Meet Our Foundation Board

Katharina Harf and Elke Neujahr standing side by side on a modern staircase in a bright interior. The steps are made of wood and the banister is made of glass. Katharina Harf wears a dark red and navy dress, and Elke Neujahr a light green blouse with white trousers. They are smiling confidently at the camera.

DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden

The DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden was founded in 1997 and exclusively and directly pursues non-profit and charitable purposes.

It unites a network of organizations that form an international community against blood cancer. The foundation is the sole parent company of the DKMS Group gGmbH.

The DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden ensures compliance with the company's purpose and decides on the objectives and strategic guidelines for the DKMS Group gGmbH and the other subsidiary organizations DKMS Donor Center gGmbH, DKMS Stem Cell Bank gGmbH, DKMS Life Science Lab gGmbH, DKMS Registry gGmbH and DKMS Collection Center gGmbH worldwide.
The foundation has three governing bodies: the Foundation Board, the Board of Trustees and the Medical Council.

The Foundation Board is responsible for strategic ideas, suggestions and visions that provide impetus for the operational business. The management of all organizations under the umbrella of the foundation report to the Foundation Board.

The Foundation Board is advised by the Foundation Council and the Medical Council, which provides the decisive impetus for the medical strategy to defeat blood cancer.

The purpose of the foundation is:

  • to support individuals who, as a result of their physical, mental or emotional condition, are dependent on the help of others,
  • promoting science and research in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation,
  • promoting public health and public health care, and
  • promoting vocational training in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

Tasks and objectives:

  • Measures and support for facilities to improve patient care (care and aftercare),
  • recruiting and supporting informed volunteers who are willing to donate bone marrow or stem cells for the purpose of a transplant,
  • developing and maintaining systems that facilitate and accelerate the search for female donors with the aim of finding compatible donors for bone marrow or stem cell transplants,
  • Financial support for accompanying scientific research on bone marrow or stem cell donation with unrelated donors using histocompatibility testing methods, on stem cell expansion and on gene therapy,
  • Measures and funding of institutions for vocational training in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, in particular medical specialists, hospital staff, search coordinators, staff of donor files and registries, scientists, geneticists, medical ethicists and laboratory personnel.
  • Promoting cooperation between all institutions that work in the field of the foundation's purpose,
  • public relations to achieve the foundation's purpose.

Members of the Foundation Board

Katharina Harf, Chair of the DKMS Foundation Board

Katharina Harf, and her father Peter Harf (founder of DKMS) opened the first international DKMS location in the United States in 2004, after Katharina's mother and Peter's wife Mechtild Harf died of leukemia in 1991. She is now fighting for the further expansion of DKMS with unconditional dedication.

Katharina Harf stands next to a large, colorful sculpture spelling out the word 'HOPE' in gradient shades of blue, purple, green, and yellow. She is smiling and wearing a patterned light dress and sandals, standing in front of a modern building with a covered walkway.
"This has been and always will be personal for me. My mother's memory will remain with me forever and will continue to fuel my effort to bring hope to families like mine because at the end of the day, that's what this is about. Our 12 million donors are more than just some large, abstract number. They are 12 million reasons for hope. For one family out there, searching for a life-saving match for their loved one, our donors represent one simple thing: the possibility that there is one person that could make all the difference."

Dr. Elke Neujahr, Vice Chair of the Foundation Board and Global CEO of DKMS

Dr. Elke Neujahr has been Global CEO of DKMS Group gGmbH and Chair of the Management Board of DKMS Donor Center gGmbH since 2019. She also plays various roles at international level on the supervisory committees of the DKMS Group companies.

Discover DKMS
Learn more about DKMS - who we are and what we do.
Dr. Peter Harf, founder of DKMS, Viktoria von Wulffen, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Klingebiel standing together at the DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award 2025 in front of banners for the John Hansen Research Grant and the Mechtild Harf Science Award. They are dressed in formal dark attire and smiling for the camera.
Board of Trustees
Portrait of Dr. Elke Neujahr, Global CEO of DKMS Group, standing in a bright office space. She is wearing a white blazer, a light sage satin blouse, a golden necklace and is smiling confidently at the camera. In the background is a bouquet of flowers on a office table, blue office chairs, and windows.
Global Executive Team
Four members of the DKMS Medical Council stand together in front of a decorative mirror background at the Mechtild Harf Science Award 2025. From the left you can see Prof. Dr. Marcel van den Brink, Dr. Marcelo Fernández-Viña, Prof. Dr. Katharina Fleischhauer, and Prof. Dr. Emma Morris. They are dressed in business attire and smiling at the camera, with DKMS signage partially visible on the left side.
Medical Council
A group of thirteen enthusiastic DKMS volunteers pose together at the Poland Rock Festival 2023. They are standing and kneeling around a chalkboard that announces the number of new potential donors registered. The atmosphere is joyful and happy, with cloudy skies in the background.
Our Structure