News from the start-up center GO! Public Oldenburg and former Rügenwalder managing director Godo Röben

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Oldenburg/Brake/Vechta – Who is moving up, who is reorienting themselves, who is changing? The economy is made by people. We provide an overview of current personalities in the economy in Oldenburger Land, East Frisia and the surrounding area.

Change in management of the start-up center

The “GO!” Start-up Center, located at the Oldenburg Technology and Startup Center (TGO), has been in existence for six and a half years. 68 start-ups have been supported there during this time and over 100 jobs have been created in the region. Alexandra Wurm has been there from the beginning as head of this so-called “accelerator program”. She is now leaving the TGO on September 30th. Mike Wilkes will take over as head of “GO!” on October 1st. Jürgen Bath, Managing Director of the TGO, thanked Wurm for her successful development work: “Her work has laid the foundation for many successes for young companies.” Under her leadership, “GO!” has developed into a high-profile address for start-ups throughout the northwest and beyond. Her successor Mike Wilkes brings a lot of experience and a broad network to the new position. The 36-year-old worked as a cross-media consultant at the Nordwest Media Group from 2010 to 2015. Since 2015, he has headed the marketing and communications department at the Oldenburg-based software developer Open Knowledge. The communications expert has also been involved in the Weser-Ems Marketing Club for ten years, as a board member since 2021, and was co-founder of “tohoop” in 2021, a platform to promote exchange in the regional economy.

Contract extended at the Oldenburg Public Company

Ralf Kunze will remain a member of the board of Öffentliche Oldenburg for another five years. The supervisory board of the regional insurer has now extended the current contract with the 52-year-old, which runs until the end of June 2025, until 2030. The Rhinelander, who was born in 2020, moved to Oldenburg from Alte Leipziger Versicherung (Oberursel/Taunus). The chairman of the public supervisory board, Dr. Ulrich Knemeyer, described Kunze as an “expert in the composite sector” (property insurance), who also “brings in-depth specialist knowledge of the complex requirements of the market”. In addition to Kunze, the board of Öffentliche Oldenburg, which claims to be the market leader in the Oldenburg region, also includes Jürgen Müllender (chairman) and Kerstin Garbe.

Contract extended at the Oldenburg Public: Ralf Kunze Image: Oldenburg Public

Röben now also advises Lidl and organic producers

At the Bad Zwischenahn sausage and meat products manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle, Godo Röben played a key role in developing the veggie division as managing director. After retiring from the Ammerland company in 2021, Röben, who comes from Brake (Wesermarsch), set up his own business as a consultant – and has now taken on two more consulting jobs. At the organic manufacturer Followfood, the former Rügenwalder managing director will join a newly established advisory board, as the Friedrichshafen-based company has now announced. He is to support Followfood in developing and marketing market-oriented vegan organic foods. Shortly before, it had become known that Röben would also work for Lidl and advise the discount giant in the field of alternative proteins. Röben has other advisory board mandates at Rewe and The Family Butchers, among others.

Two new consulting jobs: Former Rügenwalder managing director Godo Röben Image: Torsten von Reeken

Two employment agencies, one manager

Since 2016, Tina Heliosch has been chairwoman of the management board at the Vechta Employment Agency (responsible for the districts of Vechta and Cloppenburg). From October 1, she will also take over the management of the Osnabrück Employment Agency, which covers the city and district of Osnabrück. She succeeds Christiane Fern, who officially retired on August 20 after almost 50 years in the profession. The fact that Heliosch, who lives in Wilhelmshaven, is now to lead the Osnabrück Employment Agency is also related to restructuring at the employment agencies. In this context, agency districts are being merged and management positions at the management level are being reduced.

Future head of two employment agencies: Tina Heliosch Image: Employment Agency