CXI Brand Conference

With over 30 years of brand experience, the native New Zealander and his team support companies such as Atruvia, Engel & Völkers, GEA, Henkel, Körber, Merck, Miele, thyssenkrupp, and Volkswagen with their brand change projects. The passionate brand expert is also responsible for the SiebenMeilenMarken podcast, in which he interviews the leaders of various German brands, and in his spare time you can find the amateur photographer either behind a camera or on a surfboard, skateboard, snowboard or mountain bike.

Simon’s approach, which he lives with great clarity and at eye level with our clients: “Strategy and identity make brands the management tools of successful companies. He does not know the word “comfort zone”, the bigger the challenge, the better. His energy and perseverance, with which he affirms and drives change, are boundless.

Hendrik Bruning is Creative Director at MetaDesign with lead responsibility for creation at the Düsseldorf location. He and his team have been supporting the further development of the Deutsche Telekom brand since 2017. After studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf, he worked for Claus Koch and Interbrand. He has over 15 years of experience in branding with a variety of projects for regional and international brands in different industries.

Chief Business Development Officer

With more than 20 years of marketing experience and a successful track record in driving brand value, Alexander contributes a wealth of practical knowledge in running international brands. His passion for branding spans several sectors from telecommunications to logistics, to pharmaceuticals and healthcare. Alexander currently heads up Brand Management at Deutsche Telekom. In this position, he is responsible for the global definition and execution of all brand strategy and design matters for Europe’s most valuable telco brand.

Oliver is an award-winning creative director with more than 20 years of experience in design and branding. Originally trained as a sculptor, Oliver has a broad and multi-disciplinary approach to branding. Oliver has led teams for renowned branding agencies in The Netherlands, UK and Sweden, such as Studio Dumbar, Wolff Olins and Bold Scandinavia. He has created brand identities and experiences for global clients from all industries (a.o. Google, Apple, Tesco, Mercedes Benz, Olafur Eliasson, Berlin Philharmonics, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Minecraft).

An innovator by nature, Cecilia Martin is a brand consultant and inspirational speaker with over 15 years of experience. Her work supporting cultural organisations across the UK and internationally aims to connect culture with people in new ways, exploring boundaries and realising new possibilities. Cecilia has worked on the brand strategies for cultural institutions such as 
Art Fund, National Museum of World Cultures, International Institute of Asian Studies, osloBIENNALEN, Wiener Konzerthaus, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Garage Museum of Contemporary Culture, Windermere Jetty, King’s College Cultural Institute, Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, Berlin Philharmoniker amongst others. Cecilia also co-founded Lava Lab in Amsterdam, a hub for innovation, strategy, design, and technology. Cecilia strongly believes in the power of collaboration to develop ground-breaking ideas.

Henning Otto is founder and creative strategist at EIGA. He focuses on strategy and agency development. Before founding EIGA together with Elisabeth, he gained experience in corporate identity agencies throughout Germany. Henning is a member of the Art Directors Club Germany (ADC) and the German Designer Club (DDC). He is a graduate of the Communication Design degree programme at HfK Bremen.

Elisabeth Plass is founder and creative director at EIGA. She focuses on con-cept and design development. Before founding the agency, she gained extensive experience in interdisciplinary design agencies in Germany and the UK. Elisabeth has been a member of the Art Directors Club Germany since 2014 and an elected board member of the ADC design department since 2020. Elisabeth is a graduate of the Communication Design degree programme at HfK Bremen and holds a Master of Art and Design degree from Middlesex University London (with merit).

Maika-Alexander Stangenberg is Service Field Lead Communication and Marketing (SVP) at Atruvia AG (formerly Fiducia & GAD). Since 2017, he has accompanied the company through its transformation as Head of Communication, Product and Corporate Marketing, Sustainability as well as Brand Experience and Sponsoring. Previously, Stangenberg was responsible for communications and political advocacy at United Internet AG with its brands 1&1, GMX, WEB.DE as divisional director. As Vice President Corporate Communications, Stangenberg led PR, Public Affairs and Brand Management at the globally active energy service provider ista from 2011 to 2013.

Creative Director, CEO