Club leadership
Club leadership
The Düsseldorf Toastmasters leadership team is elected every year. Being a club member can be a lot of fun and also help develop valuable leadership skills.
Club year 2024/2025
Gladys Anne Just, President
Gladys worked for many years as an intensive care nurse in a hospital. A few years ago, she repositioned herself professionally and now works in the sales department of a company for hygiene concepts and benefits from her practical knowledge. Holding interesting lectures and training courses for customers is now part of her job, and for this, among other things, she looks forward to the inspiration and constructive exchange at the Düsseldorf Toastmasters. She particularly appreciates the broad personal, professional and cultural background of the members.
Ivan Polak, Immediate Past President
Ivan has professional background in marketing and project management, and works for a global company with the European head office in Düsseldorf. He comes originally from Slovakia and has studied and worked in multiple countries across Europe. Ivan joined Toastmasters in Prague in 2013, where he also held several leadership roles in the club. After his move to Düsseldorf, Ivan has re-discovered the world of Toastmasters and the development opportunities that the organization offers. Presentations at work, client meetings, assertive negotiations, all of which can get improved at Toastmasters, while getting to know wonderful people in the club.
Björn Schulz, Vice President Education
Björn studied computer science and marketing and is working on a product information system for a large retail group. In his spare time he loves to produce music in his mixing & mastering studio. At a communication seminar in July 2018 he got the tip to visit the Toastmasters which he followed. At the Toastmasters he appreciates the versatile environment and the atmosphere in which members grow as speakers and also in their personality. Since July 2019, he has taken over responsibility for the education program.
Andrea Schmitz, Vice President Mentoring
Andrea is a mechanical engineer working in international mechanical and plant engineering. Her work has taken her to America and Asia. She also enjoys traveling in her private life and getting to know other countries and cultures. At the Düsseldorf Toastmasters, Andrea repeatedly experiences how people overcome their fear of speaking, how they gain self-confidence and how they become excellent speakers. At the same time, she appreciates the high level of the experienced speakers, who are role models and sources of inspiration for her. All of this has led her to volunteer with the club. “It gives me pleasure and also makes me proud to see how our members develop their potential.”
Dr. Gaby Schilling, Vice President Membership
As a chemist, Gaby has gained many years of leadership experience in a large international company. Having achieved a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she is currently self-employed as trainer and coach, primarily supporting young scientists who are planning to start a career outside academic research. Her wish to deliver more inspiring speeches has motivated her to join Toastmasters. She enjoys the opportunity to try out something new in an atmosphere of appreciation and to support others in reaching their targets.
Lien Pham, Vice President Membership
Lien works in Corporate Planning and Project Management for an international company in Düsseldorf. Originally from Vietnam, she moved to Germany for her studies and then pursued further education in the US before returning to Germany in 2018 for her current role. Lien faced challenges in communication, particularly in speaking concisely, impactfully and persuasively. A friend recommended she join Toastmasters. “It is a game changer for me. The skills and experiences gained here have significantly benefited me both personally and professionally”. Grateful for the friendly and inspiring environment of the club, Lien joines the leadership team to engage more and contribute to the community.
Ricardo Balzis, Vice President Public Relations
Ricardo is a Manager at an international consulting firm, his diverse experiences in cities like Barcelona, New York, and Paris have honed his expertise. Relocating to Düsseldorf three years ago, he continues to find pleasure in his free time in intercultural relations and cultures. Hence, his passion for understanding human behavior drives his engagement with behavioral models such as DISC and Social Styles. For the past 1.5 years, Ricardo has been an active member of Toastmasters, relentlessly pursuing to improve himself in public speaking and applying those in his daily life. His goal is to deliver impactful, engaging speeches that motivate and inspire, leaving audiences with meaningful insights to ponder long after the presentation ends.
Alexandru-Catalin Nicolae, VP Big Club Ambassador
Alexandru will introduce himself here soon.
Malte W. Wilkes, Vice President Special Projects
Malte is honorary president of the BDU “Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater”, author of several books as well as columnist and commentator. Malte has experience – also in TV and radio – from more than 1000 public stage talks as speaker, talk-participant and moderator. His areas of interest are inspiration & innovation, change & growth. His core topics are persuasion techniques in leadership, transformation, advertising but also therapy processes. Malte joined Toastmasters in 2013 to optimize his “5-minute speeches” and to experiment with different speaking techniques. He has reached the highest level as a speaker at Toastmasters with the ACG (Advanced Communicator Gold). His credo: “My speeches and presentations should persuade, not inform.”
Christine Sommerfeldt, Vice President Community Management
Christine is a self employed photographer with her own studio in Düsseldorf. She is specialized in business photograhy and executive portraits. When she joined Toastmasters in 2013, she was looking for a way to help her clients to have a more confident appearance in front of the camera and in their photos. As a photographer, she speaks publically about body language and presence as well as about the importance of having excellent photo material.
Jayne Mulcahy, Sergeant At Arms
Jayne is originally from Ireland. She has lived in Germany for over 30 years. Before that she lived in Paris for a few years. Professionally, she has worked in a variety of roles from in-house training to international training programmes, internationally funded projects and now Regulatory Advisory, Central Services. She has set herself the goal of being able to speak in front of people and is delighted with the development opportunities that Toastmasters offers her.
Dr. Maik Adelt, Treasurer
Maik is a department manager in the internal audit group of a Dax Company. He regularly faces the challenge – in German and English – to convince employees, colleagues not only in content, but also emotionally. Toastmasters helps him develop these skills. The German and English club evenings give him the opportunity for rhetorical experimentation. He appreciates the friendly, motivating and constructive feedback from the other club members.
Dr. Claribel von Bockelmann, Vice President easySPEAK 1
Claribel is a scientist born in Venezuela. After getting her PhD in the USA, she relocated to Germany where she works as IT Project Manager for an international wholesale company. In August 2018 she joined the Duesseldorfer Toastmasters with the objective to improve her public speaking skills. From the Duesseldorfer Toastmasters she especially enjoys the diversity of the members and the numerous possibilities to learn and to network.
Marcela Medina, Vice President easySPEAK 2
Marcela studied chemical engineering in her home town of Bogotá, Colombia, and completed further training in the field of environmental protection management in Germany. She has been working in chemical compliance in an international company in Düsseldorf for 15 years. The action and operational enforcement of scientific and legal issues require special communication skills, which Marcela has been able to develop further at Toastmasters since 2022.