Benjamin Thele

Benjamin Thele (*1982) studied History and Romance Studies at the University of Cologne. From 2011 up until 2017, he worked as creative operations director at the Theater an der Ruhr in Mühlheim, where he managed the theatre’s operative dealings and supervised a network of cooperating theatres in the Mediterranean region. During the following four years, he was head of the department of cultural participation at the cultural office of the city of Cologne, where, among other subjects, he was responsible for culture and municipal development. Since September 2022, he has been head of the newly-founded Cultural Space Management of the city of Cologne, and acted as a driving force for its conceptional development. With his new approach, Benjamin Thele strives to establish innovative thinking into city administration and approach topics in similar ways a start-up company would. The Cultural Space Management represents cultural interests in all municipal development projects, creates new spaces via renting and renovating property, and providing funds for construction and noise insulation for a variety of cultural projects from different sectors.