Kersti Ruth Wissenbach

Kersti R. Wissenbach is a political sociologist working at the intersection of digital transformation, sustainability, and inclusion since the early 2000s. She has worked with activist groups, NGOs, and public institutions leading the strategic planning, policy advice, and implementation of diverse civic participation processes around the globe, including Rwanda, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Cambodia.

She is specialized in participatory and activist research and inclusive community processes. Having focused on participatory development communication processes and power dynamics in transnational communities throughout her career, Kersti is working with a variety of co-creative methods to enable inclusive and context-driven project and strategy design processes.

In her late work she has developed increasing interest in permaculture. Rethinking Digital Transformation in the same way as permaculture rethinks agriculture has increasingly shaped her work. The field of social permaculture, cultivating inclusive (digital) communities in particular.

Kersti operates from her own off-grid project in Spain, consulting civil society and public sector institutions, and collaborating with like-minded communities, such as The Global Innovation Gathering (GIG). In 2023 Kersti founded GIG´s permaculture working group.