For outstanding community engagement, Dr. Meike Wocken, Head of Industrial Solutions at codecentric, has received the "Social Champion 2022" award from the Pioneers Club Bielefeld.
According to the Pioneers Club, a Social Champion is "a Pioneer who promotes a sense of community within the club, has a strong social conscience, and keeps their fellow people/environment etc. in mind."
Meike, founder and head of the codecentric Bielefeld office, which she opened in 2021 in the co-working spaces of the Pioneers Club, received the award, among other things, for her voluntary project "Code for Bielefeld" , whose stated goal is to make public data visible and usable for all interested parties. In March 2022, the project received first place in the "Digital Volunteering" category at "DigitaleZukunft@OWL" and prize money of €5,000.
The Pioneers Club jury also commended the fact that Meike organised an event with the German-Ukrainian Society in spring 2022 to raise awareness of how to support Ukraine in times of war.
Meike is also said to be active online around the clock, connecting people with one another and advocating for a good cause.
"I love sharing my enthusiasm for technology and sport. My interest in people and their backgrounds is always present and 100% genuine. I very much enjoy helping others, often in a pragmatic and solution-oriented way. Passing on knowledge is very important to me," the award winner commented on her recognition on LinkedIn. She adds: "This level of engagement is also made possible by a very motivating environment from which I draw the energy to realise so many projects 'on the side' – especially the Pioneers Club, but also codecentric, as there are always enough people there who share my enthusiasm and support me and my ideas."
The "Champions" aka award winners: l. to r.: Dr. Meike Wocken, Leonhard Erdsiek, Dr. Marc Lucas Weber (Image: Pioneers Club)
Alongside Meike Wocken, Dr. Marc Lucas Weber was recognised as "Co-Working Champion" and Leonhard Erdsiek as "Activity Champion" 2022 (see image).
The Pioneers Club is a co-working and event space that connects organisations from the worlds of business, academia, and startups in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region and provides a platform for innovative exchange. Last August, for example, an event on API Economy took place there, organised by codecentric. Although the codecentric office has since moved to its own premises, Meike and her team remain closely connected to the Pioneers Club and continue to organise events there.