Meet the Team
ALINA WELBERS
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!
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.
ELENI TSAMPARLI CHLOROS
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.
MELISSA WALKER
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!
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.
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.
LAURA KLINGELHÖFER
Laura grew up in Frankfurt and has lived here ever since. After graduating from secondary school, she knew that she wanted to do something with communication – and decided to study online communication at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
After a brief detour into marketing, Laura ended up working at a PR agency and immediately felt at home. At Adel & Link, she moves between the Corporate & Finance and Brand & Digital units, so she gets to enjoy the best of both worlds. Laura likes to devote her free time to all things pretty – whether it’s DIY projects to decorate her home, painting or writing in her planner (a cross between a scrapbook and a bullet journal). When everyday life becomes too boring, she gives her walls a new coat of paint. And when she needs to get out of the house, Laura puts on her skates and hits the outdoors.
RENA SCHÄFGES
What started with a flashlight under her blanket would eventually lead her to Adel & Link: Rena has always enjoyed reading and writing.
So it was no surprise that she was drawn to Heidelberg and Frankfurt to study German language and literature. Her passion for language, good stories and – of course – her penchant for punctuation have never left her. During her time as an editor for daily newspapers, she covered a variety of topics from pigeon breeders to theatre performances. While working for a corporate publishing agency, she managed several corporate magazines for well-known clients in the food and pharmaceutical industries – all the way from the first idea to the finished printed product.
JACQUELINE GIPP
Inspired by artistic creations since early childhood, Jacki knew she wanted to become a graphic designer from the age of 13.
While at school, her internships at an advertising agency in Koblenz, a print shop and a TV station in Mainz reinforced her decision – so, after training to become a media designer, she packed her bags and moved to Trier to study communication design. She then worked at an advertising agency until she’d finally had enough of her cosy life in Trier and decided to move to Offenbach in search of a new challenge. At Adel & Link, Jacki found a new professional home as a graphic designer at HIVE Studios, where she helps bring stories to life with creative concepts and visual finesse. Jacki likes to spend her free time in her screen printing workshop or indulging in her absolute favourite pastime – cooking.
OLIVIA DUDEK
Enthusiastic about the media world from an early age, it was ultimately her love of the English language that led Olivia to study American and English Studies in Frankfurt.
She gained her first insights into the communications industry as a working student and followed this path after graduating. Olivia joined a full-service agency, gaining several years of experience in PR, marketing, trade representation and social media management, with a focus on clients from the tourism industry. As a digital native, she is now part of the Brand & Digital unit at Adel & Link. In her free time, Olivia enjoys the beautiful things in life – travelling, comfort food, crime series and cuddles with her cat are only some of them. But her greatest passion is interior design, so you’ll often find her advising friends and family on paint colours and home design trends.
PHILIPP BOXHEIMER
From the idyllic vineyards of Rheinhessen, Philipp, the son of a winemaker, went to Australia as an au pair on a one-way ticket.
Bitten by the travel bug, he returned to Germany and found a new home in Frankfurt, where he became a flight attendant and completed his bachelor’s degree in International Wine Business. A master’s degree in London and further semesters abroad in Surfers Paradise (Australia) later, he now supports the Adel & Link team in the area of controlling and finance with his wide-ranging skills. Philipp is still passionate about travelling and spends his free time exploring the world. At the weekend, he can either be found in his favourite city district or in the wider Rhine-Main region.
MAREN SCHNEIDER
Growing up in a small village in central Hesse, Maren felt that there was something missing from her cosy life there – the cultural offer was simply too small.
Ironically, it was her enthusiasm for theatre that led her to embrace life in a small town – this time in Bavaria. After studying theatre and media studies with a minor in German studies, she slipped into PR by accident and discovered her passion. Having worked in a tourism PR agency in Frankfurt and in B2B social media communications at the German National Tourist Board, Maren is now looking forward to new challenges at Adel & Link. Her various hobbies offer her creative breaks: modern dance, yoga, hiking and, of course, regular visits to the theatre.
NINA HEGER
At home in southern Hesse, on the road around the world: Nina loves travelling and good food, whether it’s jackfruit in Thailand, sushi in Japan or smørrebrød in Copenhagen.
But you’re more likely to find her holding a pen than a wooden spoon – bullet journals, calendars and to-do lists are her constant companions. That’s why the senior copywriter enjoys fine-tuning texts at Adel & Link. The book studies graduate finds inspiration in podcasts, talks and books by smart people; be it about new work, family or personal development. Speaking of development: once more of a couch potato, she is now a big fitness fan and – despite always being cold – even enjoys ice bathing in winter. Her motto in life: just do it – it could turn out great.
NINE LE SAVÉANT
Nine grew up in the suburbs of the fascinating city of Paris, but always dreamed of moving abroad one day.
So, she followed her dream and spent six months in Lahti, Finland as part of her design degree. Following graduation, she moved to Belgium before settling down in Wiesbaden, Germany. Nine loves connecting with others through design and turning ideas into visual stories that inspire people. She approaches each of her designs with patience, focus and perseverance – skills she acquired during nine years of figure skating. Because every fall is also the starting point for a fresh attempt. True to her French heritage, Nine also has a passion for good food and is kind enough to share her recipes with the team – who of course always volunteer to taste test her creative medleys!
JULIA GERECHT
Having spent her childhood in the Taunus, Julia feels right at home in the Rhine-Main region.
While studying journalism in Mainz, she unexpectedly discovered her passion for corporate communications. Having completed her studies, she then gained several years of experience in consulting in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. For Julia, the ideal workday is a varied one, so she’d cover topics such as construction, pet insurance and sustainable investments – all in one day. After a stint at the local hospital in Offenbach, she has now returned to the agency world and is part of the tech and corporate units at Adel & Link. In her free time, she enjoys reading Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit mysteries, trying out new bread recipes, and going to the football stadium.
ANNA WEGNER
If Anna had been asked in the past what she wanted to be when she grew up, she probably never would have replied: “I want to be a communications consultant for tech companies!”
After an internship at a Frankfurt-based communications agency while studying sociology and law at university, though, she quickly realised: that’s it! For more than ten years now, she has been gaining experience in B2B and B2C communications – even though her heart has always beaten a little stronger for consumer topics. Through her work, she has also developed a small obsession for influencer/creator management – be it trends, updates, cooperation partners or engagement rates. That’s why the Offenbach native is always up to date with the latest industry gossip and likes to be “influenced” herself.
JOANA ISER DA SILVA
Joana grew up in Frankfurt. But she feels at home all over the world. She discovered her curiosity and love for languages and travelling at a young age, partly because her mother introduced her to the Portuguese language and culture early on.
After graduating from high school, she went out into the big wide world: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. During her travels, Joana became interested in different communication styles and trends, both analogue and digital. Back in Frankfurt, she quickly realised that studying online communication at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences was the perfect fit for her. During her internship semester, she got her first taste of PR at Adel & Link. Today, she is continuing her PR journey as part of the Technology & Innovation unit. When Joana is not globetrotting or exploring the world of PR, she keeps herself busy by doing sports, going for hikes in the outdoors or planning her next trip.