Ellen Heinrichs

CEO & Founder Bonn Institute

Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

About

I am the founder and CEO of the Bonn Institute, where we are rethinking journalism for an era of polarization, news avoidance, disinformation, and rapidly changing audience needs. Together with media organizations, newsroom leaders, journalists, and innovators across Europe, I work on strengthening journalism’s democratic role through solutions-oriented reporting, diverse perspectives, and meaningful dialogue. Our mission is to help journalism remain relevant, rebuild trust, and create real value for people’s lives and society.  At the Bonn Institute, we develop and lead innovation programs, fellowships, executive masterclasses, newsroom trainings, research initiatives, and public dialogue formats that support media organizations in navigating transformation. Our work includes flagship projects such as b° local, the DW–Bonn Institute Constructive Journalism Fellowship, the discussion game One Hour, Many Voices, and the international b° future festival for journalism and constructive dialogue.  With more than 20 years of experience in journalism, public broadcasting, and digital transformation, I previously helped shape innovation at Deutsche Welle, where I contributed to building DW Akademie, drove digitalization in programming, and co-founded DW Minds and the DW Innovation Lab. I was also the first Fellow from outside the Nordics at Constructive Institute at Aarhus University.  I am a journalist, speaker, mediator, and innovation leader, passionate about how better storytelling, deeper listening, and constructive public dialogue can strengthen democracy and social cohesion.

Experience

  • Founder & CEO at Bonn Institute
    Jan 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 6 mos

  • Mitglied des Verwaltungsrats at Stiftung Warentest
    Mar 2026 - Present · 4 mos

  • Mitglied des Kuratoriums at Jugendpresse Deutschland e.V.
    Oct 2025 - Present · 9 mos

  • Deutsche Welle (7 yrs 7 mos)
    • Head Trends & Knowledge
      Nov 2020 - Dec 2021 · 1 yr 2 mos

    • Head Digital Programming
      Jun 2014 - Oct 2020 · 6 yrs 5 mos

      Innovation Management, Online, TV, Social Media, Strategy

  • Constructive Journalism Fellow at Constructive Institute
    Jun 2020 - Jun 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo