NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Susann Tischendorf is a Director at the Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN) that is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. She is an international development specialist with a background in international humanitarian law, economics, and visual journalism.

Susann has experience working for multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank Group, and the International Monetary Fund. She has supported the implementation of private sector development reforms in fragile and conflict-affected states, with project assignments in South America, Africa, Europe, and South Asia. She is passionate about using multi-platform storytelling and digital innovation to help improve the lives of the poor. She gained journalism experience working for the broadcasting station Deutsche Welle TV. 

She also works as a documentary photographer. Her visual arts projects focus on human rights, identity, and the environment. She guest-lectured on the theme of Visual Storytelling in International Development at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA. Susann holds Master’s degrees in Economics/International Relations from Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) in Washington, D.C., USA, and in Audiovisual Communications from the University of Arts in Berlin, Germany.

She studied Cultural Mediation at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Inclusiveness strongly matters to Susann: For more than 15 years she has been volunteering with handicapped children and was awarded with the Silver Honorary Needle of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Germany. She is the lead author of a published in-depth United Nations/GIZ report on how resilience frameworks can be applied to design local volunteering initiatives globally that help increase the resilience of communities and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.