Strategic planning and communication tools underpin global strategy, says Hesse

Markus Hesse, CBM’s director of corporate development, says that his job is “to support CBM as an organisation to prepare for the next century by offering tools for strategic planning, project management, organisational learning and communication to underpin the global change programme.”

“We use modern tools such as e-conferencing and e-collaboration to meet CBM’s internal communication needs, helping the organisation to manage its organisational objectives at a time of a very significant change,” explains Markus, 39.

Another tool that helps to facilitate CBM’s change into a development organisation has been CBM’s Project Management toolbox, an innovative planning tool that has been developed in collaboration with CBM’s alliance and implementation partners to be applicable to different development needs worldwide.

“We need to further develop our ability to learn from each other and share our knowledge with our partners in the field to reach significantly more persons with disability,” he notes.

Markus has previously worked for multinationals in Europe, Asia and the US, but it was while working in Africa that he discovered a passion for improving the lives of people with disabilities.

“Really experiencing the cycle of poverty and disability for the first time was a life-changing moment. We won’t make poverty history unless we address global disability," he says.

Markus believes that disability is a community-based problem that needs a community-based solution, and that effective development must be inclusive of all members of the community including people with disabilities.

“My job is to ensure that what we do within Corporate Development, in managing the internal infrastructure and providing support to all parts of CBM, facilitates that process.”

Markus is happy that he is able to use his experience "in contributing to something meaningful such as making a difference to peoples’ lives."