
The Visionary
Verena Kuen
CEO
Verena Kuen is the founder of 1030 Innovation. After 15 years as an executive in big corporations she decided to make her passion her profession and initiated an Innovation Program with her last employer Bayer Pharma AG which was one-of-a-kind within the whole organization and produced an impressive track record of innovation success stories. Verena is a manager by training and a trend-spotter by heart; she holds an MBA and speaks 5 languages.
She is a world-traveler and enjoys working in diverse cultural environments. She is a people-person with an infectious enthusiasm who genuinely loves her job. Besides running her own business she teaches innovation methodologies with the Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at University of Economics in Vienna, Austria and design thinking at Columbia University, NYC. Verena loves Bikram Yoga and spending time with her family. She is a passionate cook and foodie.
Jakob Grausenburger
Business Designer
In his leisure time, he pursues his great passion for music as a DJ and enjoys exploring nature on his mountain bike. He never leaves the house without his camera, always on the hunt for new motives capturing special moments & experiences.

The Creative

The Techie
Alena Mohsenyar
Digital Expert
Alena is our digitalisation expert. She holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and a graduate degree in Socio-Ecological Economies and Policy, and therefore provides a wide array of valuable perspectives for our clients. She easily builds connections between people and is trained to explore complex topics & real costumer needs and therewith develop feasible digitalisation strategies. Alena deeply cares about social injustices, has worked with several non-profits, and is always down for frank discussions on how to solve pressing global issues.
After having lived in a bunch of different countries, she now enjoys living in the most livable city of the world. Alena pursues sporty hobbies like Judo since her early childhood, and additionally likes playing soccer with friends. She never says no to a refreshing swim in the Danube.
Ana-Maria Salcu
Customer Engagement Specialist
Deeply passionate about books, Ana loves to read both for work and outside of it. Other favorite pastime activities besides reading are traveling, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.

The Empathic

The Ecologist
Moritz Blei
Sustainability Innovation Specialist
Moritz Blei is Innovation Strategist & Facilitator at 1030 Innovation. He holds a degree in economics specializing in sustainable business. Moritz has worked in a variety of NGOs before joining our team, where he was responsible for strategy & campaign development as well as public relations. His passion for sustainable entrepreneurship and his strong strategic background are very valuable assets for innovative solution development projects.
Moritz is an inspiring instigator opening the eyes of our clients for cutting edge new opportunities, facilitating their translation into sustainable business-models.
Outside of work, he engages in environmental activism, enjoys spending time outdoors playing football or strolling through nature.
Lea Kobler
Innovation Strategist & Facilitator
Lea Kobler is innovation strategy consultant at 1030 Innovation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in Social- and Cultural Anthropology.
Lea is a creative mind with an explorer spirit, combined with hands-on analytical skills and strategic thinking. Her career path led her from the art scene all the way to Deloitte Consulting, before she joined our team. Her professional interests lie in creating an innovation friendly culture and the curation of the innovation process, always with a strong focus on delivering results.
With a social science background and ethnographic skills, she brings the perfect qualifications to curate the development of innovative and custom-fit solutions based on clients’ needs, while putting people and their needs radically at the center.
As a strong design thinking advocate, she engages all stakeholders and spreads an infectious enthusiasm which is highly appreciated by our clients. Besides creating change through innovation, Lea’s biggest passions are classical ballet, good food and travelling.

The Explorer

The Entrepreneur
Cornelia Auer
Senior Advisor
Kathleen Onieal
Senior Advisor
The former VP of Global Marketing Innovation at both Merck and Novartis, acts a s a senior advisor for 1030 Innovation. She created the first Digital Marketing team that served as an industry model of organizational design and infrastructure and innovative best practices. At Johnson and Johnson she was the creator and lead of WomensHealth.com which was the first virtual cross company digital initiative and won the prestigious Chairman’s award for Innovation. Kathleen offers her expertise in creating innovation cultures within corporations.
She is skilled in the art of influencing and selling ideas across a complex organization. Through her own corporate experiences she has a deep understanding of the discipline of innovation Management including the latest methodologies such as design thinking and the growing importance of analytics and ROI measurement in the Innovation process. Kathleen is based in NYC, she is a family person with a great passion for interior design.

The Connector

The Changemaker
Lee Miller
Senior Advisor
Lee Miller supports the 1030 Innovation team as a senior advisor. He is a Harvard Law graduate and an industry leader in the field of influencing and negotiating, focusing on influencing for innovation. As a trainer and executive coach, Lee is an expert partner for executives providing the necessary support for successful innovation. Lee serves a s an adjunct professor at both Seton Hall and Columbia University teaching graduate courses in leadership, influencing and negotiation.
Lee is the author of “UP: Influence Power and the U-perspective”, “The art of getting what you want” and “Getting people to believe in something they can’t yet imagine” (published in Harvard Business Review online). Lee is based in NYC, he loves spending time at the seaside and is a Yoga-enthusiast.
A Global Network
of top-tier partners
