Exchange and grow with Microsoft Germany CIO/CDO Anna Kopp and Ernst & Young Partner Rita Niedermayr for one entire year

Anna Kopp is Director IT at Microsoft Germany since 2015, branch manager of the large main office in Munich, co-chair of the Women@Microsoft ERG Board and member of the Advisory Board of Munich Business School.

She is also a Bavarian delegate to the German Chamber of Commerce Digitalization committee and member of the Board of the Münchner Kreis.

She has been with Microsoft since 2004, previously in a global role as Customer Satisfaction Lead for Advertising and Online, and before that she led the EMEA-wide midmarket sales organization responsible for revenue in 72 countries and carrying a 720Mio$ target with an organization of 600 sellers. She started in the IT industry in 1993, which means she has 29 years of experience in different roles, starting as a seller and is now a director.

Anna comes from Sweden where she studied International Communication at the University of Stockholm and has been in Germany since 1992. In 2020 she was voted one of the most inspiring women in Germany and has won several technology and industry awards as well as diversity and inclusion awards. 2019 she was listed under the top 50 technology influencers in Munich.

She is a specialist in the new world of work from a cultural, political and practical perspective and advocates flexible working models, and is dedicating her extracurricular activities driving Diversity and Inclusion, primarily for strengthening women in the workplace.

In her spare time she is travelling the world on her 1200GS BMW motorbike, preferably offroad, and has ridden a few rallies. She is also a singer with her own band including the German Microsoft Band “Overcloud” which even released an album last year.

Rita Niedermayr studied Management at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She has been in different leadership roles as founder, managing director, member of the supervisory board and as project leader for more than 25 years. Since 2015 Rita is partner at EY for people consulting with the core competencies in learning, change and leadership. She is also an expert for learning in organizations and transformation in the context of digitization, sustainability and new work.

As managing director of Controller Institut, in her role as member of the management board of the International Group of Controlling or as member of the advisory board of Munich Business School Rita has a strong professional commitment to the finance agenda and community. This includes publications, scientific studies, the professional management and editorship of the CFO-platform “CFOaktuell” and an extensive training and education program for professionals with more than 3000 attendees per year.

Rita participates in the EY Womens Network „Women.Fast Forward“, which is a global platform that makes possible for employees, clients and the community to get involved into the topic equality. “Women.Fast Forward” promotes diversity by making it possible for women and girls to develop their potential through education, mentoring, innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities. This platform creates a working environment which supports closing the gender gap and supports an environment where everyone is able to become an architect of the transformative age.

Rita initiated a new development- and mentoring-program named „Next-Spin-Leadership“, which stands for a new generation of executives. It will start in 2023 and it will mainly accompany female professionals on their way from the vision to self-management up to performance increase.

For many years Rita has been engaged in volunteer work in a local (Vienna) Rotary Club. Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in their communities, and in theirselves. Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision and action on our world’s most persistent issues. Rita contributes on a wide range of sustainable projects such supporting education etc.