| 1988 | -89 studied Economic Geography, Sociology and Russian at the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich |
| 1989 | -92 Bachelor of Science of Economics in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science |
| 1992 | -94 Master of Philosophy in Russian and East European Studies at St Antony's College, Oxford University |
| 1989 | Munich Reinsurance of SA Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa, Internship in the South African subsidiary |
| 1990 | United Nations, ECLAC, Santiago de Chile, Research assistant in the press office of ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) |
| 1992 | Caisse Centrale de Cooperation Economique, Paris, France, project leader of a report on bilateral co-operation at non-governmental level between various European countries and South Africa |
| 1993 | University of Oxford, UK, Research assistant to Prof Archie Brown, Political Science |
| 1994 | -95 European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, Stagiaire in the co-ordination bureau for international assistance to the CIS with a scholarship of the commission |
| 1995 | -96 Treuhand Osteuropa Beratungsgesellschaft, Berlin, Preparation of proposals and tenders for international institutions at the subsidiary of the Treuhand |
| 1996 | -98 Schering AG, Berlin, Germany, European marketing and business development, customer relations management, organisation of international scientific conferences |
| 2000 | -01 Konzerthaus Berlin, Germany, Fundraising Manager |
| | May 2002 Draeger Founcation, Lübeck, Germany, Fellow of the Chicago Workshop on American Politics (Chicago and Washington) |
