Press Release
September 2020

The Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award enters the third round

For the third time: A top-class jury decides who will win the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award 

Düsseldorf, September 2020 – On November 4, the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award will be presented for the third time. The award honors philanthropic projects that help girls and women have a better future. Especially in times like these, charitable organizations' support becomes more and more critical. The close exchange with the applicants makes clear how much the initiatives in the Corona phase lack personnel, support and financial backing. Now the jury has been appointed to select the 2020 winners. 

This year, a top-class jury will decide on the impressive projects that will be honored at the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award. New to the jury is model and entrepreneur Franziska Knuppe. 

The jury consists of the patroness of the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award, Sylvie Nicol, Member of the Henkel Management Board responsible for Human Resources and Infrastructure Services, Dr. Elke Neujahr, Managing Director of the German Bone Marrow Donor Registry, entertainer and influencer Riccardo Simonetti, model Franziska Knuppe, Heiko Held, Manager Corporate Citizenship at the Fritz Henkel Foundation, Edition F founder Nora-Vanessa Wohlert and Emotion Editor-in-Chief Dr. Katarzyna Mol-Wolf. Vera Falck from Dunkelziffer e.V., last year's winner in the "Build Up" category, will also be a part of the jury. 

About the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Award
The prize is awarded in three categories based on the Schwarzkopf Million Chances Initiative's three funding areas. In the category "Build Up", girls up to the age of 15 are supported. "Move Up" is about the best possible entry into the professional world for young women up to 21. Projects that support women aged 21 and over in their professional or private new start are aided in the "Start Up" category. In addition to the three jury prizes, a public voting prize will be awarded.

Jury members at a glance

Sylvie Nicol
Sylvie Nicol is a member of the Management Board of Henkel and responsible for Human Resources and Infrastructure Services. Her career at Henkel started in Beauty Care Marketing in France. After holding various management positions, she moved to the Group headquarters in Düsseldorf in 2013. She has been a member of the Henkel Management Board since April 2019. She is also Chairwoman of the company's Sustainability Council and is an outspoken advocate for greater sustainability.

Heiko Held
Heiko Held has been the Manager of Corporate Citizenship at the Fritz Henkel Foundation since 2011. In this role, he is responsible for the social commitment that Henkel bundles under the foundation's umbrella. The Fritz Henkel Foundation, which was established in 2011, primarily supports projects in education and equal opportunities. Its goal is to make a sustainable contribution to enabling women and girls, in particular, to improve their living conditions to achieve gender equality and self-determination.

Dr. Elke Neujahr

Dr. Elke Neujahr is the Managing Director of the DKMS – the German marrow donor file. The communication scientist and experienced PR-manager is an expert in crisis communication. As co-owner of a consulting firm, she has supported national and international managers for many years concerning corporate reputation, change management, crisis prevention, and communication. Dr. Elke Neujahr is also author of several books.

Nora-Vanessa Wohlert

N ora-Vanessa Wohlert is a co-founder of EDITION F, the leading digital platform for women in German-speaking countries. This online magazine offers authentic and personal reports, employer branding as well as female recruiting formats. It also features the FEMALE FUTURE FORCE community with a digital coaching program and over ten event formats per year. Nora-Vanessa Wohlert lives in Berlin and previously worked as editor-in-chief for Germany's leading Start-up Portal “Gruenderszene” and as an editor for fischerAppelt and Roland Berger. She studied journalism, politics and Islamic studies at the Free University of Berlin.

Dr. Katarzyna Mol-Wolf

Dr. Katarzyna Mol-Wolf is managing partner of INSPIRING NETWORK and editor-in-chief of EMOTION. She is also a member of the FAZ Supervisory Board. The Doctor of Law co-developed EMOTION as publishing and advertising manager at Gruner + Jahr and took over the title in November 2009 in the first management buy-out from the major publishing house. Since 2011 INSPIRING NETWORK is also publishing the magazine “HOHE LUFT”. The corporate publishing business is another important pillar of the publishing company.

Vera Falck

Vera Falck is on the board of the association Dunkelziffer e.V. The association provides advice to victims of abuse. Sexual abuse of children still is a hush-hush taboo subject. To raise public awareness, make it easier for victims to find help, and motivate donors for project work, Dunkelziffer e.V. repeatedly puts high-profile campaigns on air.
Last year, the Dunkelziffer initiative received the Million Chances Award in the "Build Up" category.

Riccardo Simonetti

Riccardo Simonetti started at an early age with his own radio show and regularly stood in front of television cameras. After moving to Munich, he worked at large media companies such as E! Entertainment, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and InStyle. In 2011, the native Austrian started his blog, The Fabulous Life of Ricci. Riccardo Simonetti also writes columns for various magazines and works as a content creator, model, actor, and presenter.

Franziska Knuppe

Franziska Knuppe is a model, TV host, and actress. At the age of 23, she was discovered by fashion designer Wolfgang Joop in a café in Potsdam. Franziska Knuppe does not want to rest on her success as a model. On the contrary, she builds up other mainstays as a columnist, presenter, juror, and laudator and is quickly becoming a permanent fixture in the German-speaking entertainment and television industry.

About Schwarzkopf 
More than 120 years ago, chemist Hans Schwarzkopf laid the foundations for a truly international brand that stands for quality, reliability, expertise and innovation. Today, Schwarzkopf is a global pioneer in hair cosmetics. It is the leading hair care brand in Europe for color and styling, and the most successful online hair cosmetics brand in China. Schwarzkopf, Henkel’s largest Beauty Care brand. Its products include hair colorants Palette and Color Expert, and hair care and styling products Schauma, Taft, Gliss Kur and got2b.

About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2019, Henkel reported sales of around 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of around 3.2 billion Euro. Henkel employs more than 52,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com 

Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contact

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Nicola Surholt						
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