Meet the Team
ALINA RIETMANN
After having lived in Enschede, Münster and Frankfurt, Alina finally settled down in Cologne – but she doesn’t mind commuting for Adel & Link.
Alina has over 6 years of experience in B2B and B2C communication for various industries: from finance and automotive to consumer topics in the textile, food and living sectors. She loves big ideas and is familiar with keywords such as creative brief, campaigning, strategic insight and design thinking. She calls social media her second home and enjoys reading – magazines and daily news in particular. At the weekends, she likes to go on city trips or visit her hometown in search of new inspiration and the tastiest food trends – obviously, she’s always hungry for stories too! But sometimes a chilled afternoon watching football or having a beer with friends is all she needs.
LINDA BENKNER
There’s nothing like a good story. Linda loves storytelling – whether it’s client meets perfect match agency or customer falls in love with campaign.
From her point of view, communication means translating strategic goals into clear messages, strong images and suitable media outlets. She enjoys the challenge of engaging with her clients in order to understand their needs and requirements. With her experience in journalism, publishing and public relations, she knows how to create bestsellers: deliver a statement that will stick in people’s minds and arouse their curiosity!
FABIAN RICHTER
A political scientist by training, Fabian slipped into technology PR by accident – but quickly realised that this is the right industry for him.
After spells in Munich and Mainz where he worked for an international PR agency and a full-service e-government company, he eventually found his way to Frankfurt and Adel & Link. He’s passionate about Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and machine learning. He enjoys turning complex topics into great stories and making them accessible to the general public. And even though he feels at home in the metropolis on the Main, he’s still convinced: Frankfurt pales in comparison to his beloved hometown Offenbach.
NATALIE BUSS
Natalie’s studies took her to Mannheim, Sydney and the Scottish Highlands – and then back to her hometown Frankfurt.
Thanks to various stints at a publishing house,the aviation industry and a PR consultancy, she gained first experience in the communications industry. This sparked her interest in working for a PR agency. Today Natalie is a corporate consultant at Adel & Link and has a passion for coordination, writing and developing storylines and messaging for her clients. As an organisational talent, she enjoys managing complex projects and always stays on top of things. And whether it’s in the agency or her free time: Natalie loves trying out new things and immersing herself in complex topics.
MELANIE SAFDARI
From the edge of Bavaria right into the heart of the Rhein-Main region: After completing her training in hotel management, Melanie was drawn to the big city and moved to Frankfurt to work as a barkeeper.
She got to know and love the city and the people here – but was missing some kind of structure. At the stock exchange and later at an HR consulting company she was finally able to pursue her true passion: as an office manager, Melanie is in full control of the office at Adel & Link. She has a knack for interior design and a soft spot for plants. And she’s also in charge of planning and organising our legendary team events. The more to-do lists she has, the better – and of course they’re all ticked off.
NENA TSAMPARLI
Originally from Athens, Nena moved to the heart of Europe to expand her design mind and find new paths to explore in her design work. As Head of Design at Adel & Link and founder of HIVE Studios,
she is fluent in all design formats and always keeps up with the latest trend developments and communication techniques. She loves a challenge. That’s why each of her projects is unique, but always with a creative spark – and guaranteed to deliver great results. A movie and series junkie, Nena believes that visuals are great vehicles for storytelling. In her free time, she’s either busy looking for new travel destinations or experimenting with delicious recipes.
REBEKKA MILLER
After a few detours, Rebekka found her way back to her hometown Frankfurt. As a trained translator she has a great passion for the Spanish language.
So much so that after completing her bachelor’s degree she worked at a small hotel in Costa Rica and then went to Madrid for her master’s. Rebekka loves reading and discovering new things – no matter the language. During internships at a small publishing house and big international agencies she realised that she wanted to stay in the PR industry. She has experience working in corporate and consumer communications and as a concept developer. Rebekka pays close attention to detail and knows how to choose her words to craft captivating stories.
MELISSA WALKER
Born into a Scottish-Peruvian family in Germany, Melissa has always been passionate about languages, words and the craft of writing.
While studying English Literature in Scotland, she also had the opportunity to pursue another passion of hers: philosophy. And while it’s fun to muse about brains in vats, she believes that philosophy can also be a powerful ally. For Melissa, PR is a way to communicate ideas and thus acts as a vehicle for philosophy. It has the power to inspire change, to shake up our perception of reality – and may even make us question our most firmly held beliefs. Melissa is convinced that her background in humanities is a great advantage in the “cold” corporate world. She received the EUPRERA Master Thesis Award for Excellence for her master’s thesis on the convergence of PR and public diplomacy in a Scottish communications campaign.
JULIA WEISE
Julia loves to write. While she mostly enjoys writing about politics, she’s also interested in artificial intelligence and the future of our planet.
With a degree in peace and conflict studies, she never shies away from joining a debate and can even do so in four languages: German, English, Spanish and, if needed, in the Saxon dialect. From her hometown Dresden she moved to Madrid, Halle (Saale) and Aberystwyth in Wales – and eventually to Frankfurt. After seven years as a freelance journalist, she decided to join the PR world. She’s incredibly prone to earworms – please don’t trigger!
CIGDEM BILGE
Cigdem has lived in the very north (Hamburg) and the south (Munich) of Germany. And yet, her true home is and always will be Cologne, Germany’s most colourful and fun city.
In fact, she loves Cologne so much, she’s happy to commute from there to Frankfurt every day. The designer keeps rediscovering her love for design in many different areas, whether it be interior design, fashion, minimalism or typography. When she’s not busy designing at her desk, she’s probably on the road with her van “Bobby” (an old Volkswagen T3) – or wielding a brush, working on her hand lettering and sign painting projects.
LUNA KILIAN
Luna was born in Siberia, but now calls Frankfurt her home. In love with the German language, she graduated with a degree in German studies – in spite of all the sceptics.
After completing her master’s degree, she moved to Paris to organize her thoughts. With that done, she became a journalist in order to then work as a travel journalist for two years, sharing stories from all over the world. Maybe that’s why she is such an ardent supporter of writing postcards – but maybe it’s just because she loves to write. In fact, she loves it so much that she has been known to smile to herself while writing. Nowadays, Luna is part of the content unit of HIVE Studios at Adel & Link, where she takes on a variety of text forms on any topic – whether it’s digital or pen on paper. In her free time, she finds peace outdoors or by spending time with her little flock of quails.
JULIANA BROMM
A digital native, Juliana was drawn from a sleepy village in northern Hesse to the most beautiful city on the Main (aka Offenbach).
After training as a digital media designer, she decided she wanted to go beyond visual communication – by also telling exciting stories. Having completed her online communication degree, working in PR gives her the opportunity to put her knowledge of technology, design and communication into practice. Having started at the agency as an intern, she stayed on while finishing her degree and is now a full-time member of the technology team at Adel & Link.
DOREEN ZÖLLNER
From the Spreewald via London to Frankfurt, from studying law to getting into the communications industry: Doreen loves and masters challenges.
This is why it never occurred to her that being a mom and building a career are exclusive. During her work at international corporate and technology communication agencies, Doreen has specialized in the development of PR and marketing communication strategies as well as messaging and positioning of B2B brands and products. At Adel & Link, Doreen supports the team as Director Corporate Communications. And because the power woman never runs out of breath, she loves to explore the Taunus on her mountain bike and enjoys hiking with family and friends.
CHARLOTTE VON SPEE
Having been connected to Frankfurt since her university days, Charlotte returned to her favourite city on the Main as a commuter.
With stopovers in Vienna, London and Paderborn, the English Studies graduate discovered her enthusiasm for PR through internships. Although she has always had a weakness for cars and a knack for technical matters, her pit stop at Technology PR was pure coincidence. Several years of working in a B2B PR agency sparked her passion for strategic consulting for companies in the IT and logistics industries. But there is one thing that many big and small vehicle fans envy Charlotte for – her forklift driving licence. But as long as the forklift is parked, Charlotte’s everyday work is all about PR for a wide variety of tech companies. In her free time, she only needs one horsepower to be happy, because this belongs to equestrian sports – but only if Charlotte is not travelling the world equipped with her camera or discovering new cities on short trips.
REBECCA TAUB
After graduating from high school, Rebecca explores the big wide world. She dips her toe into various industries, including landscape architecture, as well as a short detour to the teaching profession in Thailand.
But finally she follows her true passion for design and studies communication design in Augsburg. But this doesn’t mean the end of her travels: The Munich native is drawn to Falmouth, a “tropical” coastal town in England, for a semester abroad. Following this, she gains practical experience in a branding agency. What Rebecca loves about design is its variety – and so her skills range from branding, corporate identity, typography and illustration to editorial design. Rebecca’s heart beats for her hometown Munich, summers in Greece and chocolate. And since a journey is never over, she has now arrived in Frankfurt, where she makes the world a little more colourful every day as a Junior Graphic Designer at Adel & Link’s HIVE Studios.
LAURA KÖNIG
Laura loves books. The plot of her own biography begins in the south of Germany. Chapter by chapter, Laura works her way through Germany: via Cologne to Frankfurt.
After work, she swaps the urban genre for the rural one, since she is at home in the Taunus. In the story of her life, PR appears the end of her literary studies. After a year in the press office of a French cosmetics brand, Laura turns the page – next chapter: agency world. From agricultural technology to payment industry, Laura has advised clients from numerous B2B technology sectors over the years. Today, her bookmark marks eight years of agency experience. Her focus is on international B2B tech communication – from writing about complex technical topics to thought leadership campaigns. At Adel & Link, Laura looks after tech clients such as AVEVA, Danfoss and Deacom. After work, she switches from tech to prose. She shares her love of literature with the world on her blog.
LOUISA SCHMITT
Louisa did not lose her heart to her hometown of Heidelberg, but to the city of Mainz. After studying communication, she moved to Stuttgart to do her Master’s degree.
But since she missed the Rhine-Hessian way of life and joie de vivre very much, she returned. During her studies, Louisa was already able to gain some practical experience – from community management at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to international experience in technology PR and training as a radio presenter at the university radio station. But in the end, working in agencies was what she enjoyed the most, which is why she is now happy to be a Junior Consultant at Adel & Link. Louisa devotes her free time to DIY projects such as sewing and baking, or she finds a cosy spot by the Rhine with a delicious wine spritzer in her hand.
VICTORIA HOADWONIC
As a daughter of American parents, Victoria was born in Wetzlar and still has her roots in Hessen. She moved to Marburg to study Social Sciences, followed by editorial internships in Frankfurt am Main.
To see a different part of the country and deepen her journalistic experience she then moved to Magdeburg for a traineeship with a daily newspaper. But soon she decided to return to her roots: once a Frankfurter, always a Frankfurter (so they say). Victoria was drawn back to the city of skyscrapers on the river Main. With Adel & Link, she is now exploring the colorful world of PR as a junior consultant. When she’s not busy with urban gardening, Victoria dreams of the whole wide world – and can’t wait to visit her family in South Carolina again.