The CSM Team
Maria Dahl
Team Assistant
+49 (0)211 44709 741
Maria Dahl works as Personal Assistant at the Center for Sports and Management since 2017. She takes care of the everyday business process at the center and supports the team in research, teaching and events. After her apprenticeship as management assistant in wholesale and foreign trade, she worked as a team and management assistant at various companies and graduted avocational with a Bachelor in Business Administration at FOM. Recently, Maria worked at Handelsblatt. In her leisure time, she also likes to swing her racket at the tennis court.
Kerstin Forword
Project Manager
+49 (0)211 44709 746
Kerstin Carolin Forword joined the Center of Sports Management in June 2016 as Project Manager. For more than the years, she worked in People Services roles with McKinsey & Company and Booz&Co., both in Germany and England. Outside of her role at CSM, Kerstin enjoys spending time with her two sons and practising yoga as a passionate yoga teacher.
Yannik Rosenlehner
Doctorate Student
Before joining the CSM team as a PhD candidate, Yannik studied Business Administration at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich and earned his M.Sc. in Management from NOVA School of Business and Economics in Lisbon. At both institutions, he focused on technology management and entrepreneurship. Prior to starting his doctoral journey, Yannik worked as a Senior Associate at Stern Stewart, where he was involved in consulting projects across a wide range of industries – from aviation and industrial goods manufacturing to electronics retail. Outside of research, Yannik has a deep-rooted passion for sports. A former competitive basketball player, he enjoys staying active in just about any discipline – whether it’s running, surfing, or functional training. If he can combine that with travel and discovering new places, even better.
Niclas Höppner
Research Assistant
Before starting his PhD at CSM, Niclas studied Business Administration at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, as well as Management at WHU in Vallendar and ESCP in Paris. After completing his master's degree, he worked for two years at the management consultancy Stern Stewart as a strategy consultant. During his time at Stern Stewart, he advised internationally operating companies in the automotive, industrial manufacturing, and pharmaceutical sectors on organizational and transformation topics. In his free time, Niclas enjoys spending time with friends or engaging in sports, whether on his road or gravel bike, playing (padel) tennis, or cheering for Borussia Dortmund in the football stadium.
Dr. Daniel Beiderbeck
Affiliated Researcher
In his dissertation, Daniel focused on various methods of future-related research. Among other approaches, he used the Delphi technique to study the influence of disruptive factors on the future of the sports industry. He collaborated with the Football World Federation (FIFA) and numerous companies, clubs, and sports business experts. His research findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals, academic books, and practice-oriented publications.
Daniel earned his bachelor's and master's degrees with distinction in Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University. As a scholar of the German National Academic Foundation, he also pursued studies at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Centre for Technology Management at the University of Cambridge. After completing his studies, Daniel joined a leading international management consulting firm, where he assisted companies from various industries in developing their strategic growth and digitalization strategies. He also founded a non-profit initiative in the education sector and authored numerous white papers on value growth strategies in football. During his time as a PhD student, Daniel designed and implemented Executive Education programs at WHU and visited the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden as a Visiting Scholar.
Today, Daniel is heading the department for "Projects and Development in Sport" for an iconic European football club. As an expert in future-oriented methods, he continues to research and lecture in the context of cross-industry academia and practice projects as well as international courses.
