related participation process” and panel discussion “Addressing socio-economic effects in climate participation processes” - Climate Opportunity 2019

Photo taken by IASS, Laura Nagel

See Dr- Petra Kuenkel's PowerPoint on Dialogic change in climate related participation process

Dialogic change in climate related participation process (PDF, 1.20Mb)

As part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) the COBENEFITS project brings ministerial representatives and more than 150 international experts and leaders from science, public administration, politics, the private sector and civil society together in Berlin on the occasion of Climate Opportunity 2019: Co-Benefits for Just Energy Futures.
On October 16th Dr. Petra Kuenkel gave a keynote on “Dialogic change in climate related participation process” and joined the panel discussion to “Addressing socio-economic effects in climate participation processes”, see the full program here

26th September, 6 pm - 8.30 pm, at "Hermann's" - Fireplace chat at Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership

Dr. Petra Kuenkel spoke at a fireplace chat about “undisciplined” career pathways & choices with Martin Scheele and Jörg Niewöhner. This is part of the 4th module of the Postdoc academy for transformational leadership which is dedicated to “Developing capabilities and careers for transformtional leadership”. For more information please see the information at the IRI THESys site by the Humboldt University Berlin or the official website: Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership

5th September - Input and discussion „Spatial research for Anthropocene“

Since 1 July 2019, Prof. Dr. Marc Wolfram is the new director of the Leibniz Institute of Ecolocical Urban and Regional Development (IOER) and took over the chair of Spatial Development at the Technische Universität Dresden. The official inauguration ceremony and inaugural speech took place on 5 September at Zentralwerk Dresden-Pieschen and Dr. Petra Kuenkel joined the panel discussion about “Space as key to transformation”. See photos and a report here (German)

Petra Kuenkel · Dr. Petra Kuenkel about "Space as key to transformation"

KOSMOS Conference - Navigating the Sustainability Transformation in the 21st Century, 30th August 2019

From the 28th till 30th August the KOSMOS Conference – Navigating the Sustainability Transformation in the 21st Century took place at the Humboldt University in Berlin. On the 30th August Dr. Petra Kuenkel attented together with Alina Gruen (Project Manager, Collective Leadership Institute) the KOSMOS Conference. She joined the first session of the expert forum from 12:30 pm-15:00 pm and the Public debate session from 18:00 pm-20:00 pm and explored the topic Transformation Literacy for a Responsible Anthropocene.

More on the expert forum and the public debate can be found here.

Dr. Petra Kuenkel taking part at panel discussion at KOSMOS conference

Dr. Petra Kuenkel at KOSMOS conference while giving her speech

New Business Models NBM Berlin, June 2019

On 1^st and 2^nd of July Dr. Petra Kuenkel attended the conference New Business Models NBM Berlin 2019, where she joined a panel discussion „Rethinking Strategic Management: Can business lead the way to a sustainable future?” on 2^nd of July from 17:00 to 18:00. Prof. Dr. Thomas Wunder from Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences hosted the panel discussion. He is the author of the book Rethinking Strategic Management. Sustainable Strategizing for Positive Impact’ with Dr. Kuenkel’s contribution “What Corporate Strategists Can Learn From International Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration - A Conceptual Architecture for Transformative Change”.

Click here to see the video of the panel discussion.

See Dr. Petra Kuenkel’s inputs directly:

We don’t need competition but collaboration and co-creation as well as network-thinking – this is how we can “Stewarding Sustainability Transformations” (Minute 3:45)
Neo-liberal narrative is outdated – we finally need to shift the narrative. (Minute 25:10)
What does collaboration mean? Who needs to lead collaboration? (Minute 30:30)
What’s the recommendation for the CEO’s out there for sustainable future? (Minute 45:05)
5 Mio € and 3 years’ time: What would you do to scale up impact? (Minute 48:00)
One recommendation to the audience to move towards a sustainable future. (Minute 53:00)

More on the panel discussion and panelists can be found here: https://www.nbmconference.eu/abc-showcase-panel-academic-business-consulting/ and here at page 16 in the PDF Document.

Source of the picture: ESCP Europe Berlin, 02.07.2019: https://www.flickr.com/photos/escpeurope_london/48298533816/in/album-72157709680137902/

Rethinking Strategic Management: Can business lead the way to a sustainable future?

Stewarding Sustainability Transformation – An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation at the 50th Anniversary Conference of The Club of Rome.

From October 17 to 18, the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Club of Rome brought together an outstanding group of cutting-edge speakers. The aim of the conference was to increase awareness about the obstacles humanity is facing today and start focusing on new ideas and initiatives designed to make the world more sustainable. During the two days of the 50th Anniversary Conference of The Club of Rome the following topics were addressed:

1.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-Today’s Implementation Challenges.

2.Adressing a Planetary Emergency: Global Climate Change

3.What Economy is needednfor a World of 10 Billion People?

4.Prospects for Renewable Energy and a True Green Economy

5.Insuring Humanity Survives the Anthropocene

6.Human Values for the Anthropocene.

During the keynote conversation together with Hans Herren (President Millenium Institute), Enrico Giovanni (Universitá die Roma Tor Vergata, Spoke person Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development), and Frans Timmermans (Vice President European Commission) I discussed “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Today’s Implementation Challenges”, how best to think globally and act locally, how to implement the SDGs, and how to turn challenges into opportunities.

In my presentation I focused on how we can invigorate human interaction systems as core drivers of transition processes to assess, plan, and enact the collaborative change required for sustainability with the help of the meta – level guiding tool, the Collective Leadership Compass.

Stewarding Sustainability Transformations.

An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation.

Learn more Order here

Structures and Ways of Thinking for Sustainability and Transformation. Annual Meeting of the German society Club of Rome e.V.

I had a pleasure to give a speech on Structures and Ways of Thinking for Sustainability and Transformation at the Annual Meeting of the German society Club of Rome e.V. The Annual Meeting gathers people from various sectors who share the concern for the humankind and the planet. The aim of the annual conference was to cultivate the spirit for changing perspectives, processes of reflection and further development.

Thinking the future - preserving the world! 50 years Club of Rome.

In August 2018 I had the chance to speak at the Forum “Thinking the future – preserving the world! 50 years Club of Rome” which took place in the Convention Center Castle Herrenhausen in Hannover.

Together with Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif (Head of Research Unit Maritime Meteorology, GEOMAR – Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel), Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert (Head of Energy Department, Transport and Environment, German Institute for Economic Research / Professor of Energy Economics and Sustainability, Hertie School of Governance), Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (Co-president, Club of Rome / University of Freiburg), I discussed the questions “When are the limits of growth exceeded” and the Future of the Club of Rome with its possible future tasks.

Book Dr. Petra Kuenkel as a speaker

The new paradigm we must establish is about creating systems that bring out
the best in us!

Book Dr Petra Kuenkel as a passionate Keynote Speaker for your Event and get inspired by her mind changing and empowering speech.

Request available times from Alina Gruen- Project Manager at Collective Leadership Institute: alina.gruen[at]collectiveleadership.com.