Maël Corboz, Founder & CEO
Professional football player & Sustainability expert
Maël, a passionate professional soccer player at DSC Arminia Bielefeld in the German third tier. After obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on energy systems from the University of Maryland College Park in 2015, he ventured to Germany to advance his football career. Along the way, he noticed that environmental protection and sustainability were often overlooked in many clubs. There often exists a gap between a club's sustainability goals and the actual investments in time and effort.
This realization led Maël to delve deeper into the intersections between football and sustainability. As a result, he co-founded elevengreen with the aim to bridge the divide between clubs' aspirations for sustainability and the feasible means of implementation. elevengreen is the product of his passion for football and commitment to a more sustainable future in sports.
Andreas Kästner, Partner
Greenhouse Gas Accounting & Decarbonization
Andreas is the founder of viacero.earth and supports companies on their journey towards a more climate-friendly and sustainable future. He assists businesses from various sectors in creating their Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) and in the subsequent reduction of their CO2e emissions.
Before founding viacero.earth, Andreas gained experience in various positions within the energy sector, working for Stadtwerke Kiel Netz GmbH, Lumenaza, and 50Hertz, among others.
Environmental and climate protection have been lifelong passions for him. His interest was sparked as a youth football player during a trash collection event in the forest of his hometown. During his travels to South America, he decided to also pursue this issue professionally. After gaining experience in the field of renewable energies, he has been supporting companies in creating their greenhouse gas inventories since 2020.
Josef Krieg, Partner
Sustainability & Communication
Josef brings rich experiences from politics, economics, civil society, and academia. He served as a personal assistant to Dr. Heiner Geißler, a member of the German Bundestag, as well as a security policy spokesperson and personal assistant to the Minister of Defense, Volker Rühe. His roles as Communications Director at the Robert Bosch Foundation in Stuttgart and Stiftung Mercator in Essen have significantly shaped his career. Josef is a lecturer in organizational communication at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. His diverse expertise culminated in the founding of "ideas2communicate GmbH," specializing in sustainability strategy, reporting, and communication. Since July 2023, he has been a proud partner at elevengreen.
Oliver Schraft, Partner
Sustainability & Marketing
For nearly 30 years, Oliver has been involved in professional sports as a press officer, media director, and executive team member at VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg. His close collaborations with media, clubs, associations, and sponsors have forged an impressive international network. Today, he shares his comprehensive knowledge in sports, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability as an independent communication consultant and coach for sports, business, and NGOs. Oliver is the founder of the communication consultancy OUTOFTHEBOX and has been a partner at elevengreen since 2023.
Patrick Lippek, Coach & Experte
Sustainability & Strategy
Patrick combines his extensive expertise with his passions for football, sustainability, communication, and coaching. His master's degree in media studies from Paderborn was complemented by parallel training as a sports business manager. For over five years, he shaped the sustainability strategy of Arminia Bielefeld as a CSR manager.
Patrick expanded his competence in sustainability through further training at the IHK Nuremberg and Leuphana University in Lüneburg. Since 2018, he has been working as a freelance lecturer in the fields of sports communication and marketing. At the Sportbusiness Campus in Wolfsburg, he designed and implemented the further training "Sustainability Management in Sport."
Currently, Patrick holds the position of Climate Protection Officer at Europe's largest social enterprise, v. Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel. As a freelance expert, he brings his versatile experience and profound expertise in the fields of sports, sustainability, and communication to elevengreen.
Nicolai Theilinger
Professional Handball Player & Sustainability Expert
Nicolai has been a professional athlete for over 12 years in the 1st and 2nd Handball Bundesliga. Through Erlangen, Göppingen, and Hamburg, Nicolai has played for several German professional sports clubs and is familiar with the concerns, challenges, and opportunities of sports clubs. He currently plays for TBV Lemgo-Lippe. His academic journey took him to the International Management program in Ansbach. The program included topics such as sports marketing and sports management. It was an opportunity for top athletes to combine studies and sports, and he completed his bachelor's degree in 2022.
Besides sports, sustainability has always been a concern for him. For this reason, Nicolai continues to educate himself and completed a training program to become a Sustainability Manager in Sports at the Sports Campus Wolfsburg in 2023. His goal is to be a link between sustainability and sports because he knows both sides. He wants to use this passion and experience to help transform sports clubs so that they are equipped for the future and become role models for society. Nicolai has been a part of elevengreen since December 2023.
