Meet our US Board Members
We are so grateful to our US Board Members who give their time to continue to help elevate the work DKMS is doing, supporting our donors, and the care they show for the patients we work with.
Board of Directors
Katharina Harf: US Board Chair and Co-Founder of DKMS US
For Katharina, the battle against blood cancer is personal. At 14 years old, she lost her mother to blood cancer. Although the family searched valiantly for a matching donor, her mother's life could not be saved. After her mother’s death, Katharina went to the United States to pursue her education. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1999. Katharina went on to land prestigious jobs at renowned fashion labels such as Hugo Boss, Marie-Chantal and Louis Vuitton.
In 2004 Katharina joined her father who had founded DKMS upon her mother‘s death in Germany in 1991. Together father and daughter founded DKMS US in 2006. Here, Katharina devotes her time to finding lifesaving matches for patients suffering from a blood cancer or blood disorder.
Through her efforts, DKMS has established a nationwide donor recruitment program, recruiting over 10.6 million bone marrow donors in the U.S. Of those donors, over 5,000 have already donated their bone marrow to patients in need. Worldwide more than 91,000 of DKMS‘s donors have helped save lives.
Currently, Katharina lives in Los Angeles with her family including her loving daughter and continues to support DKMS globally.
Stephanie Bräuchle
Stephanie Bräuchle is Director of International Financial Services and has joined DKMS end of 2022.
She oversees the Accounting, Tax and Finance SAP Services across the DKMS entities.
Her career began with studies in Business Administration, specializing in Taxation and Auditing. With over 15 years of diverse experience in various roles and industries within the financial sector at international companies—including more than a decade in leadership positions—she has built a great foundation of expertise in Finance and Leadership. Working several years in New York further enhanced her international expertise and cultural intelligence.
For Stephanie, combining international finance and leadership with the DKMS mission is more than just a profession—it’s a perfect match.
Benedict Abel
Benedict Abel became General Counsel and Head of the Legal Team of DKMS in 2013. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Fundacja DKMS (Poland) and of the Board of Directors of the DKMS Foundation UK.
Together with the DKMS Legal Team, Benedict is responsible for advising DKMS Group and its affiliates on all legal and strategic matters, in particular compliance and regulatory aspects, company law, contracts, data protection, insurance matters, and public relations.
An important aspect of Benedict's work is to support the management with regard to the planning and development of new activities and/or the incorporation and development of new DKMS Group affiliates in various countries.
Benedict studied law and political science at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and holds a master’s degree in European law (LL.M.).
Dr. Edith Wienand
In 2019, Dr. Edith Wienand joined DKMS to support the fight against blood cancer with her long-standing expertise in strategic communication. Besides her role as member of the board of DKMS US, Edith also holds the role as Director of the department Global Reputation Management. Edith gained her outstanding expertise as part of her doctorate in communication sciences at the University of Münster and through her work for and with various communication agencies.
Dr. Richard Champlin
In 1990, Dr. Richard E. Champlin joined MD Anderson Cancer Center to advance the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation through his leadership in clinical care and translational research. In addition to his role as Professor of Medicine, Dr. Champlin held the position of Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy for over two decades. He currently serves on the board of DKMS Americas, supporting the global fight against blood cancers. Dr. Champlin earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at UCLA, where he later directed key transplant programs. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award.
Vinay Sumant
Vinay Sumant joined DKMS board in January 2024 to support the fight against blood cancer with his long-standing management consulting background.
Prior to joining DKMS US board he served as co-chair for DKMS NYC gala from 2018 and supported several funds raising as well as volunteering initiatives. He has been associated with DKMS since 2015 as a volunteer to support the fight against blood cancer in US, India and other part of the world.
Inspired by DKMS noble cause he continues to support Katharina and DKMS team in a strategic initiative such as donor recruiting strategies, online / digital awareness campaigns and funds raising for gala events.
Vinay is a Partner within PwC’s consulting practice with 25+ years of management consulting experience helping clients to solve complex business problems. He has extensive international experience while working in 40+ countries. He holds MBA from Emory University in Atlanta and undergrad in Engineering from India.
