The MSP Institute is a small organisation, cooperating with experts, organisations and networks (see projects and memberships). Find out more about our staff, board members and associates below.
Staff
Since February 2018, Anna Holthaus is the project manager of our work on Gender and Chemicals, including the Gender & Chemicals Partnership, which MSP Institute serves as the Secretariat.
Anna holds a Masters degree in Governing Sustainability from the City University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany, and a Bachelor in Environmental Sciences from Leuphana University, Lüneburg. In her master thesis she analyzed the relevance and integration of gender issues in the german degrowth movement.
She was a Board Member of Young Friends of the Earth Germany from 2012-2014, the youth representative on the scientific advisory board of Friends of the Earth Germany from 2014-2016 and co-founder of “GeNaWerk” – a young network for gender and sustainability – in 2016.
Contact: anna.holthaus(at)msp-institute.org
Michèle Kolmitz supports the MSP Institute as a project coordinator for the Secretariat of the Gender & Chemicals Partnership since June 2024. the “Platform for Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs) for Implementing the 2030 Agenda” at the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
Contact: michele.kolmitz(at)msp-institute.org
Board
The Board of the association includes three people who, in their personal capacity, provide guidance to the MSP Institute’s work: Dr. Marcus Andreas, Marianne Henkel, and Dr. Markus Sperka.
Dr. Marcus Andreas, born 1980, is interested in connections and collaborations. How to best work together in dealing with complexity, fascinates him.
Marcus studied (organisational) pedagogy and social and cultural anthropology at the LMU Munich. During his PhD on ecovillages, he worked as a Research and Communication Associate (2008-2013) at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. Further academic stations were a short-term stipend at the UC Berkeley (2010) and a post-doc on “Green Citizenship” at the Universiteit Utrecht (2013-2014).
In 2014, Marcus started as a project manager at adelphi in Berlin, in the “Climate Dialogue” project for the BMU, led by Dr Minu Hemmati. He co-coordinated the ICCA2015 and subsequently continued to work in, develop and lead projects mostly in the context of the national protection initiative (NKI) of the Ministry of the Environment. Working in the IKI project V-LED with partners in Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines, and Vietnam was also an essential work experience.
After five years, now Senior Project Manager, Marcus Andreas became a freelancer in 2019 as a process facilitator, developer, and assessor (www.marcus-andreas.eu/en). Additionally, he works part-time as a researcher for the Climate Alliance and is completing a course in systemic constellations (FH Potsdam). Apart from that, Marcus likes to travel to various coworking/-living places and would like to publish an eco-feminist fantasy comic one day (the script already exists).
In 2020, Marcus Andreas was elected as a board member of the MSP Institute.
Contact: marcus.andreas(at)msp-institute.org
Marianne Henkel, holding a diploma environmental science, has worked at the University of Greifswald, adelphi, the International Civil Society Centre before joining WWF in 2018, where she works as Project Manager Asia on conservation, resource protection and climate adaptation projects.
Dr. Markus Sperka, born 1959, is an organisational psychologist with a doctorate in organisational communication, and co-founder of the MSP Institute.
Contact: ms(at)msp-institute.org
Associates
Maria E. Gonzalez Anaya (Maru) has over 20 years of expertise in national and international negotiations, policy development, research and consulting on environment and sustainable development with a particular focus on gender equality, human rights and public participation. She holds a Master’s degree in Mexican History and a Bachelor’s degree in Law.
Her core competencies include legal and policy advice, analytical skills, environmental and human rights awareness, and collaboration with different sectors of society. Maru is passionate about creating positive impact in government and civil society sectors. She has been a lead negotiator on gender and chemicals management issues in various international forums, including the Global Framework on Chemicals, a former vice-president and rapporteur of the Bureau of CoP16 of the Basel Convention, as well as negotiator for the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
Dr Leopold von Carlowitz complements the Institute’s work relating to land and property issues, natural resource management, responsible business conduct, as well as broader governance and justice issues. With his long career in international cooperation and in peace and conflict research he brings both technical and methodological expertise to multi-stakeholder dialogues for sustainable development.
Leo is a trained lawyer and holds a M.Phil. degree in International Relations (University of Cambridge).
His doctoral thesis is on the progressive development on international property rights law with special emphasis on the resolution of property disputes in ethno-political conflicts.
Leos academic expertise matches his career postings, most notably as head of the Property Verification and Claims Unit of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (1999-2001) and as adviser and component head for the GIZ land reform project in Namibia (2012-2015). The fair distribution of resources also stood at the heart of his assignment as senior advisor and deputy head of the GIZ Sector Programme ‘Extractives for Development’ (2016-2020) and is key in his present assignment with the GIZ-run G7 CONNEX initiative (since 2022).
Being aware that resource-related justice is often found in the grey zone between law and politics, he stresses the need to accompany regulation and other governance approaches with informed dialogue processes, intercultural sophistication and participatory project management. During the mentioned assignments but also as project leader and researcher for the Center of International Peace Operations (2006-2012), he has acquired sound experience in pursuing law reform, dialogue and reconciliation at the same time. This included preparing for and participating in multi-stakeholder initiatives for responsible mining; designing and implementing international dialogue programs attempting to bridge between different legal cultures and traditions; and combining artistic approaches with political discussions and reform agendas.
He is also working as a Certified Mediator and is closely following the debate on decolonization in Germany. Particular focus lies on post-colonial restitution and reparation issues. As associate of the MSP Institute he is also examining in how far MSP principles designed for sustainable development may be applied for dialogue processes and collaboration projects in the post-colonial sphere.
Contact: leopold.carlowitz(at)msp-institute.org
Dr Minu Hemmati is a co-founder of the MSP Institute, and working on projects as an associate of the organization.
Minu is a clinical psychologist with a doctorate in Organisational and Environmental Psychology, and has served as assistant professor at the University of the Saarland, Germany, focusing on social and environmental psychology and gender studies. Since 1998, she has been working as an independent advisor with NGOs; governments; international organisations; women’s networks; corporations; and research institutions.
Minu is focusing on transformation processes towards sustainable development, justice, and good governance. Topics range from climate change and chemicals management to landscape approaches, agriculture, urban development and extractive industries to gender justice, conflict transformation, and overcoming all kinds of inequalities.
Her work includes designing, facilitating and coaching multi-stakeholder processes – from dialogue to partnerships. She enjoys bringing together all relevant stakeholders to explore common ground and diverse views, co-create shared vision and strategies and work together to put them into practice. Minu is particulaly interested in how different dimensions of change come together – individual, relationships, institutions, and culture – and how scientific knowledge, interpersonal and intercultural skills, as well as personal reflection are needed to achieve successful joint learning and collaboration.
She has wide experience with multi-stakeholder processes at all levels; facilitating a diversity of meeting formats for small and large groups; international policy-making; local and national level implementation; as well as evaluation.
Minu also supports leadership and team development; provides training, teaching and coaching; and engages in research and advocacy. She has published two books and co-authored another, and written over 50 articles, book chapters, and reports.
She supports the MSP Institute’s work on gender and chemicals, including the Gender & Chemicals Partnership, as a senior advisor and facilitator. She has also collaborated with Leopold von Carlowitz on the Decolonization and Sustainable Development project.
Her website is at www.minuhemmati.net.
Contact: minu.hemmati(at)msp-institute.org