Photo by Sabine Linn
New election of the board of the International Club for the University of Bayreuth e.V.
Bayreuth, March 2025 - The International Club for the University of Bayreuth e.V. has elected a new board for the 2025 to 2027 term of office at its most recent general meeting. The previous chairpersons Sonali Trauner and Lifang Huang were confirmed in office, while Olga Gassan was newly elected to the board as chairperson. The team is completed by Isabelle Hofmann as Secretary and Azza Schmidt as Treasurer.
The International Club of the University of Bayreuth was founded in 1976, has 190 members and is committed to promoting intercultural encounters and the integration of international researchers. With numerous events, excursions and cultural exchange programs, the club creates a platform for networking between German and international university members.
At the general meeting on March 11, 2025, the members in attendance were given a review of the club's diverse activities, active collaborations and charity work, as well as a presentation of the various thematic working groups. The Board of Directors was also duly elected on this evening in order to establish the new management structure for the 2025 to 2027 term of office. In this election, the previous chairpersons Sonali Trauner and Lifang Huang were re-elected and the newest member, Olga Gassan, was also directly elected as chairperson.
Presentation of the new board:
Sonali Trauner was born in Patna, India, grew up in the Upper Palatinate and has lived in Bayreuth since 2014. She has been actively involved in the club's work since 2017 and officially joined in August 2022. She has been a member of the board as Chairwoman since March 2023. She is strongly committed to intercultural dialog, which serves as the basis for deep understanding and tolerance in all its forms of coexistence. She speaks 4 languages. Professionally, she is Director of Administration and Finance at the Festival of Young Artists Bayreuth e.V.. She is following in the footsteps of her mentor Dr. h.c. Sissy Thammer.
Lifang Huang comes from Shanghai and has lived in Bayreuth since 2018. She was invited to join the club through her mother-in-law Sigrid Gottstein, a long-standing member of the International Club (IC). She has been a member since 2019 and was appointed to the board in 2021 by the former president of the IC, Mavie Schäfer. In her role as Chair, she is committed to the further development of the club and the creation of new networking opportunities. She speaks three languages and works as International Development Manager at Sigikid.
Olga Gassan was born in Siberia, Russia, has lived in Germany since 1993 and in Bayreuth since 2014. She has been a member of the International Club since March 2025. Immediately after joining, she was elected as the new Chairwoman. She speaks 4 languages. She has over 15 years of experience in marketing - from theory and practice: after completing her dual studies, she was Head of Corporate Communications at a large bank, then Managing Director of a brand agency and is currently working in marketing at the University of Bayreuth. She would like to use her expertise to improve the club's visibility, create innovative event formats and develop the concept for next year's 50th anniversary.
Azza Schmidt was born in Egypt and has been a member of the International Club for a year. Since joining, she has been involved as treasurer and is responsible for the financial administration of the club. She works as a freelancer and teaches English at the adult education center, the Paukwerk and ISPA. With her many years of experience in the field of education, she contributes to the intercultural networking of the club.
Isabelle Hofmann comes from Draveil, France and has lived in Germany since 1979. She has been a member of the International Club since February 2024 and was elected Secretary in March 2025. She speaks 3 languages. She works as a freelance interpreter and translator specializing in technology and technical marketing. With her many years of experience in language mediation and intercultural communication, she would like to contribute to further strengthening the International Club as a bridge between cultures.