Our 42 Berlin Team - 42 Berlin | Free Coding School

Marketing Intern

Amadou Guede

Amadou is a 42 Berlin student and is completing an internship with the marketing team alongside his studies.

Before joining 42, Amadou graduated from a business engineering bachelor’s degree, however he felt the need to broaden his horizons. He decided to move to Berlin to study computer science, and learn a new language and culture along the way. Having always been interested in YouTube, he started his own channel and taught himself how to make videos. His focus today, is on content that is interesting, meaningful and helpful. Amadou uses his content creation skills in video production for the marketing team, as well as helping out with a range of other tasks.

Operations Assistant

Bogdan Tudor

Bogdan is a 42 Berlin student and simultaneously assisting the Operations team by helping out with a range of tasks on campus. After completing the Highschool of Arts, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Timișoara (FAUT) in 2017 and completed a master’s degree in Urban Planning (UAT) at the same university in 2020. Inbetween his studies he worked as an intern for almost a year at Studio Bargone, a famous architecture firm in Rome, Italy. After returning to Romania, he worked in the faculty as an assistant in Architecture Planning and also in an architecture studio (D Proiect). Bogdan moved to Berlin in 2021 and worked as an intern for an art and design studio (Studio Burdakov) where he focused on various projects with architectural themes. Today, he still collaborates with the studio but as a freelancer.

Pedagogy Co-Lead

Daniel Hadley

Dan co-leads our pedagogy to ensure that each student has the best education possible, and works hard to provide a cutting edge learning environment that is optimised for problem solving, team work, and play. Dan studied languages and linguistics in Dublin, before transitioning to software engineering at the 42 Paris campus in 2016. He used his skills to build his own company and got selected to be part of the Future 40 2021 at Station F. Being a 42 alumni himself, Dan uses his first-hand experience of the programme to take students to the limits of their academic capabilities and desires, and prepare them for the world of tomorrow.

Tech Lead

DR. Denis ÖZDEMIR

As our technology lead, Denis takes charge of IT, the FabLab, and leads 42 Berlin’s Digital Health and Cyber-Physical System (CPS) practice groups. He ensures that there is the cutting-edge technology needed to contribute to a great learning experience. Denis studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and Carnegie Mellon University (U.S.A.) focusing on cybernetics and mathematical optimisation. He then completed a Ph.D. in mechatronic design at WZL Aachen. Before working with 42, Denis worked as an engineer and expert for the Internet of Things (IoT) at Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures and served as Managing Director of the Cluster of Excellence on “Integrative Production Technology”, one of Germany’s major projects on “Industrie 4.0”. Denis’ personal mission is to create an environment where we feel motivated to change the universe for the good.

Pedagogy Co-Lead

Jonas Hagedorn

Jonas is the other beating heart of our pedagogy team and works to create the best school for future software engineers. After finishing high school, Jonas moved to Thailand to play online poker for a living, however his mind became fascinated by stochastics and statistics and he went on to study mathematics. Jonas worked as a Data Science Consultant for 3 years at Deloitte, before studying at 42 Heilbronn to understand the fundamentals of software development. Jonas very much integrates himself into the student community and is ready to solve any queries students may have.

Partnership Manager

Josef Sühr

Josef works as a bridge builder, a cross-sector translator and a network organiser for both 42 Berlin and Wolfsburg. HIs main focus is unlocking the potential of our software and industry partnerships for the benefit of students & partners, including running our fellowship and internship programmes. In the past, Josef has worked with global tech companies, such as Microsoft and a number of non-profit organisations, to foster cross-sector dialogue and find meaningful solutions to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry, the shortage of IT professionals and outdated credential-driven hiring practices. At 42, Josef is excited to bring together stakeholders from business and education to continue this work.

Campus Life Manager

KARSWARAN GANESH

Kars is our Campus life Manager, working within the operations and pedagogy teams. He oversees the smooth running of the campus, as well as taking care of our community, planning events and getting everyone involved. Kars’s previous experience lies in gastronomy, managing the restaurant Mrs Robinson’s in Berlin, where he gained valuable experience in running a tight ship, and dealing with people from all walks of life. Kars’s personal mission at 42 Berlin is to provide a smiling face to anyone and everyone, and make each student feel like they are part of a genuine community.

Pedagogy Intern

Lorenzo Iafigliola

Before joining 42 Berlin, Lorenzo was working as Full stack developer, on E-commerse, Website and Apps development. He shortly decided that he wanted to know more about software development and began looking for an innovative school system different from the traditional university and landed upon 42 Rome. Lorenzo passed through the challenging selection tests and, as well as broadening his technical knowledge, he improved his soft skills and his network as he was present at dozens of events revolving around startup and innovation. There, Lorenzo had the opportunity to meet the founders of Be Real, Candy Crush, Screevo and many more. Now interning with the 42 Berlin pedagogy team, Lorenzo’s mission is to help the student to not only be the best software engineers, but be the most impactful on society. Lorenzo believes that the demand for great software engineers is high, however society also needs enterprising developers whose code can postively impact the world

Marketing Lead

MAGDALENA SKORUPSKA

Magda, Head of Marketing & PR at 42, makes sure the 42 word is spread as far as possible. She coordinates all of our marketing projects that put our school on potential students’ radars. Magda is a lawyer by education and a digital marketeer by experience of over 8 years. After working for Marketing Agencies in New Zealand and Poland focusing on Search Engine Marketing, she moved deeper into the Marketing-Tech world in Berlin where she’s been leading Digital Marketing teams and Strategy since 2015. Coming from a family of teachers, Magda has seen the injustices of the educational first hand; millions of people struggle to find well-paid jobs, whilst completely unaware of their potential. On top of this, there is an immense gap in the market and a need for well educated coders. Magda believes 42 builds a bridge for so many people to gracefully enter a job they love and use their skillset to create powerful tech.

Headmaster & CEO

Dr. Max Senges

Max steers the 42 Berlin ship steadily into the open waters of innovative education, ensuring the team is thriving alongside the students. Max orchestrates our Learning SpaceShip‘s stakeholders and humbly leads our venture to maximise the happiness and meaningful success of the students. Max’s role extends to our sister school, 42 Wolfsburg, and ensures we both share in every success. Max has a PhD in Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Business & Computer Science, and has co-founded 2 startups. Max landed at 42 after working at Google for over a decade. With his mind happily focused on the future, Max’s vision guides us into the #NextGenerationEducation.

Find more on Max’s background here and find him on Twitter & LinkedIn.

EDITORIAL & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Mia Jaccarini

Mia makes sure the 42 Berlin message is heard by those who need to hear it; using social media and other platforms of communication to share the school with the world and using exciting means to put sustainable coding in the spotlight. Mia studied English and Philosophy at university, before going on to teach English as a foreign language. Mia founded her own vintage company that highlighted the need for sustainability in all realms of life … including tech! Mia felt instantly at home in 42 Berlin where purpose and meaning is central to the ethos. Her personal mission in the team is to make sure 42’s message is understood and accessible to all those who will thrive here.

Developer & IT Specialist

Pedro Ruiz

Pedro has also joined the 42 team as a tech intern this year. Coming from Spain, Pedro has a background in Agriculture Engineering … so if you need help with plants, he’s your guy. After lots of contemplation during the pandemic, Pedro decided to join 42 Madrid and, after 1.5 years, he fell in love with the methodology and wanted to participate in offering an alternative to traditional education. Aside from Pedro’s on duty missions, he loves music (his band has reached over 1 million plays on Spotify!), is an avid chess player, and loves to make things … so you’ll probably spot him in the FabLab once it’s in action!

WELCOME MANAGER

Sheila Ayisi

Sheila works as one of the fabulous Welcome Managers for 42 Berlin. Her smile is one of the first you will see as you walk through our doors, bringing her mission to spread joy and perseverance onto our campus. Sheila completed her Bachelors Degree in Leisure & Hospitality Management in Kampala, Uganda, before moving to Dubai. There, she kick-started her career in Hospitality Management focusing on Sales, Events & Marketing and worked for many luxury brands, such as the Ritz Carlton, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and DUKES. Sheila spent 10 years living and working in Dubai, and therefore was exposed to the diversity the city has to offer. On top of this, Sheila is a strong advocate for women empowerment, feminism, gender equality and racial equality.

Governance Officer

Vanessa Hernández Zambrano

Vanessa works as the Governance Officer for both 42 Berlin and 42 Wolfsburg, as well as operating as the Assistant to Max Senges. Vanessa is a multidisciplinary professional with a holistic approach to international relations and business, and with passion for meaningful work. She obtained her master’s degree in Public Policy at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy from the Uni Erfurt in 2022, and has developed her skills from previous experience in Ecuador, France and Germany at international institutions, NGOs and in the public sector. She has a particular interest in international affairs, development and governance, and is an active advocate for women’s empowerment, human and environmental rights. Having joined 42 Wolfsburg and Berlin in October 2022, she has her focus on contributing to the community and organisational structure with Max and the teams to support the unique 42 learning experience! Feel free give her a shout if you see her around, in particular about geeky stuff and music, which she is very fond of.

Operations Lead

Viola Sommer

As operations lead, Viola takes control of all things to do with the daily running of the school: the campus, financials, HR, recruitment, networking, office management … and the list goes on! Viola is a psychologist specialized in neurodiversity, however she spent 14 years in London where she founded a successful tech company employing autistic people as coders. Her creation became the largest social enterprise in the UK and attracted investment by Richard Branson and the Porsche family. In 2020, she moved to Berlin with her family and fell in love with 42. Viola’s passion lies in making tech more diverse and wanting to build a campus with maximum flexibility to accommodate for different needs, alongside a community that is at the forefront of innovation and inclusion in Germany.

Meet The Team