Faces of the IQ Congress 2016

Till Nassif

Will facilitate this year’s IQ Congress

Till Nassif is a journalist and TV presenter for ARD Morgenmagazin and other programmes. He read communication studies, politics, and sociology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and has further completed a vocational training programme at the Deutsche Journalistenschule (German journalism school). During his degree studies, he already worked as a radio presenter and news editor with a variety of broadcasting stations. His journalistic work frequently engaged with the topics of “youth in Europe” and “the coexistence of different cultures in Germany”.  

Prof. Dr. Aladin El-Mafaalani

Aladin El-Mafaalani, Professor of Political Science and Political Sociology (Münster University of Applied Sciences) is involved, inter alia, as a member of the Council for Migration, the Refugee Research Network and is a board member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Centre for Gifted Education and the "Society and Digital Technologies" Institute. He is a consultant for, among others, political stakeholders at the federal and national level, foundations, associations and municipalities. Fields of work: Educational research (currently: poverty and talent), youth research (currently: Salafism as a youth culture), migration research (currently: forms of conflict in immigration societies), urban research (currently: potentials for integration of urban and rural areas). Latest books: "Migration Sensitivity - Dealing with Globalism Locally" (2016), "Handbook Discrimination" (2016), Segregated Neighbourhoods as Spaces of Problem and Possibility" (2015) (all in German). U.2012. Dissertation Prize in Cultural Studies, University of Essen

Simone Solka

Simone Solka is the Director (since January 2016) of the ministerial unit "Fundamental
Aspects of Migration Policy" at the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
(BMAS). Ms. Solka, who holds a law degree, has worked for the Labour Ministry since 2006 in different positions and units, addressing policy areas such as the employment of foreign nationals and employment promotion benefits.

Bettina Köster

Speaker in the 4^th panel discussion, "Migration in the media"

Bettina Köster has been a permanent freelance member at Deutschlandfunk (DLF) in the editorial office for academia and education since 1994. She works as an author, editor and moderator for the shows "Markt und Medien" (Market and Media), "Studiozeit aus Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften" (Studio for the Cultural and Social Sciences) and "Länderzeit". In 2012, she and the editorial staff of "Markt und Medien" at DLF received the Bert Donnepp Prize, which encourages critical reflection upon the social role of the media. Following her degree in German philology, journalism and social psychology, Köster trained as a radio host and soon worked in the studios of Radio NRW, WDR and Deutschlandfunk. She has produced a large number of reports and commentaries from Egypt, covering freedom of the press after the revolution, young bloggers in Cairo and various topics concerning the Tahrir Square scene. Since 2014, she has been covering the arrival of refugees in Germany, reporting via a mobile production studio from refugee accommodation facilities, language schools and communities. In addition, she regularly discusses the media coverage of refugees during the DLF show "Markt und Medien".

Henry Akanko

Henry Akanko is the Director of Hire Immigrants Ottawa (HIO), an initiative that brings together employers, immigrant service agencies and other stakeholders to develop solutions to systemic barriers around the integration of skilled immigrants into the Ottawa labour force. Prior to joining HIO, he was the Executive Director of the Canada-Africa Community Health Alliance; an Ottawa based non-profit-organization that supports isolated community healthcare institutions in Africa. 

Henry has several years of international development experience, managing education, healthcare and institutional development projects in Africa.  Henry has also worked with a number of international organizations including the World University Service of Canada on the Uniterra volunteer cooperation program and Catholic Relief Services. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Collaborative International Development Studies from the University of Guelph.

Feridun Zaimoglu

Feridun Zaimoglu, born in 1964 in Bolu, Anatolia, has been living in Germany since the age of six. He studied art and medicine in Kiel and now writes for Die Welt, Frankfurter Rundschau, Die Zeit and FAZ. In 2002, he was awarded the Hebbel prize; in 2003, the prize of the jury at the Bachmann competition in Klagenfurt, and in 2004, the Adelbert von Chamisso prize. In 2005, he was a fellow at the Villa Massimo in Rome. During the same year, he received the Hugo Ball prize, followed by the Grimmelshausen prize in 2007, the Corine prize for his novel "Liebesbrand" in 2008, the Jakob Wassermann literature prize in 2010 and the "Preis der Literaturhäuser" in 2012. He was the writer-in-residence of Mainz in 2015 and received the Berlin literature prize in 2016. Following his bestsellers "Leyla" and "Liebesbrand", he recently published his successful novel "Siebentürmeviertel".

Aeham Ahmad

In the evening of the first day of our congress, we will be welcoming the Palestinian-Syrian pianist Aeham Ahmad.

"Music is a sin, music is impure," the henchmen of the so-called Islamic State shouted before drenching his piano with petrol and setting it aflame. That was in 2015, in the Palestinian camp of Yarmouk. Before the eyes of Aeham Ahmad, then 27, not only his instrument but his entire future went up in flames. Soon after, he embarked on a journey across the Mediterranean and the Balkan route to Germany. Since last September, Aeham Ahman has been living in Wiesbaden. He has already given more than 200 concerts in Germany, demonstrating his diverse musical expertise that ranges from classical music to jazz. In 2015, he became the first person to receive the new International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights.

Albin Dearing

He participates in the panel "Decent work for all – between law and reality".

The criminal law expert is the Programme Director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and conducts research in the areas of victims' rights and the fight against crime. He previously worked, inter alia, at the Faculty of Law of the University of Linz, at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg and at the Austrian Interior and Justice Ministry. He studied law and is the author of several specialist publications in the fields of victims' rights and protection against violence.

Bettina Wagner

Bettina Wagner is an ergonomist who focuses on the migration of labour in Europe. Currently she is the manager of the BEB Advisory Bureau for posted workers, EU citizens entitled to free movement and self-employed individuals whose working status is unclear. Her latest publications on the subject are: "Posting, subcontracting and low-wage employment in the German meat industry" (Transfer 2/2016) and "European employee mobility to Germany – An overview of posting, the free movement of workers, seasonal work and the freedom of establishment of EU citizens in Germany" (in German, 2015 Hans Böckler Foundation together with Anke Hassel).

Michael van der Cammen, area manager  migration and refugees German Public Employment Services

Michael van der Cammen started working for the German Public Employment Services in 2003. There, he took part in a key reform project, centralising public tenders in the field of active labour market policy measures from the local employment offices to the head office.

2005 Michael van der Cammen changed to the international relations department, which he headed from 2010 onward. Between 2013 and 2015 Michael van der Cammen was responsible for the Coordination unit Migration. Development of approaches to a better participation of migrants and refugees in the labour market were part of his key activities.

Since 2016 he has staken over responsibility for the area migration and refugees.

Lamya Kaddor

Lamya Kaddor is scholar of Islamic studies, Islamic religious pedagogue, journalist, head of the project "extreme out –empowerment, not antisemitism", founder chairwoman of the Liberal-Islamic Alliance. 2004–2008 research assistant at the first German department for Islamic studies (University of Münster, North-Rhine Westphalia). 2007–2008 Representative of the professorial chair for Islamic religious pedagogy (University of Münster) Translator of the first Quran for children and adults into German. Initiator and co-publisher of the first series of textbooks for Islamic religious education in German schools. Her latest publication was a book of debates titled "Die Zerreißprobe. Wie die Angst vor dem Fremden unsere Demokratie bedroht." (The crucial test – how xenophobia threatens our democracy)

Dr Elisabeth Liebau

Dr Liebau will be joining the second panel discussion, “Refugees in the labour market – long-term strategies for sustainable integration”.

Dr Elisabeth Liebau works in the survey management department of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin (DIW), where she is responsible for creating questionnaires for recent immigrants and conducting surveys among refugees on a random basis. Her professional interests and expertise focus on research into migration and integration as well as with immigration surveys.

Dr. Mark Terkessidis

Dr. Mark Terkessidis is a certified psychologist working as an author and migration researcher in Berlin and Cologne. After his psychology degree, he proceeded to complete a PhD in pedagogy with a focus on racism in Mainz. He has held teaching positions at the University of Cologne and the University of St Gallen and was a fellow at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Terkessidis worked as an editor at “Spex Magazine”, as a moderator at “Funkhaus Europa”, and he has published articles on the topics of youth and pop culture as well as migration and racism in print magazines and on radio shows. He has also published a number of socio-critical monographs, including “Interkultur” (2010) and “Kollaboration” (2015). In 2013, Terkessidis was appointed member of the “Akademie der Künste der Welt”. He is also on the advisory board of “Zukunftsakademie NRW” in Bochum.

Prof. Lesleyanne Hawthorne

Lesleyanne Hawthorne (PhD, MA, BA Hons, Dip Ed, Grad Dip Mig Studies) is Professor - International Workforce at the University of Melbourne. She is an expert on skilled migration, foreign credential recognition, and international student flows. Most recently Lesleyanne has completed global projects for the European Commission, World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the Australian, Canadian and New Zealand governments, UNESCO, the US Migration Policy Institute, the International Organisation of Migration, and APEC. She has also completed the major Australian studies on international student migration to date. In 2005-06 Lesleyanne was appointed to an Expert Panel of Three by Federal Cabinet to undertake the most extensive evaluation of Australia’s skilled migration program in 20 years; in 2012 designated the Australian Expert on foreign credential recognition by the International Organization of Migration; and in 2016-18 she will lead a major study comparing the value of permanent, temporary and international student migration in both Australia and Canada.

Alexander Wilhelm

Alexander Wilhelm, born in 1978, is the Deputy Director of the Labour Market Department at the German employers’ association (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände – BDA), the leading socio-political organisation in the German economy. Mr Wilhelm’s responsibilities include the topics of labour market development, human resources and immigration, demographic changes and the employment of staff with low qualifications. He is a Deputy Member of the Board of Directors at the Federal Labour Agency and represents the BDA in various other committees and panels on a national and international level, focussing on European labour market policies and the European Social Fund among other issues. Before joining the BDA in 2004, Mr Wilhelm worked as an evaluator in the field of state and democracy for the German Corporation for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH – GIZ). He has studied economics at the University of Göttingen and the University of Nottingham.

Dr. Linda Manning

Dr. Linda Manning, Intercultural economist & Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa, works to build inclusive workplace practices, with CEOs, managers and coworkers. As concept designer & subject matter expert, she produced TalentNet©, a free online e-learning tool for workplaces facing changing demographics. Mindful inclusion increases organizational capacity for employers and career success for individuals. Without employer engagement (EE), bridging programs won’t succeed, but it requires trust and mutually beneficial relationships between service providers and employers. Linda currently works on an EE continuum to measure EE and reveal appropriate actions to increase employer development.

Rob McNeil, Head of Media and Communications

Rob McNeil is working with the Migration Observatory team to consider how the tone of the media debate affects migration policy decisions, and to consider how information gaps affect the way issues are discussed. The Migration Observatory is a programme at Oxford University designed to inform public debates on migration with clear evidence and in a strictly independent and politically neutral way.

McNeil is also responsible for public relations strategy, parliamentary and community outreach and the news and commentary work at the Migration Observatory. Rob McNeil previously worked as Media Director for the US environmental organisation Conservation International, as PR manager for Oxfam GB, Senior Press Officer for WWF-UK and as a journalist for a range of publications including the Evening Standard, The Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror, Red, Time Out and BBC Wildlife.

Javi López

He is graduated in law from University Pompeu Fabra and has been a professor of law of the EU institutions at the same university. Has a UAB Master on Leadership of political and social management. He was First Secretary of the Socialist Youth of Catalonia since 2009. Between 2011 and 2014 was District Director and Spokesman of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia in Les Corts. He was elected MEP in the European Parliament Elections of 2014. He is the holder of the Spanish Socialist delegation in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly of the European Parliament. Publishes regularly in various media such as The Huffington Post, eldiario.es or El Periódico.

Dr Margarete Jäger

Dr Margarete Jäger is the Head of the Institute for Linguistic and Social Research in Duisburg (Duisburger Institut für Sprach- und Sozialforschung – DISS). Her work primarily focusses on discourse theory and discourse analysis in the context of conflict and social exclusion: right-wing extremism, racism, gender, biopolitics, and war. After training as a banker, she completed a degree in economics between 1972 and 1977, followed by another degree in German philology from 1985–1990. In 1995, she completed her doctoral studies at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. Her doctoral thesis is entitled “The ethnicisation of sexism in the everyday discourse on immigration  – analysis of a discursive overlap”. Dr Jäger has published a large number of monographs and essays, including on the topic of racism in the media. At present, she is working on a discourse analysis on the topic of migration and displacement in the German print media together with her colleagues at DISS.