Manuela Kasper-Claridge

Manuela Kasper-Claridge (born 26 October 1959 in Berlin, Germany) is a German journalist.

Manuela Kasper-Claridge is the head of the department "Business, Science an Environment" of Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) with around 3,000 employees and freelancers from 60 countries. She is DW´s deputy editor in chief since October 2017.

Early life and career

Manuela Kasper-Claridge is the daughter of Dieter and Carmen Kasper, she was born 1959 in Berlin, Germany.

After school, she studied Economics and Sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin and graduated in 1984. From 1985 to 1986 she completed an internship at West Berlin’s public radio and television service SFB (today RBB). After that, Manuela Kasper-Claridge trained TV news producers and directors. Between 1988 and 1992, she worked as a news producer for RIAS-TV, covered Germany’s Reunification, Central and Eastern European affairs and reported from Washington, D.C.

Manuela Kasper-Claridge is the mother of three children. She lives in Berlin.

Career at DW

• 1992-1998 Producing reports and documentaries covering Europe, USA and Asia
• Since 1998 Head of DW’s Business Department, covering worldwide current affairs. Responsible for special broadcasts on the introduction of the Euro and EU expansion; conducted interviews with various top political and business leaders
• Since 2001 Also responsible for DW’s Science Department
• Since 2014 Head of DW's department "Business, Science, Environment"
• Since 2017 DW´s deputy editor in chief

The department "Business, Science, Environment" produces business news as well as the weekly business magazine Made in Germany and the globalization program Global 3000.

Further on, there is a business news bulletin called Business that is broadcast several times a day. Produced in two different languages, it offers reports, business news and analysis from the world’s most important financial centers, key markets and leading producers. Kasper-Claridge is also in charge of the weekly produced science magazine Tomorrow Today.

The department Business & Science of DW is responsible for the websites “Business” and “Sci-Tech”. These web pages include daily updated multimedia news and reports (text, picture, video, audio). Further on, the department is producing four radio programs, to be broadcast weekly: Living Planet, Spectrum, World Link, World in Progress.

Since 2016 the department "Business & Science" produces "In Good Shape", the weekly health show on DW and "[email protected]" - an environment magazine that is co-produced by Deutsche Welle in Berlin, Channels TV in Nigeria and KTN in Kenya.

In 2018, Manuela Kasper-Claridge initiated the start of “Eco India”, another weekly environment magazine that is co-produced by DW and the Indian digital partner Scroll.in, covering the Indian subcontinent.

Projects, cooperations and jury memberships

In 2005 Kasper-Claridge was given responsibility for the “Einstein Year“ - a special project in co-operation with DW-TV’s science magazine Projekt Zukunft/Tomorrow Today, leading German scientists and the Max Planck Institute. Kasper Claridge was also responsible for introducing the program Global 3000 in April 2008. The motto is "We give globalisation a face," and the United Nations is the cooperation partner. This magazine is also aired by thousands of rebroadcasters around the world.

In 2009 Kasper-Claridge started Global Ideas, an award-winning multimedia-based climate project for Deutsche Welle which is available in 5 different languages, climate projects showing best practice are featured - with a focus on emerging nations and developing countries. This worldwide project is supported by the International Climate Initiative.

Kasper-Claridge has regularly attended the World Economic Forum in Davos. She initiated partnerships with the WEF and the Schwab Foundation and is producing regional debates for DW in cooperation with the WEF (e.g. debates about Latin America and South-East Asia). She is also a member of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce's (DIHK) committee on media and communication. Kasper-Claridge is on the board of trustees of Germany’s Ifo institute. She has served as a jury member for a variety of award programs (e.g. Empowering Award, Mid-Market Awards) and has also moderated various podium discussions in German and English.

Manuela Kasper-Claridge initialized a cooperation with the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. DW reported with special editions of the science magazine Tomorrow Today about the annual meeting. Kasper-Claridge exclusively interviewed various Nobel laureates like Stephen Chu (physics), Mario Molina (chemistry), Barry Marshall (medicine) and Alvin Roth (economy).

Within the last years, Manuela Kasper-Claridge joined several times the Fortune conference "Most Powerful Women" in London, which brought together the most prominent European women leaders in business, along with selected leaders form government, media, philanthropy and the arts. Since June 2016 she is a member of the board of the association “Gesellschaft der Freunde und Förderer des HWWI gGmbH e.V.”.

Awards

Manuela Kasper-Claridge won several prices at international film and documentary festivals. Among others the bronze medal at the “New York Festival – World´s best TV and Films 2018” with the documentary „Founders Valley“.

Other award-winning reports:

• “Saigas in distress – The mystery of the dead antelopes“ at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards

• „Passion & Profit - Sounddesigner Kling Klang Klong“ at the World Media Festival 2017

• First price of the „Environmental Action Germany“ for the multimedia project „Global Ideas“, category: best web documentary.