Today’s Global Leader with Nora Fehlbaum

Guest speaker Nora Fehlbaum, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors at Vitra, will discuss designing sustainable living and working spaces.

Beyond mere aesthetics, the evening will explore the interplay between design, architecture and sustainability in creating environments that positively influence social interactions and modern ways of working. The event will also examine the role of long-term thinking in family businesses when it comes to overcoming ecological and cultural challenges.

ESMT lecturer Nora Grasselli will introduce the event, focusing on structural changes in work cultures and new ways of working. Journalist Astrid Frohloff will then moderate a dialogue between Nora Fehlbaum and the audience.

Taking place in a hybrid format, the event will be held at the former State Council building on Schlossplatz and via livestream, opening up space for interdisciplinary discourse between business, design and society.


About the moderator

Astrid Frohloff is an independent conference moderator, executive coach, and communications consultant specializing in executive media training and high-level moderation. A former national TV presenter, she produced some 250 films and reports, served as spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders for 12 years, and now trains executives in media and presentation skills while advising organizations on event design and delivery.

About the speakers

Nora Fehlbaum is the chair of the board of directors of the Swiss furniture manufacturing company Vitra, leading the family-owned company in the third generation. Fehlbaum joined Vitra in 2010 and was initially responsible for the Vitra Campus, the global launch of Vitra’s online shops, and the expansion of the Vitra Accessories Collection, before taking the helm in 2016 as CEO until the end of 2025.  

While the first generation laid the company’s commercial foundations, and the second added a cultural dimension through the development of the Vitra Campus and the Vitra Design Museum along with its collection, the third generation represented by Fehlbaum puts the spotlight on sustainable thinking and action. 

Nora Grasselli is a lecturer in leadership, a member of the ESMT faculty, as well as a program director for executive education programs. Her teaching and research interests are leadership for middle managers, leadership transitions, collaboration across organizational boundaries, teamwork mediated through technology, experiential learning, and innovation in executive education. Her work has been published in journals such as MIT Sloan Management Review, Harvard Business Manager, Organization Studies, and Harvard Business Publishing, as well as popular business media such as European Business Review and Forbes. 

• 11 February 2026 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  
• ESMT Berlin, Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin
  
• and via livestream