Profile · A résumé in three acts
The Path.
First the voice. Then the brand. Then the machine.
Act I · 1998–2017
The Voice.
It all starts with a broken cassette recorder, and the discovery that a voice can move something. Play turns into craft. Craft turns into a profession.
-
1998
The school of clarity
Trainee and script editor at “Die Sendung mit der Maus” (Germany’s best-known children’s knowledge show, on the public broadcaster WDR), alongside first years as a writer for the Rheinische Post, a major regional daily. Explaining complex things so that they are right and they land: that school shaped everything that came after.
-
2001–2004
Craft comes first
Junior editor at Grundy Light Entertainment, for “Das Quiz mit Jörg Pilawa,” a quiz show on ARD, Germany’s national public TV network. Then a journalism traineeship at Radio Leverkusen. Television showed me how entertainment is built. Radio showed me who it is for.
-
2005–2017
Twelve years on air
Senior editor and presenter at radio NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia’s statewide radio network), between the magazine desk and program planning. In 2013, a nomination for the Deutscher Radiopreis (the German Radio Award), Best Interview category, for the world’s first rapped interview.
-
since 2006
The voice goes its own way
Alongside the station, the voice becomes a brand of its own, with its own recording studio since 2010, under ichbinsprecher.de. The closing credits tell the rest:
Closing credits · Selected voice work
Voice work references
- RTL
- Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
- Goethe-Institut
- IKEA
- Hugo Boss
- Bitburger
- Assassin’s Creed
- Call of Duty
The voice work runs under its own brand: ichbinsprecher.de
Act II · since 2017
The Brand.
A brand is a voice that stays true to itself. The track grows calmer, not because less is happening, but because consistency is the real work.
-
2017
From broadcaster to brand
A move into the Mittelstand, Germany’s backbone of mid-sized companies: to proWIN Winter, a family business with a strong brand in Saarland, as a strategic sparring partner to the management. Building in-house media and production structures. A different stage, the same question: Who is this meant to reach, and why?
-
2020
When communication became crisis work
Head of the media team, in the middle of the pandemic. Giving orientation when nobody knows what will apply next week. And the step from bought-in to in-house production.
-
since 2022
In the end, what counts is what lands
Head of Marketing & Communications, with overall responsibility and a direct line to the CEO. The yardstick hasn’t changed since radio: reach is output. Impact is outcome.
Act III · since 2021
The Machine.
A second track joins in. It is fast, it is diligent, it is here to stay. Whether it runs alongside is settled. The open question is who holds the direction.
-
since 2021
The machines move in
Generative AI enters established workflows: first a few tools, then guidelines, then routine. The lesson is in every one of my essays: this is not a technical question. It is a cultural one.
-
2024
Passing it on is the harder test
Certified specialist trainer (BDVT, Germany’s professional association for trainers and coaches). Since then, regular exchange with specialists and executives across industries, about artificial intelligence and what it does to organizations.
-
2026
Back to school
Executive Education “AI for Leaders” at Harvard Business School, spring 2026. Anyone who judges machines should understand them, and never outsource the judging.
The workbench · Open source, after hours
After hours, I build tools. Open source, open for anyone to inspect. They all circle the same question as this page: How do people and machines work together so that the human keeps the last word? Tools that turn documents into searchable knowledge. Tools that protect a brand’s voice when an AI writes. Tools that let machines work on the draft, while only a human may publish.
The code is open on GitHubKeep thinking · From the journal
And now?
The future lies in connection.
What future do we want to build together?
Frequently asked questions
Short answers
Who is Stefan Margenfeld?
For more than two decades, Stefan Margenfeld has worked where people, brands and machines meet. It began in radio. It continued at a mid-sized company with a strong brand, first as a strategic sparring partner to the management, later as Head of Marketing & Communications with overall responsibility and a direct line to the CEO. Alongside, continuous work as a voice artist.
What is margenfeld.com about?
It is a space to work and think. On this site you will find thoughts, questions and observations on strategic communication and AI transformation. It is neither a business card nor an offer. It is a place where Stefan Margenfeld thinks out loud, in public.
Which stations shaped his path?
Training at “Die Sendung mit der Maus” (Germany’s best-known children’s knowledge show, WDR) and at the Rheinische Post, editorial years on “Das Quiz mit Jörg Pilawa” (ARD), twelve years as senior editor and presenter at radio NRW, North Rhine-Westphalia’s statewide radio network, his own voice brand ichbinsprecher.de since 2006, and since 2017 brand work at proWIN Winter, a mid-sized company in Saarland, today as Head of Marketing & Communications.
What qualifications does he bring?
More than two decades of hands-on responsibility for marketing and communications, plus radio journalism. Certified marketing manager. Certified specialist trainer (BDVT). Executive Education “AI for Leaders” at Harvard Business School. Continuous learning.
Which question runs through his work?
What future do we want to build together? That question was there in radio. It was there in twenty years of brand work. Today it is part of every conversation about artificial intelligence. It is not a technical question. It is a strategic one, and in the end a cultural one.
How can you get in touch with him?
Through the contact form on margenfeld.com or by email to stefan@margenfeld.com. For voice and brand voice inquiries, directly via ichbinsprecher.de.