Olaf Kelm
“Try to see the big picture and how your work fits into the global agenda. Being connected and growing into your role are vital to achieving impact. Hence, make networking and continuous learning the foundations of your professional journey.”
Country of birth: Germany
Country of residence: France
Areas of expertise: Professional and personal development, task, project, operations management, science in global health
Education:
1) Diploma in Biochemistry, Free University of Berlin, Germany
2) PhD in Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Switzerland and Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich, Germany
3) Certificate in Management, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany (distance)
4) MBA, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK (distance)
5) Certificate in Accounting, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK (distance)
6) Certificate in Project Management, Project Management Institute, USA (distance)
Professional experience: Molecular Biology, Cancer Research, Research Funding, Research Operations Management, Business Management, Event Management, Financial Management, Task and Project Management
Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian
Countries in which Mentor has worked: Germany, Spain, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, France
Why do you want to be a Mentor?
Training—both delivering it and receiving it—is second nature to me. My approach to work and life is grounded in continuous improvement through a mix of structured and informal learning, for myself and for others. Through supervising colleagues and students, and through organizing trainings and presentations, I aim to contribute to the steady development of the people around me, and in turn to the growth of the organization as a whole—potentially extending beyond it.
This mindset is rooted in a simple principle: personal health underpins organizational health, and organizational health is a foundation for global health. Over the years, I’ve noticed that most of my interactions—professional and personal—naturally take this form: what can we learn from one another, and what can we build together? Mentorship best captures this for me: learning in partnership for mutual personal growth for personal and ultimately global health.
