Doers Make the World Go Round

Victoria Soelle (MPP 2013) is a dynamic professional who has donned many roles. She is energetic, passionate and driven to bring together people, businesses and governments to affect change in the world. Armed with the MPP degree from LKYPP, she is now Director Global Partnerships at The DO School."][/ALUMNI-INFO]



The DO School, she says, is a global organisation powered by a community of purposeful “DOers, innovators, and experts” from more than 100 countries around the world. “We have a unique methodology through which we support businesses to transform with a purpose. We help them turn ideas that we sometimes co-create with them, into action. We want to equip people to lead and build a movement, and create real change.”

[ALUMNI-QUOTES TEXT="Victoria has had nothing short of an exciting journey to get here. “My professional journey has surely not been straightforward!” she says. After graduation from LKYSPP, she joined a boutique consultancy focusing on innovation processes and Mergers & Acquisitions. “I wanted to gain some experience in the private sector and learn how the private sector tackles the question of how to future-proof their business through innovation.”

From there, her voluntary political engagement led her into politics and campaigning. “I did everything from volunteering on the streets, writing policies claims, and mobilizing individuals. I worked on several local and national election campaigns in Italy and Austria before joining the staff of the Austrian Chancellor (i.e. Prime Minister) Christian Kern in 2016. But everyone knows that politics in many countries is a short-term play.” "][/ALUMNI-QUOTES]

Due to the lost election in Austria, she had to move on, and then she joined The DO School. “My role is comparable to the Head of Business Development or Institutional Partnerships in many other industries. So I must find the common ground for all our partners – governments, foundations and corporations and try to successfully drive transformation and purpose through the organization in times of significant business pressure.”



While she feels all her previous roles have prepared her to face the challenges of her new position, LKYSPP is where she got the ground set. For a role like her present one, personal interaction and building relationships are of utmost importance, and LKYSPP gave her the perfect springboard. Victoria says, “I am a people-person. As I have managed to make it my job to empower individuals to find and act on their purpose, I found that all the amazing and driven individuals – classmates, guest speakers and professors alike – gave me an environment to hone my skills, and I miss that environment the most. LKYSPP and College Green is a truly special place. The diverse international community allows everyone to thrive as individuals or get inspired by others for their individual future.” 

Victoria emphasises that it is not just the MPP course that equipped her so well to tread the professional path. “As much as I would love to say that economic modelling and econometrics, were most useful to me, I have to admit that the diverse LKYSPP community and the soft skills, as well as leadership tools we had to apply in Jonathan Marshall’s classes, have been most beneficial to my personal and professional development.” 

So what keeps her inspired and motivated? “The smell of my morning double espresso gets me out of bed. But it is the countless conversations I have with different stakeholders from every sector, government officials and young entrepreneurs who strive to bring more purpose to their organisation, team and their personal and professional life that makes me happy about the work I do. I believe I can affect change here, and there is nothing more fulfilling than that!”