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Meet the team

Team

With a diverse range of skills and experiences, we work collaboratively to deliver exceptional results.

Equally staffed with former Lufthansa and Fraport employees, we are a small group of dedicated individuals who are passionate about improving the passenger experience at Hub FRA Terminal 1.

Pauline Nolte

#innovationscout #digitaltransformation #sustainability

Pauline discovered her love of aviation as a child when she climbed into the basket of a hot air balloon for the first time. Thus, it’s not surprising that after completing her degree in Business Administration with a master’s in supply chain management at the University of Cologne, her professional career took her to aviation and Frankfurt Airport. With her passion for sustainability, she completed a multi-company program with projects at Lufthansa Cargo, DB Schenker, and the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, aiming at the decarbonization of the mobility sector. With the development of Lufthansa’s new customer loyalty app “Uptrip,” Pauline learned to look through the eyes of the Group’s passengers and now brings her sense for customer centricity to the FraAlliance team – to continuously drive innovation at Hub FRA T1. She is not only always looking for new challenges in a professional context but also enjoys taking on new sporting challenges in her free time. Whether it's hot yoga, weightlifting, or hiking in the Himalayas, Pauline is up for it!

Manuel Wiesner

#businessdevelopment #finance #innovationscout

Manuel has always been fascinated by airports and thus has spent more than 10 years building up, deepening and developing his wide-ranging airport expertise in various roles and activities at Fraport AG in Germany and abroad after completing his studies in business administration. Driven by the mission to make Frankfurt Airport a little better for passengers every day, Manuel likes to think out of the box and embarks on a journey for innovative and new product and service ideas. In accordance with the principle 1+1=3, Manuel lives the cooperative approach and always encounters his environment with openness and curiosity. Born in Mainz, he relaxes best by playing soccer and jogging. Most of all, Manuel enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Johanna Kaulbars

#businessanalyst #bigdata #customerexperience

Growing up in Frankfurt Region as a daughter of a „Lufthansiat“, Johanna always felt a profound connection to aviation. In her 24 years of living, travelling and the aviation world were always more than a hobby to her since her early family life was coined by it. Thus, it was clear to her that, after studying at Goethe University and working in Technology Consulting in the banking industry, she wanted to take professional steps in the world of aviation. Starting at FraAlliance, this premonition has been confirmed. Next to the fascination for aviation, Johanna developed a high interest in big data, its analytics, and all the enormous potential data holds. Also, she loves to think customer-centric due to her former experience in customer services. Therefore, driving customer-centric initiatives in a data-driven manner is what she strives for. To deepen this ability, next to working at FraAlliance Johanna studies “Strategic Information Management” in her Master Studies. When there is free time left, Johanna loves to dance, do Yoga, travel through (South) East Asia and take a stroll around the Sachsenhausen area in Frankfurt.

Skrolan Kopka

#digitaltransformation #opspioneer #processoptimization

Skrolan says about herself that she has kerosene in her blood. Nevertheless, she initially began her career at SIXT AG, a very creative and customer-centric company. After gathering valuable experience, she spent several years focusing on the needs of airline customers at LSG Sky Chefs, immersing herself in Asian culture in particular. Since then, she is particularly enthusiastic about the Japanese culture! Developing the product and service portfolio at Lufthansa Cargo led Skrolan to discover her passion for data and digital services. With an M.A. in Digital Transformation, IoT, Machine Learning, AI and Neural Networks are not only buzzwords for her! At FraAlliance, she ensures congruence between business requirements and the implementations of IT and data experts. Being out with humor and enthusiasm Skrolan can be seen as "bridge-builder", especially to strengthen the cooperation between Lufthansa and Fraport. She personally cannot imagine a better working environment.

Sascha Färber

#techresearch #processoptimization #innovationscout

Passionately following the call of the airline world for the second time, Sascha has joined the FraAlliance team. As an industrial engineer, he initially started in the in-house consulting for supply chain management of Bayer AG, where he worked within the Group and also for external customers with projects in Europe, the USA and Asia. This was followed by several years as Senior Manager in Operations & Logistics at CHEP, for its dynamic growth region DACH/SCANDA/CEE and two years as Plant OPS Manager in BENELUX. He entered the world of aviation at Lufthansa's catering subsidiary LSGSkyChefs, responsible for outbound logistics, customer service agents and later as head of the transport and logistics department. For the past 10 years, he has worked as a management consultant in various industries and sectors, medium-sized customers and large corporations, ranging from operational topics to post-merger integration or mobility start-ups. Sascha believes in customer-oriented thinking and acting, in leveraging potential from synergies of all those involved in the process, and in the necessary openness and transparency for Fraport, Lufthansa and all other parties involved.

Jörg Harnisch

#managingdirector

Jörg is driven by his passion for the aviation industry and his desire to continuously and sustainably improve the passenger experience. He has more than 25 versatile years in managing director and executive positions in the Lufthansa Group to his name. With his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for working with and for people, he is not only an essential pillar of FraAlliance's exceptionally collegial culture, but also a driver of innovation. As an expert in lean methodology, he brings a deep knowledge of process optimization and efficiency improvement that is essential for the airport interface. Jörg likes to spend his free time with his family and in faraway countries.

Jens Grabeleu

#itprofessional #digitalservices #datasecurity

Jens was born with a fascination for aviation. Due to his father's international assignments with Lufthansa, he was influenced by different cultures and languages at a very early age. As a graduate engineer in aerospace engineering, Jens has gained more than 25 years of comprehensive experience and management skills in various specialist and management functions at Fraport AG. His spectrum covers the range of flight operations and terminal processes to IT management. Jens sees the special distinctive power of FraAlliance above all in the linking of the airline and airport worlds to continuously improve the travel experience of passengers along the entire customer journey. For him, the focus here is on increasing value creation by further developing operational and process workflows, testing and introducing new technologies, and driving forward the digital transformation. In his private life, Jens mainly relaxes by gardening and fishing.

Katharina Linhoff

#itprofessional #bigdata

Introducing Katharina, an analytical Project Manager with a master’s degree in mathematics, specializing in statistics and machine learning. She kicked off her career as a Data Scientist in the industrial industry, later transitioning to the mobility sector at Deutsche Bahn, where she contributed to the development of IT applications. Adaptable and quick-thinking, Katharina further exceled as a technical consultant in the financial industry. Katharina is excited to return to the world of mobility and contributing to the development of Frankfurts’ infrastructure. Having explored different industries, Katharina's experience has given her a unique perspective on analytical thinking with real-world practicality. Her journey reflects a commitment to understanding and implementing new applications, with a particular focus on the needs of customers and stakeholders within a company. Outside of work, Katharina enjoys spending time in the nature while hiking or trying new thinks like sailing or climbing.

Oscar Romero

#innovationscout #digitaltransformation #digitalservices

Oscar is fascinated by the airplanes and travelers he encounters every day. He approaches his work with a dynamic and imaginative mindset fueled by his determined passion for innovation and digital transformation. Oscar possesses a diverse skill set, which includes consulting, strategic planning, and fostering business growth, developed through substantial experience at the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, ESMT Berlin, and DHL Group. During his time at the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, Oscar explored the future of aviation, travel, and mobility, building Uptrip, the new Lufthansa Group's loyalty app. Additionally, having worked in various countries, he has gained an international outlook that has piqued his interest in the aviation industry. Oscar's goal is to become a top aviation expert by enhancing customer experience, exploring intermodality, and championing innovation. He hopes to inspire others to pursue their goals with passion and creativity and become catalysts for positive change in people's lives and beyond.

Suska Gartlgruber

#executiveassistant #projectoffice #humanressources

With kerosine running through her veins, Suska started her career at Lufthansa by completing the dual studies program and obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management. During this time she was able to join several projects and has always found customer centricity during operational processes most relevant and interesting to work on. Passionate about Ground Operations, Suska was responsible for passenger and baggage processes at Discover Airlines. She took part in raising a start-up airline while focusing on improving processes for customers and keeping them simple and joyful. At FraAlliance Suska, supports the managing directors as their executive assistant and PMO. In her free time, she likes to play her violin and try out new recipes she collects during her travels around the world.

Maximilian Flaig

#itprofessional #platformmanagement #digitalservices

After completing his master's degree in electrical engineering and information technology at Technical University Darmstadt, Maximilian started his professional career at Lufthansa Technik. Since then, his fascination for aircraft and the technology associated with them is unceasing. As a founding member of "Lufthansa Aerial Services" and by establishing his own IT company, Maximilian gained valuable experience in setting up start-ups. Maximilian was then drawn back to the airline world. Here, with his IT know-how and understanding of data, he was responsible for both the further development and operation of software used in Lufthansa flight operations. In the FraAlliance joint venture, Maximilian combines his previous start-up experience and his passion for IT projects: The development of a data strategy for FraAlliance as well as the ever-changing IT challenges and requirements of both companies form an exciting and attractive work environment for him.

Dirk Schusdziara

#managingdirector

The fascination of the airport business has driven Dirk for many years. In addition to various projects and tasks at Frankfurt Airport, Dirk has managed and developed large and small airports in Fraport's international portfolio. Working with different cultures and joint venture partners has given him great pleasure and enthusiasm. He is now continuing this collaborative approach at FraAlliance, where he finds it particularly exciting to bring together the airline's with the airport's way of thinking to implement the best possible product for the customer. In his private life, Dirk enjoys traveling with family and friends and is committed to the visibility of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Stefan Widauer

#innovationscout #sustainability #opspioneer

As a kid, Stefan wanted to become a pilot and travel the world. He began exploring the world a little earlier with a year abroad in Malaysia. He studied transport economics and completed an apprenticeship as an air traffic service clerk at Lufthansa in Munich - dual studies, self-made. After 3 years in purchasing for ground handling services, he enthusiastically led a joint project between Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport to improve punctuality and handling processes at the Austrian Hub in Vienna. With 15 years of professional experience in the airline industry under his belt, Stefan joined FraAlliance in January 2023. Through his assignments in the satellite project team in Munich and the joint project between Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport, Stefan already brings experience in airline / airport cooperation. Especially in the area of sustainability - a focus of his MBA studies in South Africa - he is actively supporting FraAlliance.

Jennifer Pacholke

#marketingandbrand #communication #customerexperience

Meet Jenni, our 25-year-old fun-loving member of the team! Originally from the picturesque Allgäu region, she laid her professional foundation as a tourism and leisure clerk at Skyline Park Bad Wörishofen. Munich was her next stop, where she successfully completed her tourism business administration degree. And as she still hadn't had enough of learning, she completed her Bachelor's degree in Media Communication at the Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg. Her interest in aviation led her to FraAlliance, where she felt right at home in the team. Alongside her love of the media world, traveling is Jenni's biggest hobby. She has wanderlust in her blood and would love to discover every square inch of this earth. With her communicative streak and her enjoyment of the diversity of life, she not only brings a breath of fresh air to the team, but also a lot of good humor. 🌍✨

Team values

At FraAlliance, we take pride in our commitment to working with unwavering values that shape our every endeavor.

The diverse needs of the current and future passenger groups are the focus of our actions. We take advantage of trends and market opportunities at an early stage to provide new services and to develop novel revenue streams.

We are progressive thinkers with high expectations of ourselves and our stakeholders. Sustainability, new technologies and market changes play a central role for us and are a driving force in the development of new business ideas.

We are entrepreneurs who create added value for our shareholders. We question the status quo, are open to new ideas, and act in an uncomplicated and straightforward manner. Effective solutions are our focus, and we bring them to a decision quickly.

We venture out of our comfort zone, experiment with new ideas and take risks. We are transparent about errors to learn directly from them. We work according to the motto "do less, achieve more".

Sincere and timely feedback moves us forward. We live a goal-oriented discussion culture, where constructive feedback is cherished.

As convinced team players, we are tolerant and fair. A trusting collaboration is a matter of course for us. We live the Fraport and Lufthansa cooperation!

We are the drivers of our own satisfaction and motivation. We give and take the space we need - even outside of work. Fun is part of our success, and we take time to celebrate it.

FraAlliance, a limited liability company with a start-up character and modern office, brings together a young and dynamic team that maintains open communication and shares a common passion for aviation.