NextGen

Through the NextGen Program, AmCham Germany connects young professionals with a strong interest in fostering the transatlantic partnership.

Some highlights of the 2023 Kick-Off Conference

 

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 Program, our member companies will profit from employees with a transatlantic mind set and an enhanced professional network that spans multiple industries.

Goals of the Program

It is the NextGen Program's declared goal to bring together enthusiastic young professionals who will not only enhance their own skill sets but also support AmCham Germany in becoming an attractive forum for their peers.

By offering a diverse two-year program, we seek to facilitate a group of young professionals that is in the best position possible to lead transatlantic business relations in the future. A kick-off conference as well as subsequent year-round events include discussions with high-level speakers from business, politics, media, and think tanks, in formats including but not limited to roundtable discussions, site visits at AmCham Germany member companies, workshops that focus on fostering the understanding of transatlantic business relations and current geoeconomic affairs, as well as the U.S.-German relationship in a broader sense.

Benefits for Participants

In being chosen to take part in the NextGen Program, 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 Program will

  • be "friends" of AmCham Germany and the transatlantic business community
  • be field experts on the insides and dynamics of transatlantic business
  • be able to place their company’s current key topics in the broader context of German-American partnership and beneficially integrate them to AmCham Germany’s strategy
  • have broadened their skill set in fields such as leadership, future of work, new technology etc.
  • have established a network across different sectors and within AmCham Germany’s membership
  • exchange expertise and best practices among their peers

Other benefits include:
During their first NextGen year, AmCham Germany Membership and participation in all AmCham Germany Events will be free of charge for all NextGen participants. In the second year of the program, the NextGen participants benefit from special conditions regarding their membership and the participation at AmCham Germany events. Once the participants become alumni of the NextGen program, they remain part of the NextGen network and can be invited to special events. Through our continuously growing NextGen Alumni Network the participants stay in touch, enlarge their own network, and benefit from this connection even after their completion of the NextGen program.

Information for Participating Companies

In nominating their employees and thereby supporting the NextGen Program, 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 Program 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:

  • cover the costs for each participant of € 2500 (plus VAT) for accomodation and annual program, including the conference
  • support the participants' engagement in the NextGen Program and within AmCham Germany
  • release participants from work during the conference in July/August (3 workdays)
  • cover the travel costs of their participants to the Kick-Off Conference, the Transatlantic Business Conference in the fall, the Annual Membership Meeting in the summer, if possible, to at least 1-2 of the NextGen events

In return, participating companies will gain employees

  • who have developed a strong network within their peer group across different sectors
  • who are informed and up-to-date on transatlantic issues
  • who have expanded their horizon as well as their skill set
  • who will become advocates of AmCham for the next generation

Selection Process

All corporate members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany receive the call for nomination via e-mail every year in the late fall/early winter. They are then eligible to nominate one employee. To be chosen for the program, nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • be between 30 and 40 years of age
  • have at least five years of work experience as (Senior) Manager/Director/Team Lead
  • have personal experience and/or show interest in transatlantic relations

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 by mid-January. A total of 25 applicants will be chosen by a Selection Committee to become part of the NextGen community. The selected participants are notified around (mid)-April of every year.

The Selection Committee consists of members from the current NextGen Steering Committee and members from our bodies/committees (i.e. the Board of Directors) and the General Manager.

The NextGen Year

Throughout the year, participants will shape and take part in events that will establish their position within the Chamber but also foster growth and personal transformation. 

  • Five-Day Kick-Off Conference (Saturday - Wednesday) usually in timeframe of end of July - mid-August
    Kicking off their year as a group, the NextGen will participate in a five-day conference in a major German city. Participation at the conference is mandatory. The conference will include dicsussions, on-site meetings and workshops that focus on understanding transatlantic business, current affairs as well as the U.S.-German relationship in a broader sense. We will plan activities and formats that challenge the participants to work together as a group but also contribute their personal strengths. 
     
  • Involvement in the Transatlantic Business Conference in the Fall
    The Transatlantic Business Conference is one of the signature events in AmCham Germany’s event calendar. In the past, NextGens have conceptualized and organized their own breakout session at the conference. This is an opportunity to experiment with different formats and present them to AmCham Germany’s larger membership.
     
  • NextGen Berlin Event (late winter/early Spring)
    To gain insights to the membership and activities at AmCham Germany, the NextGen will take part in a Berlin Event which is a day event. Such an event may include offering site-visits, talks with political stakeholders from the U.S. and/or Germany to discuss the chances and challenges of a transatlantic business. 
     
  • Annual Membership Meeting (Spring/Summer)
    The Annual Membership Meeting gives participants the opportunity to get to know more facets within the structure of the Chamber and connect with other members of AmCham Germany.
     
  • Alumni Event
    Every NextGen year there will be an Alumni Event where the class of NextGens at the time gets together with our NextGen alumnis to network and exchange ideas.
     
  • Regional Chapter Events
    Together with the regional chapter committee that they are based in, the NextGen are invited to draft, coordinate and organize regional chapter events. The concept of these events lies entirely within the responsibilities of the NextGen and the regional chapter.

The NextGen Steering Committee

The NextGen Steering Committee serves as a liaison between participants and AmCham Germany. It thereby links participants and alumni and, thus, fosters their relationship during and after program participation. The Steering Committee, in close coordination with AmCham Germany staff plans NextGen related events. The members of the committee also independently lead the organization of the alumni event each year and prepare input at the kick-off conference in the summer. Furthermore, the committee can organize region-specific events for local NextGen participants. The committee, together with the AmCham project coordinators, serves as a point of contact for current and former participants in the program as well as for AmCham Germany staff.

AmCham Germany's NextGen Steering Committee

Impressions of the NextGen Program

“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." Dr. Sylvia Rothblum, Former Vice President and Diversity Champion of AmCham Germany

NextGen Kick-Off Conference

The kick-off conference in the summer of each year serves as the main event to the individual's experience during the NextGen program. This 5 day conference comprises the opportunity for the attendees to network at a beautiful location, have a direct exchange with high-ranking politicians and stakeholders in the transatlantic community, and delve into transatlantic thought and team spirit with a mix of formats and workshops.

More details of the 2023 kick-off conference can be found here. Impressions from the 2022 conference can be found here.
Under the circumstances in 2021, we offered the current cohort a one day hybrid kick-off conference and planned an in-person get-together in a smaller scale in Berlin, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
Further impressions from our 2019 conference can be found here and here

NextGen Events

As part of the NextGen Year, AmCham Germany frequently invites its current cohort to its exclusive NextGen Events. The goal of these events it to meet with politicians, innovators, and other business stakeholders in the transatlantic business community and focus on a certain transatlantic theme or challenge and usually takes place in Berlin. These events provide the attendees the opportunity to deepen their leadership skills and foster transatlantic thought, regardless of the sector they are active in.

To strengthen the network, AmCham Germany further provides an annual alumni get-together, in which the complete network is invited. Such events also provide room for the attendees to deepen their transatlantic skills at their workplace and engagement within AmCham Germany.

Detailed impressions from past leadership events in Berlin are available here and here. The event report to our alumni get-together in Frankfurt in 2021 can be found here.

Sarah Duryea

Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Regional Coordination & Events

Duryea
Karen Heckman

Manager, Communications

Heckman