Few topics currently occupy European business leaders as much as artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the future of work. The questions are familiar. How should companies respond to rapid technological change? What skills will matter in ten years? Can innovation be pursued without losing sight of social responsibility? Across boardrooms, universities, policy forums, and international conferences, these discussions continue to gain urgency.
The scale of the challenge is difficult to ignore. According to the European Commission, more than three-quarters of companies in the European Union report difficulties finding workers with the skills they need. At the same time, organizations are adapting to new sustainability requirements, increasing digitalization, and changing expectations from employees and consumers. The result is a business environment where leadership increasingly involves managing uncertainty rather than managing stability.
It is within this context that Prof. Dr. Anabel Prinzessin von Preußen, Ternès von Hattburg has built much of her professional career.
A Multidisciplinary Path Across Academia and Business
Anabel is a German-born university lecturer, entrepreneur, author, and speaker, with a mother from Romania and a father from the Netherlands, whose work lies between leadership, psychology, sustainability, communication, and futurology. Instead of pursuing an academic career in one subject alone, she has pursued higher education in business administration, psychology, education science, communication, history, religion, nutrition, and teaching. Diversity in education has become one of her trademarks, reflecting the emerging need to take a multidisciplinary approach to AI and change management within organizations.
Today, Ternès von Hattburg serves as Professor of Communication Management and International Business Administration at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences. She is also the Managing Director of the SRH and TU Technical University of Berlin Institute for Innovation and Sustainability Management. Over the years, her teaching activities have extended far beyond one institution. She has taught and supervised students in Germany and internationally, including at the German University in Cairo, Tongji University in Shanghai, Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, and University for Sustainability Vienna.
The subjects themselves reveal how much higher education has changed during the last two decades. Leadership. Entrepreneurship. Sustainability management. Communication. Artificial intelligence. Positive psychology. Intercultural management. Future skills. Once treated as separate areas, they now frequently overlap.
Outside academia, Anabel has maintained a parallel career in business. It started with a cleanup initiative at the age of seven at Norddeich-Mole, supported by Greenpeace. Before becoming known through sustainability and future leadership initiatives, she held management positions at companies including Samsonite, Triumph International, and Fielmann. Later, she became involved in entrepreneurial ventures focused on innovation, health, sustainability, education, and digital transformation. Among them are Sustain Plus GmbH, Lavivee GmbH, and We Empower Future.
That combination of academic and corporate experience has shaped much of her public profile. It has also informed the themes that appear repeatedly throughout her books, articles, interviews, and conference presentations.
Public Speaking and the Widening AI Debate
Public speaking has formed an important aspect of that engagement. In the last decade, Anabel has given talks on international platforms where topics of technology, leadership, sustainability, and innovation have been discussed. Some of the places where she has delivered speeches include TEDx, forums related to the World Economic Forum community, Climate Week NYC, Horasis, United Nations projects, and Vatican discussions. She has also participated in many events associated with companies like SAP, Deutsche Bahn, Fujitsu, Bitkom, and Handelsblatt, among others.
The audience for these conversations has expanded considerably. What was once discussed mainly by specialists is now relevant to almost every sector of the economy. Artificial intelligence provides one example. European businesses continue to invest heavily in AI technologies, yet concerns around ethics, workforce impact, governance, and trust remain central to the debate.
A Body of Work Spanning Books, Media, and Networks
These themes appear frequently throughout Anabel’s publications. She has written or edited more than 55 books and written hundreds of other articles that deal with topics such as leadership, sustainability, future skills, digital transformation, organizational culture, mental well-being, and technology evolution. Some of her recent publications deal with artificial intelligence and the effect it has on organizations and people. Other works explore future leaders, resilience, longevity, and human-technology interaction.
Her visibility extends beyond traditional publishing. Anabel has developed a substantial presence on professional social networks and media platforms. She is recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Sustainability and has attracted tens of thousands of followers on LinkedIn. She has also been identified as a XING Insider and ranked among prominent voices discussing sustainability and digital transformation on the platform. She has worked as a journalist, editor, radio host, and moderator, and her radio programs have reached audiences in the millions.
The network surrounding her work is equally extensive. Anabel serves as President of the Club of Budapest Germany. Her memberships and affiliations include the Club of Rome, UN Women Germany, Atlantik-Brücke, the UN Ocean Decade Committee Germany, and the Senate of the German Economy. She has also held board, advisory, foundation, jury, mentoring, ambassadorial, and patron roles across a wide range of organizations focused on sustainability, education, entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact.
Recognition has followed throughout different stages of her career, including the Google Impact Challenge Award and the WHO IS WHO Leadership Award. She has additionally served as a jury member for initiatives such as the German Innovation Award, German Excellence Award, Sustainable Impact Award of Handelsblatt, Science4Life, and Circularity Champion Award of F.A.Z. Institute, and other programs connected to entrepreneurship and innovation.
Adaptation as the Common Thread
Yet the most consistent thread running through her work may be neither sustainability nor technology. It is adaptation. Whatever the topic, whether artificial intelligence, leadership, education, organizational culture, or the skills of the future, the basic question appears quite similar. How can people and organizations prepare themselves for an uncertain future?
This question still dominates many political debates, corporate strategies, and research activities in Europe. It is also the reason for the increasing relevance of people who operate in multiple domains today. An example of such a person is Prof. Dr. Anabel Prinzessin von Preußen, Ternès von Hattburg. Her career reflects the intersection of business, education, technology, and sustainability at a time when the boundaries between these spheres continue to blur.
