Partner & Senior Speaker at JENEWEIN
«These days, you can make a difference simply by listening actively. I think it feels good for everyone to feel truly understood.»
Prof. Dr Melan Thuraiappah, Partner & Senior Speaker at JENEWEIN
Prof. Dr Melan Thuraiappah thinks in systems – and leads with curiosity. An industrial engineer with a PhD in Business Innovation & Organizational Behavior, he brings together two worlds that rarely meet: the precision of engineering and the human depth of leadership. For over ten years he has worked as a speaker and partner at JENEWEIN – with a breadth of experience that is hard to match.
He has researched artificial intelligence at Stanford University, advised corporations such as AUDI, Philips and Bosch, taught at RWTH Aachen, the University of St Gallen and Shanghai Jiao Tong University – and today serves as Professor of Leadership and Innovation at FHDW. Seven countries, three continents, one conviction: that people achieve more together when they are truly heard.
In his keynotes, workshops and coaching sessions, Melan Thuraiappah creates experiences that don’t just inform – they set something in motion. Whether with leaders of global corporations or elite athletes under intense pressure, his approach is always the same: see potential, build trust, create movement.
2024 – present: Director of Campus, Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW)
2023 – present: Professor of Leadership & Innovation, Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW)
2016 – present: Partner & Speaker, JENEWEIN
2021 – 2023: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University, Stanford
2016 – 2020: Research Associate, University of St Gallen (HSG), St Gallen
2016 – present: Trainer, Coach & Lecturer, Innovation & Leadership Development (self-employed), Düsseldorf
2015 – 2015: Research Intern, Philips Lighting, Brainport Eindhoven
2015 – 2015: Consulting Intern, Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart
2014 – 2015: Student Assistant, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen
2013 – 2013: Engineering Intern, AUDI AG, Ingolstadt
2021–2023: Stanford University, Postdoctoral Training, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Translational Medicine
2016–2020: University of St Gallen (HSG), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Management & Business Innovation
2013–2015: RWTH Aachen University, Master of Science (MSc), Industrial Engineering (Focus: Electrical Energy Technology)
2015: ETH Zurich, Summer School, Transdisciplinary
2014: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Exchange Student, Business Administration
2013–2014: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Exchange Student, Electrical & Mechanical Engineering
2010–2014: RWTH Aachen University, Bachelor of Science (BSc), Industrial Engineering (Focus: Electrical Energy Technology)