Since April 1st 2020, Falk Kullen has taken over the full-time management of AKI as Managing Director. He therein follows Dr. Monika Erath, who left AKI after more than 27 years to take on new professional challenges.

After successfully completing his apprenticeship in the hotel industry, Falk Kullen studied agricultural sciences at the University of Hohenheim. Afterwards Falk Kullen worked as a project manager for an international agricultural project office in Bonn. During his studies, he already worked for AKI and therefore has known the organization for many years.

"I am very much looking forward to the new challenge and to work with a young and motivated team", states Falk Kullen and adds, that he "would like to enhance AKI which already offers great expertise gained from the internship programs and further projects to date, to become an even more diverse agricultural service provider".

"With Dr. Monika Erath leaving AKI, we lost a personality who was the face of the organization for many years and decades and contributed to the foundation of AKI. At the same time, I am very pleased that with Falk Kullen we have gained a young and ambitious Managing Director and I am sure that his impulses will enable us to successfully position AKI in the future," explains Hans-Benno Wichert, Chairman of AgrarKontakte International. 

This year, AKI is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the internship program with Russia. At the same time, in addition to Russia, Kyrgyzstan and the Ukraine, further internship programs with Georgia and Kenya are planned and already in progress for the first time this year. Multinational cooperation projects with other African countries as well as an intensification of delegation trips to various countries complement AKI's future profile.