Marianne
inspiring women to go further
First launched in 2022 in Vienna by partner Miriam Simsa and partner & COO Gudrun Stangl, the event series was named after Marianne Beth, the first woman to complete a law degree in Austria, first woman to hold two doctorates, first female lawyer admitted to the bar.
Since then, the event series has gone international. Launched in 2024, its Romanian version is entitled Ella, in reference to Ella Negruzzi, the first Romanian woman to actually practice as a lawyer.
Both Ella and Marianne were the definition of a trailblazer: women unfazed by conventions, who were not afraid to take the non-traditional route and thus paved the way for those following in their footsteps – which is why Schoenherr is committed to turning their legacy into a format which celebrates female success.
Inviting female clients and potential clients to share an evening of inspirational discussion, this event series is a platform to highlight and share examples of expertise, success, and leadership amongst women across industries.
Each event features female role models as guest speakers. Together with our female partners, they share insights into the paths and experiences which have led them to where they are today.
Marianne | Austria
previous Marianne events
April 2024
Marianne
At the Marianne event in April 2024, Verena Titze shared her powerful story of overcoming burnout and alcohol addiction, revealing tools to make everyday life easier. Anna Abermann, founder of the organic beverage brand Pona, spoke about her journey through success, insolvency, and new beginnings. Both speakers left the moderators Gudrun Stangl and Miriam Simsa, as well as the attendees inspired and equipped with valuable insights.
November 2023
Marianne
The fourth Marianne event dealt with personality development, and focused on the challenges that women in particular (but not only) often face in competitive industries. For this, we talked to Christiane Miksch.
Christiane has been supporting people as a mediator and supervisor for more than twenty years and regularly gives talks on personal development. She gave insights into behaviors that promote a self-confident appearance, revealed ways to take care of yourself in demanding situations, to not lose sight of your own needs - and much more.
May 2023
Marianne
For our third Marianne event we discussed the topic of switching from external counsel to in-house positions. Barbara Edelmann, VP Finance & Tax of Bitpanda, started her career at Deloitte in 2006, focusing on International Corporate Tax and M&A Tax. Starting in 2009 she led the Deloitte Tech Startup Initiative YESTech. Barbara was promoted to Partner in 2015. In 2022 Barbara switched sides and joined Bitpanda, an Austrian headquartered Fintech focusing on digital assets, as VP Tax. Rita Wittmann is Head of Group Legal & Compliance of UNIQA Insurance Group. She started her career in law and gained valuable experience in national and international law firms as both associate and attorney, before switching sides: In September 2016 she joined UNIQA as Head of Group Legal & Compliance, focusing on national and international transactions, compliance, capital markets, banking and insurance regulatory law as well as corporate law.
November 2022
Marianne
This time, we discussed one of the hottest topics of our time: sustainability. Esther Horvat is an award-winning photographer and environmental advocate.
Esther followed her passion for photography and moved to New York City to attend the International Center of Photography, where she graduated with a degree in Documentary Film and Photojournalism. Since 2015, she has dedicated herself to photography in the polar regions, in the Arctic and Antarctica where she documents scientific expeditions, and behind the scenes stories of science.
June 2022
Marianne Kick-off
Our first Marianne event: Marianne was a woman who wasn't intimidated by conventions, who wasn't afraid to take the non-traditional route and who paved the way for women following in her footsteps. That is why we hosted two amazing to share their stories with us: Viktoria Schnaderbeck and Zarja Cibej.
Apart from being a Schoenherr alumna, Zarja is an entrepreneur and the founder of myTamarin. myTamarin is a workplace benefits provider, supporting employees through critical life stages such as fertility, birth and menopause. Secondly, we were also pleased to welcome Viktoria Schnaderbeck and her story. At the age of 7, when football came into Viktoria's life, she wouldn’t have dreamed of representing Bayern Munich, Arsenal London, Tottenham Hotspur, or the Austrian national team as a captain. Now, more than 20 years later, she has experienced all the highs and lows in football.
Ella | Romania
In 2024 Schoenherr Romania launched Ella. Inspired by Marianne, its sister in Vienna, the local event series is entitled in reference to Ella Negruzzi, the first Romanian woman admitted to the Bar (1919) to actually practice as a lawyer. Each event is hosted by a female partner from our Bucharest office and features guest speakers with distinct career paths across various sectors. A platform "from women to women", Ella brings together female team members, clients and friends and encourages them to share their journeys to success.
February 2024
Ella Kick-off
Ella Negruzzi was the first Romanian woman to practice law. Despite facing multiple rejections, she persisted in her pursuit of admission to the Bar, finally achieving her goal after six years of relentless effort.
For our inaugural Ella event, we invited two inspiring female role models with distinct career paths to share their stories with us: Lavinia Ivas and Cristiana Oprea. Lavinia, who is currently the CEO of Parfumerie Douglas Romania, is one of the most admired CEOs in Romania, having won several awards for her leadership roles in various sectors, from pharma to beauty. Cristiana is a Romanian rally driver who was the first female driver from Romania to compete in both the World Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship. Both of these remarkable women shared stories and insights from their professional journeys, emphasising ways for overcoming prejudice and obstacles. Schoenherr partner Georgiana Badescu hosted the first edition of Ella and moderated the empowering discussion.
Helena | Poland
Continuing this tradition, Helena, named in honour of Helena Wiewiórska, the first Polish woman to be admitted to the bar, has started in fall 2024.
November 2024
Helena Kick-Off
The aim of the first edition of Helena was to empower and connect women by highlighting stories of resilience, success and leadership.
Jolanta Kwaśniewska, former First Lady of Poland, opened with reflections on her initial experiences in a public role. She spoke about the importance of mentorship, the unique qualities women bring to leadership, and the power of vulnerability in authentic connections. Her advice to women seeking high-level roles was to embrace resilience and build supportive networks. Lidia Kazen shared her journey from a small town to a national media career, underscoring the unique challenges women face in the male-dominated media industry. Emphasising adaptability, collaboration and open communication, she credited her sports background for developing key leadership skills and encouraged others to view unconventional career paths as valuable assets. She also spoke about balancing the demands of media with personal life, highlighting the crucial role of supportive relationships.
Next event
Marianne December 2024
The next Marianne event will take place on 12 December 2024 in Vienna.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear from and network with inspiring women.
upcoming events
do you want to pre-register for the next event?
We are currently planning the next Marianne, Ella and Helena events. Feel free to drop us a note if you want to be sure to be invited, we'll be happy to let you know as soon as we know more details.