SBA @ re:think diversity congress 2025
On October 22 2025, the Diversity Think Tank team hosted the re:think diversity congress at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. Like last year, Jeanine Lefèvre, Head of Office of Equal Opportunities and research coordinator, and Gregor Roschitz, Human Resources, were there for SBA Research.
© Gregor Roschitz
According to Jeanine and Gregor, this year’s conference was even more interesting than last year’s, with a focus on additional dimensions of diversity and topics such as neurodiversity and generational conflicts. Their main highlights of the congress were therefore:
Neurodiversity is here. The question is: are you ready?
Florian Malicke, an autistic neurodiversity coach and speaker with ADHD, provided insight into autistic perception, common obstacles and practical ways in which organizations can establish neuro-inclusive structures, supporting companies on their path to inclusion.
© Gregor Rotschitz
Quo Vadis? – Rethinking Diversity
Dr. Rüdiger Maas, who has studied psychology and philosophy, presented the results of his research on generational ethics at the University of Munich’s Faculty of Philosophy. He sheds light on the sources of generational conflicts and presents ideas on how to build bridges between the different generations, by asking questions such as: What challenges did each generation face, and do we need to rethink the worlds of work and education?
© Gregor Rotschitz
Gregor sums up: “Our world of work is undergoing a period of transformation – driven by technological advances and sociodemographic developments. This mix brings enormous potential, but also new challenges. That’s why exchanges at events like this are so important: to understand how differently people work, think, feel, and perceive the world – and how we can use this awareness to address challenges and consciously shape diversity within organizations.” Jeanine adds: “Our task now is to translate these insights into concrete actions – ensuring that diversity and inclusion are not just discussed, but lived daily through our decisions, our teams, and our leadership. Therefore we are very happy, that we can discuss these topics in funded projects like Fem4CyberSec (FFG).”
re:think diversity 2025 is the DACH region’s leading conference for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). The conference aims to redefine diversity, presenting in-depth approaches to fostering greater openness and appreciation within a corporate context. It brings together experts, company representatives and visionaries to help shape the future of inclusive corporate cultures. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusive nature of the event, which ranged from free admission, sign-language interpretation, free-childcare to the providing of a “room of silence” for recreation and the adaption of the light-setting in the conference room to accommodate the needs of neurodivergent participants. Therefore, the congress impressively demonstrated how important it is to focus on new and diverse perspectives and to take a holistic view of DEIB.