He can see 'his' hotel from his living room — it's right across the street. There's no need for him to dress up in a suit and tie: at the 25hours Hotel Das Tour, things are done differently. Jeans, a casual jacket, T-shirt and trainers – this is how Timo Schmitz stands at his standing desk, walks through the hotel and acts as a DEHOGA North Rhine-Westphalia board member and Düsseldorf hotel industry spokesperson. Timo Schmitz likes things unconventional. This is one of the reasons why he took on the role of general manager: to turn the hotel, which opened in Düsseldorf during the 2018 Tour de France, into a favourite place for tourists and a living room for Düsseldorf residents.

After a career spanning over two decades at a major international bank, Johanna Tjaden-Schulte moved to NRW. BANK in October 2024. As a member of the managing board of the development bank, she now wants to advance further innovation and transformation in NRW. She talks with VIVID publisher Rainer Kunst about her specific plans, the green transformation as a huge opportunity for NRW and work-life balance as a top executive.

Tatjana Kimmel has called Düsseldorf home for 25 years and lives here with her husband and two daughters. Born in Koblenz, she studied art history, politics and sociology before embarking on a career in journalism, primarily covering political topics for publications such as SWR, Die Zeit and Welt am Sonntag. Subsequently, she redirected her professional focus towards her profound passion for art and culture. Since summer 2021, Tatjana Kimmel has been the managing director of the F.rderverein Freunde Museum Kunstpalast (Friends of the Kunstpalast museum association). During her tenure, the association has grown from around 1,000 to over 6,000 members, including many young people.