Anja Blacha – Keynote Speaker

Anja Blacha is an extreme mountaineer and sportswoman with a number of records: She is the first German woman to conquer K2, the youngest German woman on Mount Everest and the youngest German to climb all Seven Summits. She also holds the record for the longest solo, unsupported, unassisted polar expedition of any woman.

Anja Blacha grew up in Bielefeld and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of London. During her studies she spent time abroad at UC Berkeley and Korea University. Before Anja Blacha moved to Zurich in 2016, where she works in the telecommunications industry, she lived and worked in London.

Her latest successful expedition took her over almost 1,400 kilometres on skis from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole in around 58 days through snow and ice. Alone and without any help from others, she arrived there in January 2020, impressively showing that records are possible regardless of gender. She is dedicating her expedition to all women who fight prejudices.

Anja Blacha is also a long-time fencing athlete and will be voted Sportswoman of the Year by the University of London in 2012. In 2017, Zeit Campus named her one of the “18 for 18” – 18 influential people under 30.

In her sought-after lectures, Anja Blacha uses her impressive adventures to show, for example, how to dare and achieve goals and how weaknesses can be turned into superpowers.