Ellen Heinrichs

Ellen Heinrichs advocates for journalism that serves everyone – both media professionals and our democratic public.
She is the founder and CEO of the non-profit Bonn Institute, which supports media organizations in developing their offerings through innovation programs and tailored training, always putting people’s interests at the center. Together with Markus Beckedahl, she also founded the b° future festival – Europe’s largest festival for journalism and constructive dialogue.
Ellen Heinrichs began her career as a reporter at Rheinische Post. After working with international organizations, she joined Deutsche Welle, where she played a key role in driving digital transformation as both journalist and innovation manager. She is an author, trained mediator, solutions journalism trainer, and agile culture coach. She serves on the board of the Human Journalism Network and was the only German fellow at the Constructive Institute at Aarhus University. She is also a founding member of iNNEN – the Network for Women in Journalism.