Our goal is a just and ecological world economy. To this end, we apply our expertise in international trade, raw materials and climate policy. With comprehensive research, we examine political processes, identify the problems of an unjust economic system and develop policy alternatives. Our team forges strong alliances with other organizations, social movements and citizens to reach our goals. We know that we are stronger together than we can ever be alone.
Trade and Investment Policy
Fabian Flues
Main areas of work: Energy Charter Treaty, corporate action rights, climate and trade. I work at PowerShift because a sustainable and fair economic system is an important prerequisite for a more just society.
Fabian Flues works at PowerShift as a trade and investment policy expert, focusing on the relationship between trade, resource extraction and processing, and environmental protection. Before joining PowerShift, he worked for Friends of the Earth in Brussels, among others.
Bettina Müller
Main areas of work: Trade agreements with Latin America, corporate rights of action. I work at PowerShift because fairer trade and investment policies are crucial in the fight against climate change, human rights violations and poverty worldwide.
Bettina Müller studied politics and international relations. From 2014 to 2018, she lived and worked in Argentina - already on international trade policy. After an eventful period of action on the South American continent, she set out for new adventures and into the arms of PowerShift at the beginning of 2019, where she is now working on European trade and investment policy. She is particularly interested in investor-state arbitration, an unjust, private legal system that urgently needs to be abolished.
Alessa Hartmann
Main areas of work: Team coordination, sustainability in trade agreements, impact monitoring. I work at PowerShift because here profession is at the same time vocation, namely to work for a just global economy that respects our planetary boundaries and protects human rights.
Alessa Hartmann has been working on trade and investment policy at PowerShift since 2014, focusing on the impact of trade and investment protection regulations on environmental and development policy. She is also a member of the coordinating group of the Netzwerk Gerechter Welthandel. Before joining PowerShift, she worked at the Forum Environment and Development and at the Association of German Development NGOs - VENRO.
Thomas Fritz
Main areas of work: Trade and sustainability, supply chains. I work at PowerShift because we need fair and sustainable trade relations for social-ecological change.
He is the author of numerous studies on the consequences of trade liberalization and privatization of public services.
Climate and resource justice
Peter Fuchs
Main areas of work: Climate justice, mobility transition, energy transition. I work at PowerShift to effectively do something for more social and ecological justice!
Peter Fuchs is a graduate economist/social economist and has been active in environmental policy and internationalist work for many years. He is the "founding father" of PowerShift, executive board member and until 2018 worked mainly on international trade and investment policy. He now works on climate & resource justice in Berlin; his main topics are transport transition, mobility justice and resource justice in the automotive industry. Besides his work, he tries to motivate his little daughter to play soccer and to ride a bike - later: to play bacon board.
Neelke Wagner
Main areas of work: Energy transition, gas phase-out and a climate-friendly hydrogen economy. I work for PowerShift because I believe that climate action, a fair economy and global justice go together.
Neelke Wagner joined PowerShift in May 2023 as a climate and resource justice expert. Her focus lies on the energy sector. Previously, she worked as a consultant for hydrogen, climate protection and heat transition at Climate Alliance Germany and before that as a scientific advisor for energy and climate policy for the Left Party in the German Bundestag and for MP Klaus Ernst. She has also worked as a journalist on energy system transformation (including for the solar magazine Photon). As she was responsible for the publications of Mehr Demokratie e.V. for several years, she is also well acquainted with the field of (direct) democracy.
Raw Materials Policy
Michael Reckordt
Main areas of work: Raw materials turnaround, climate and metals, mobility and raw materials. My goal is a raw materials turnaround that eliminates inequities in the mining of metallic and mineral raw materials.
Michael Reckordt has been working at PowerShift since May 2013 and is a resource policy expert. The geography graduate is former executive director of the philippinenbüro (2009 to 2013) and coordinator of the network AK Rohstoffe (2013 to 2020). His focus is on German raw materials policy and the mining conditions of metallic raw materials worldwide. It is particularly important to him to advance the urgently needed raw materials turnaround. When not dealing with metals and human rights, he runs after his daughter, is a columnist for the world's oldest music fanzine, and enjoys the downs of Berlin amateur soccer.
Hannah Pilgrim
Main areas of work: German raw materials policy, raw materials turnaround, deep sea mining. I work for PowerShift because the use of raw materials must no longer be accompanied by human rights violations and environmental destruction.
Hannah Pilgrim has been supporting the work of the Raw Materials Policy Team for a few years now; since March 2020, she has been working as coordinator of the Raw Materials Working Group at PowerShift and is committed to making German raw materials policy more globally just and democratic. Otherwise, she likes to be in motion, on rails, wheels, or in her mind. She likes sound, voices and dance, as well as confusing influences.
Hendrik Schnittker
Main areas of work: Energy transition and circular economy, hydrogen, mobility. I work for PowerShift because I want a real social-ecological transformation, without bogus solutions and greenwashing.
Hendrik Schnittker has been supporting PowerShift since 2021, and since mid-2022 he has been a consultant for energy transition, circular economy and mobility. His focus is on the metal needs for renewable energy infrastructure and how we can meet them in the long term while still tackling destructive mining. He also examines where the German government's hydrogen strategy can benefit people and the climate, and where it is a sham solution and a continuation of colonial exploitative relationships.
Vanessa Fischer
Main areas of work: metal trade, metal exchanges, financing of mining. I work at PowerShift because it allows me to contribute to socio-ecological change and fight against global injustice.
Vanessa Fischer joined PowerShift in 2021. She studied Global Studies, Social Sciences, and Asia-Africa Studies in Berlin, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and New Delhi. Prior to joining PowerShift, she worked as an editor at nd and focused on free trade agreements at Focus on the Global South in India.
Maja Wilke
Main areas of work: Raw materials turnaround and circular economy. The established way of life in Europe is closely linked to environmental damage and human rights violations around the world. I work at PowerShift to advocate against this.
Maja Wilke has been with PowerShift since September 2023, working as a raw materials consultant since January 2024. Prior to that, she studied International Relations and worked in the Green Office of her university and in Latin America.
Tine Laufer
I work at PowerShift because my professional and private interests complement each other perfectly and I feel like I'm doing something meaningful every day.
Tine Laufer has been working at PowerShift since 2017, and in 2018 she took over the role of Managing Director. She studied law, international relations and organizational studies. Before joining PowerShift, she managed the DAAD office in Armenia, worked as a guest lecturer at the Siberian Federal University in Russia and at WEED in the PC Global project.
Adrian Bornmann
I work at PowerShift because I want to use my skills to work for a fairer world.
Adrian Bornmann has been working at PowerShift since 2023. He holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in Governance and Human Rights. He has gained experience in communications and press relations at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights e.V. and the Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany e.V., among others.
Tine Laufer has been working at PowerShift since 2017, and in 2018 she took over the role of Managing Director. She studied law, international relations and organizational studies. Before joining PowerShift, she managed the DAAD office in Armenia, worked as a guest lecturer at the Siberian Federal University in Russia and at WEED in the PC Global project.
Elena Gnant is a freelancer at PowerShift. She supports PowerShift in the area of raw materials policy and organizes, among other things, the crash course on raw materials policy.
Lilian Leupold supports PowerShift as a freelancer in projects on climate policy and urban infrastructure by organizing events and campaigns and publishing on various topics.
Emma Jacoby started a Voluntary Ecological Year at Stiftung Naturschutz Berlin after her Bachelor's degree at Bard College Berlin, where she mainly studied political science and economics.
Jeremy Oestreich supports PowerShift as a freelancer, working mainly on trade agreements between the EU and Latin America. Before that, he studied philosophy and social sciences and was committed to sustainable agriculture without overpowering agricultural corporations.
Anne Bundschuh's work in recent years has included the EU-Canada agreement CETA, the regionalization of supply chains, and sustainability in trade agreements. Prior to joining PowerShift, she worked at Forum Environment and Development, where she coordinated the Fair World Trade Network.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in political science Leonel Müller did an internship at the raw materials office at PowerShift. Since then, he has been supporting PowerShift in various organizational activities and activities regarding raw material policy. At the same time, he is studying economics. He has a special interest in Latin America.
Antonia Vangelista
Antonia Vangelista supports PowerShift as a freelancer, especially on the podcast Kompass Weltwirtschaft. She studied International Relations and Political Economy. She also works as a freelance journalist.