Katharina is an executive member of the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) and has a key role in further operationalising ACEN to grow the success of the network. She coordinates and manages a multitude of projects such as Horizon2020 JUST2CE as well as Circular South Africa for ACEN. Katharina completed her undergraduate studies in the Netherlands in Wildlife Management with a focus on genetics. She completed a Master of Science in Environmental Management with the focus on the circular economy at the University of Johannesburg (cum laude) whilst working as project coordinator for a diversity of projects that linked research and societal applications. Projects that she managed and was instrumental to, was the merSETA VIRO-VENT Skills Innovation Challenge, which developed a modular ventilator through a co-creation, design thinking process between five higher education institutions in South Africa which had a strong capacitation angle for TVET right to post-graduate students. Additionally, she embedded the SA Plastics Pact into the University of Johannesburg. Next to her role at ACEN, Katharina is also a country programme manager for Nuffic Southern Africa, where the focus is on international collaboration and capacitation, always brining back a green lens. Her main focus is on the circular economy and how this concept can be implemented in a just-way. Her experience reaches from multidisciplinary and mix-method research, research coordination, project management, event coordination, action plan development to educational facilitator.