Early life
Monica Culen was born in Vienna on February 10, 1948. She is a descendant of the Fischer-Pochtler industrial family. She is the daughter of Marietta Fischer Pochtler and Hannes Folter. Culen grew up in an entrepreneurial family, getting familiar with managerial responsibilities. Her brother, Christian Pochtler, is now CEO and owner of the Pochtler Industrieholding and iSi Group.Professional background
Early career
Monica Culen started her career as a chief hostess at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. In 1974, she worked at the Institut Europeen d'Administration des Affairs (INSEAD) at Fontainebleau inHospital clowning
In 1991, Culen co-founded one of the first European hospital clowning projects, Cliniclowns Österreich, and helped develop the strategic concepts and guidelines for such organizations in Austria, Netherlands and Belgium. In 1994, Culen founded the non-profit organisation ROTE NASEN Clowndoctors Österreich ED NOSES Clowndoctors Austria Culen served as Managing Director until 2011, when she subsequently became President of the Board. In 2003, Culen and Giora Seeliger, along with additional support from Franz Haimerl, created RED NOSES Clowndoctors International. Since 1996, RED NOSES opened partner organisations in Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Lithuania as well as branch offices in Jordan and Palestine. Furthermore, RED NOSES Clowndoctors International undertakes humanitarian missions through thOther associations
Monica Culen was appointed as president of the Austrian Fundraising Association undraising Verband Austriain 2004. The FVA is a platform for non-profit organizations to support and professionalize NPOs and help influence the formulation of relevant legislation concerning the non-profit sector in Austria. Culen is also the co-founder and former Chair (2011 to 2021) of the European Federation of Healthcare Clowns (EFHCO), the world's largest federation of hospital clown organisations. The federation defines binding quality requirements for the work of hospital clowns in order to professionalize their engagement with their beneficiaries and to define standards for a future certification. From 2002 until 2008, Culen developed and was in charge of the first Austrian fundraising college. She was also a lecturer at the Fundraising School of the University of Indiana (USA).References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culen, Monica 1949 births Living people Businesspeople from Vienna 20th-century Austrian businesswomen 20th-century Austrian businesspeople 21st-century Austrian businesswomen 21st-century Austrian businesspeople