MEET OUR TEAM

Helen Neumann studied in Paris and Mexico with a focus on intercultural approaches and theories. After her studies she participated in an advanced training programme in art history and helped setting up international art galleries in Cologne and Berlin. She has been part of the Start team since the scratch and helped building up the relocation and immigration department. She has thoroughly travelled in Asia and Europe and just came back from a half year journey through West Africa.

Familiar with the peculiarities of Berlin and enthusiastic about the characteristics of Berlin, she knows how to welcome newcomers to her favourite city.

Lisa Wohlgemuth studied French, Spanish and English interpreting in the beautiful city of Leipzig. Through various experiences abroad before and during her studies, she was able to broaden her intercultural experience and deepen her language skills. After graduating, she gained her first professional experience as an interpreter and translator. She has been working at Startcon GmbH since 2013, and puts a lot of energy into setting up new projects. As a long-term employee, she now has full power of attorney and is responsible for the language department at Startcon GmbH, including language tests and recognition measures for nurses.

Deborah Schmitz studied Political and Social Sciences in Freiburg, Buenos Aires, New Delhi and Cape Town. Her curiosity for different ways of life led her to Spain, rural Ireland and a Kibbutz in Southern Israel. After her studies, Deborah worked with a social startup before she joined Start Relocation in 2015. She supports our international clients with high enthusiasm end enjoys helping them settle into their new life in Berlin.

Ekaterina Anferova comes from Russia, she studied history and culture of Islam in St. Petersburg, and later pursued Contemporary Iranian Studies in Tehran. Having lived and studied in different regions of Russia, in the US, and Iran, she is well-versed in the difficulties of adapting to new environments and the importance of intercultural dialogue in everyday life. A native Russian speaker, Ekaterina is fluent in English and Farsi, has intermediate knowledge of Arabic and French and is learning German. At Startcon, she is supporting the Immigration and Placement teams with her skills that are well-suited for the company’s expansion into new business fields. In her free time Ekaterina enjoys walking in nature, reading and calligraphy.

Katharina is originally from Bonn, studied International Tourism Management in Breda and completed a Master’s degree in Internationalization at the University of Barcelona. She studied and worked in the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and Spain for 12 years. In 2019 she came to Berlin. Katharina worked in various areas: Project Management, Export and most recently as a teacher at a vocational school in Barcelona. Other countries, cultures and languages ​​have always fascinated her. In addition to her mother tongue German, she also speaks English, Spanish, Catalan, French and a little Portuguese and Dutch. Now she coordinates the flat search for our international customers and supports them in their relocation process.

Lisa Liebe was born and raised in Berlin. After graduating from high school, she studied Protestant theology and history at Humboldt University, with a focus on Latin and ancient Hebrew. After finishing her studies, she combined her aspiration for working with people with her passion for languages: In 2015, she decided to train as a teacher, prioritizing intercultural skills. She worked for five years in a bilingual kindergarten in Berlin-Friedrichshain after that. Further jobs in day care centers and a facility for mentally handicapped adults followed. Now she takes care of the coordination in relocation and integration. In her spare time, Lisa loves to spend time in Berlins many bookstores and museums.

Franziska is from northern Germany and studied engineering in Rostock. She worked as an engineer in Hamburg for several years before settling in France as an expat with her family. In addition to her native German, she also speaks English and French. At Startcon GmbH, she coordinates the relocation department and supports project management and operations in the placement team.

Matheus Ramalho is from Sao Paulo, SP, in Brazil. He studied Economics and obtained his Master’s degree in Industrial and Technological Economics from UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro). He gained his professional experience in the banking sector as a broker in the stock exchange and credit analyst. Later, he worked as an employee or self-employed in several companies, where he helped in the organization of microdata and in the selection of econometric models.

He is responsible for recruiting, interpreting, recognition and entry. Through his own experiences of resettlement in a new cultural and linguistic area, he meets the newcomers with a great deal of empathy, understanding and commitment.

Hena Larios comes from Colombia and studied anthropology and political science in Bogotá. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Humboldt University in Berlin. She has worked in public administration of war victims and prevention of forced recruitment of children in Colombia. She has been living in Germany since 2019 and has gained work experience in supporting and accompanying asylum seekers*. Since 2021 she is an employee of Startcon GmbH in the field of immigration and supports with a lot of know how and commitment professionals from third countries in the extensive document management.

Luiz Moura comes originally from Brazil and studied International Relations at the Rhine-Waal University in Cleves. During his studies he spent two semesters abroad both in France and Mexico. After his studies he did an apprenticeship for a certification as an intercultural trainer.  He has being living in Germany for almost 11 years and has already worked in several areas, such as tourism, trade fairs, language, human resources, culture, education and sales.Travel and languages are his biggest passions, thus he has already visited 80 countries, speaks German, Portuguese, Spanish, English, French and Italian fluently and is currently learning Dutch. He has been working since November 2023 at  Startcon GmbH in the placement area as a placement coordinator and in the language one as a German and intercultural trainer.

Peder Iblher is the managing owner of Startcon GmbH. In communication, web and design he also works at his network agency Blu Dot. He grew up in Hamburg and studied in Braunschweig, Barcelona and Berlin. Interculturalism and cosmopolitanism characterise his interests both privately and professionally. He speaks fluent English and Spanish as well as French. Peder holds his protective hand over Startcon GmbH and is responsible for the company’s marketing and corporate design. In his leisure time, he devotes himself to his family, plays drums in a band or writes on his blog. He grew up in Hamburg and studied in Braunschweig, Barcelona and Berlin. Interculturalism and cosmopolitanism characterise his interests both privately and professionally. He speaks fluent English and Spanish as well as French. Peder holds his protective hand over Startcon GmbH and is responsible for the company’s marketing and corporate design. In his leisure time, he devotes himself to his family, plays drums in a band or writes on his blog.

Friederike Gravekarstens lives and works on the North Sea. After her apprenticeship as an office administrator, she completed her business management degree in 2017. Since December 2021, she has been supporting both the Accounting and Immigration teams at Startcon with great dedication. In the Accounting area, she is responsible for the implementation of the new software to advance the digitization. In her free time, Friederike enjoys spending time in nature with her dog and her family.

Anja Köhler studied Interior Design and worked several years in this field in Berlin, Tokyo and Los Angeles. In the past 20 years she moved with her husband and later with her two kids 12 times within Germany and other countries. Having relocated together with her family several times, she understands the bureaucratic obstacles and emotional difficulties very well. It is her personal matter to help new “Berliners” to get to know the city and to find the best suitable home.

Beate Jassner studied business administration and worked several years for real estate companies. She is also trained in intercultural competence. Living in the US and in China with her family, she understands perfectly how much a move affects each family member. No matter from where and which age, Beate supports our Berlin newcomers to feel home soon. She loves to explore the city with her clients and to find the most suitable apartment, house, school or kindergarten. Taking care of all the bureaucratic necessities she makes the transition as smooth as possible.