EDITOR | ADVISOR | ORGANISER

Welcome to my personal website. It’s all about my professional activities, practice and experience. Here you find out as well my features and what I’m offering.

Based in Berlin, I am working as author and freelance editor with focus on finance and financial regulation as well as advisor on discussion and communication formats. From 2013 until end of 2021 I have been director of the non-profit organisation Financial Risk and Stability Network, focusing on regulation, institutional frameworks and financial sector reforms in the EU. Besides and before, I was inter alia chief editor of an institutional investors’ magazine and worked for various German media and companies as journalist, editor and event manager for 20 years.

My expertise covers economics and political sciences, banking and finance, investment and asset management, financial stability, EU policies and institutional frameworks, financial regulation and regulatory policies associated with a strong background in communication, format development, event planning and organisation.

My main interests are in the societal, environmental and economic transformation of societies, and how to advance on appropriate and fair policies for a better future.

MARTIN AEHLING

From design to realisation

… based upon 12 years professional experience in designing and organising conferences, workshops, seminars and round tables – from small and exclusive events to big audience platforms – in German or English. Supporting event ideas in all aspects and at all steps of design, planning and realisation for the two main stages:  i. before a go decision and ii. after the go decision. Offering i. outline and concepts, and ii. management and realisation – as well as planning of side-events, follow-ups and communications.

A joint, target-oriented process is for me the basis of a fruitful and successful cooperation. A first step could be clearing intentions, objectives and wishes. From there on we can identify appropiate conceptual ideas, show up possibilites and concretise aspects, range and scope of a cooperation according to your preferences. Based on this we fix the necessary steps and develop together an individual best design solution for your event.

Engagement, sensibility and respect are basis of my consultancy. My sense and notion of a fruitful and pleasant cooperation is close collaboration and team work respecting wishes, input and guidelines of the partner. Working in a fair, open and professional manner is for me essential. Respect, creativity and passion are core values of my engagement.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER: THAT’S WHAT MOVES

Knowing what is needed

At a lower scale compared to an event cooperation I’m advising on various aspects of event concepts development as well as other project initiatives and strategies. Latter could be for instance advice and support in designing studies, reports, surveys and papers (publications) as well as input for design and layouts of communication tools such as websites, newsletters and appropriate further targeting tools.

My advice aims at widening awareness, reach and attraction with senseful projects and communication concepts for focused or broader target groups. This might include as well appropiate contact and opportunity settings to take part in relevant debates with own positions, ambitions and views. In addition, my skills and services comprise media and event format strategy development, agenda settings, concept and content development as well as input deliverings.

MAKING PROJECTS WORKABLE: THAT’S MISSION

Skills, experience and expertise

Since 20 years I’ve been working as author, economic journalist, business editor and financial copywriter – writing all relevant sorts of texts in German: articles, news texts, reports, news stories, studies, analysis, comments, opinion texts, public relation texts, advertisement texts, product texts, motivation texts as well as books, programmes and brochures. All text sorts in the fields of economics and business, political economy and economic policies, investment and asset management, financial institutions and risk management, financial services and products, financial regulation, supervision and regulatory politics.

Main features are strong and steady proved text writing skills combined with structured, disciplined and engaged working methods. If desired, I could suggest and provide in addition suitable and fitting ‘look and feels’ as regards layouts and designs of content, publications, programs and other materials – bringing drafted texts into appropiate appealing forms and adequate print or web-based formats.

DELIVERING EXCELLENT TEXTS: THAT’S MOTIVATION

Making it unique and engaging

Moderation of discussions, panels and events is a challenging role, also for naturally good public speakers as there are some unpredictable elements. As a discussion moderator you have typically be an expert in the topic, a very good listener and a sensitive, empathic but tough questioner. And keeping the discussants as well as the audience or listeners attracted for a longer time needs good and profound preparation. Moderator’s duties include the in-depth dedication to the topic(s), preparing the discussants in advance, setting a list of pointed and relevant questions, and clearing the objectives of the discussion with the organiser.

A moderator’s responsibility and mission is to stand as an advocate for the audience, asking the questions they wish they could and ensuring a lively, thoughtful discussion. It is essential to entertain, enrich and engage, but to probe for interesting insights and exciting statements as well. Digging deeper, playing the ball around, intervening on unsatisfying answers and politely but definitively cutting off discussants talking in monologues – in addition to the moderator’s ability to feel the pace of a discussion and the interaction of opinionated leaders. This is the essence to ensure a great and lasting audience experience.

Though effective moderation means that each discussant gets equal time to present his or her views, this could be handled somewhat flexible to a certain extend. Fascinating discussants can be given additional questions and a bit more time. And it is important to keep a discussion balanced, means that it is not biased to a discussant’s view or position, as well as to avoid that everyone agrees with each other about everything. Last but not least most important is to allocate and schedule adequate time for Q&A with the floor.

CHOREOGRAPHING INSPIRING DISCUSSIONS: THAT’S PASSION