Through the NextGen Initiative, AmCham Germany connects young professionals with a strong interest in fostering the transatlantic partnership. In bringing together this group of aspiring people from a variety of sectors, it is our goal to support tomorrow's decision makers and transatlantic business leaders.
By participating in the NextGen Initiative, our member companies will profit from employees with a transatlantic mind set and an enhanced professional network that spans multiple industries.
It is the NextGen Initiative's declared goal to bring together enthusiastic young professionals who will not only enhance their own skill sets but also support the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany in becoming an attractive forum for their peers.
By offering a diverse program that ranges from seminars and conferences with high-level speakers to leadership case studies that will challenge the participants to exceed their own expectations, we seek to facilitate a group of young professionals that is in the best position possible to lead transatlantic business relations in the future. The centerpiece of the NextGen Initiative is a 5-day conference which kicks off the year the group will be spending together.
In being chosen to take part in the NextGen Initiative, young professionals are given the opportunity to contribute their personal and professional experience to a diverse peer group. Participants will engage in a series of exclusive events and will be faced with several challenges, thereby enhancing their own skill set and widening their own professional network.
After completing the program, participants of the NextGen Initiative will
More benefits
During their NextGen year AmCham Germany Membership and participation in almost all AmCham Germany Events will be free of charge for all NextGen participants.
As an alumnus of the NextGen program, you can be invited to special events. You also benefit from special conditions regarding your membership and the participation at AmCham Germany events for 2 more years.
In nominating their employees and thereby supporting the NextGen Initiative, participating AmCham Germany member companies will not only contribute to the future of the transatlantic business community but moreover will benefit from a program that strives to challenge, support and shape tomorrow’s transatlantic business leaders.
Companies will profit from their involvement in the NextGen Initiative by strengthening their position within the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany for years to come. Their participating employees will gain new experiences, be challenged to expand their personal as well as their professional skill set and will expand their network far beyond their own business sector.
Contribution:
Participating companies are asked to:
In return, participating companies will gain employees
All corporate members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany receive the call for nomination via e-mail every year in late fall / early winter. They are then eligible to nominate two employees (ideally of different sexes). To be chosen for the program, nominees must meet the following criteria:
We are seeking team players who will contribute their expertise and communication skills to our common goal of nurturing the next generation of transatlantic decision makers.
All nominees will receive the call for application via e-mail in early winter every year. 25 to 30 of these applicants will be chosen by a selection committee to become part of the NextGen community. This process usually is finished around April every year.
The selection committee consists of four members from the current NextGen Steering Committee and four members of AmCham Germany’s Board of Directors as well as the General Manager.
Throughout the year, participants will shape and take part in a variety of events that will establish their position within the Chamber but also foster growth and personal transformation.
Thirty-two young high-potentials, nine speakers and a countless number of discussions, workshops and exchanges over five days: The 2019 NextGen kickoff conference at Lake Starnberg for the new NextGen cohort provided once more a a unique opportunity for rising young leaders to network with their peers across sectors as well as to meet political and business leaders and top members of the media. Many team activities, such as raft building, helped the group coalesce and established a special conference atmosphere. All participants agreed that successfully conducting transatlantic business requires a deep understanding of the transatlantic partnership.
“It’s our goal that our NextGens become ambassadors for transatlantic friendship in their companies and that they learn what it takes and what it means to be a business leader," emphasized Dr. Sylvia Rothblum, Vice President and Diversity Champion of AmCham Germany.
Please check the article in our magazine commerce germany and our event gallery for more impressions of the second NextGen Conference at Lake Starnberg in August 2019
For more impressions of 2018's Kickoff-conference, see the article in our magazine commerce germany and our Event Gallery.
See here for the event report on our NextGen Berlin Day 2020.
The NextGen Steering Committee represents the Initiative's ideas and interests vis-à-vis AmCham Germany's Membership and bodies (Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Regional Committees) but is a point of contact for current participants in the program. The Committee also advises AmCham Germany on its signature events and other acitivities.
In addition four committee members take part in the NextGen selection process. Members of the Steering Committee also take part in meetings of the Chamber's Executive Committee as well as the Board of Directors, making the Committee the linkage point between the Initiative and AmCham Germany's membership.
Selection process NextGen Steering Committee
Every year three vacancies will be filled with candidates from the NextGen class at the time to offer an opportunity for further involvement.
Lena Armbruster
IBM Deutschland GmbH
Dr. Anne Bendzulla
Sandra Horst, LL.M
Radix Partners
Ulla Maren Kaeding
Ford-Werke GmbH
Dominick Kennerson
Bayer AG
Matthias Koeplin
KPMG AG
Annika Kretschmer
J.P. Morgan Securities plc Frankfurt Branch
Dr. Andreas Lohbeck
CMS Hasche Sigle Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten
Dr. Jan Streer
Mayer Brown LLP
Dr. Christine Topf
Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA