Jelena Radeljić

Jelena Radeljić has served as the Sustainability Officer at Ludwig Weinrich GmbH & Co. KG, a family-owned chocolate manufacturer based in her hometown of Herford, Germany, since 2017. Now based in Berlin, she regularly commutes to Herford to lead the company’s sustainability initiatives.
Jelena holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Development from the University of Vienna and a Master’s in Global Change Management from the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Her Master’s thesis explored the global cocoa trade system through field research in Ecuador, Canada, the United States, and Germany.
Before joining Weinrich, she gained professional experience with GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria and Weltfriedensdienst e.V..
At Weinrich, Jelena coordinates the company’s comprehensive sustainability strategy, which is structured around 25 measurable goals in four key areas:
1. Supply Chain – responsible sourcing of raw materials and goods
2. Team – fostering responsibility, competence, and motivation among employees
3. Resources – using natural resources efficiently and in an environmentally sound way
4. Environment – preserving and regenerating ecosystems
Her work is driven by a passion for fair and regenerative trade relationships—from seed to final product—and by the question of how to create frameworks that enable socially and environmentally responsible business practices.