Team

 Alexander kralev

Junior Consultant

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Sara Schneider-Hamai, Founder & Director

After 10 years in various positions in Economic Development and FDI Attraction, Sara founded SSH Consulting in 2019.

Her objective? Offering high-quality in-market representation services for foreign direct investment agencies and economic development organizations.

Sara Schneider-Hamaï is a Senior expert in Foreign Direct Investment Attraction and Economic Development. With 15 years’ experience, Sara has led major FDI attraction programs on behalf of Economic Development Organizations in Europe, the US and Southeast Asia. Current and past clients include the Greater Geneva Bern area – Invest Western Switzerland,  JobsOhio, British Columbia Trade & Invest, EDB Singapore, Thailand Board of Investment as well as private sector clients in Germany.

From 2015-2019, Sara was Head of Operations at the German office of leading lead generation consulting company OCO Global, setting up the office and growing it up to a team of 10. Prior to this, Sara worked as an Investment Promotion Manager in Paris Region and started her career in 2010 at Frankfurt’s investment promotion agency, working alongside the President & CEO.

Since 2019, Sara acts as the Germany and Benelux representative of the Greater Geneva Bern area – Invest Western Switzerland and remains a Senior Advisor to JobsOhio, Ohio’s State Economic Development Organization.

Sara holds a MSc in Urban Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master’s degree from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). She also spent one year at the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid. Born and raised in Brussels, Sara is a German French native speaker and fluent in English and Spanish.

“I have worked with Sara on several common assignments. Sara is a true team player who will go the extra-mile for her clients as well as making sure that all project partners are satisfied with the deliverables. If you are looking for someone who is able to support you on the German, French and English-speaking markets on different projects such as FDI, Trade or Site Selection, Sara and SSH Consulting are your right partners.”

Sieb Hoogstra
Managing Director
Colors Inc.

Lukas Josten, Senior Consultant 

Lukas joined SSH Consulting in 2023 as a Senior Consultant.  

He is Representative of Trade & Invest British Columbia, Canada, in Europe. Lukas is primarily active in the German-speaking European markets and works with companies from all sectors looking to expand into BC. His main expertise is within the Clean Tech and Advanced Manufacturing sectors. 

Before joining SSH Consulting, Lukas worked at OCO Global, a leading advisory firm focused on trade, investment and economic development. At OCO, he supported economic development organizations such as UK Department for International Trade (DIT), Scottish Enterprise, the State of Missouri, the State of Oregon, EDB Singapore and EDB Bahrain. Previously, Lukas worked for the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok and gained experience at Lanxess, Germany’s largest specialty chemical company as well as at PwC.

Lukas studied political science in Germany, Sweden and the UK, specializing in international political economy and foreign direct investment. Lukas holds two MA degrees from the University of Konstanz and the University of Warwick. He is passionate about outdoor sports, including hiking, skiing and sailing and he is an avid traveller having lived, studied and worked in five different countries. 

Lukas is fluent in German and English and is based out of Stuttgart, Germany.

Sonja Afflerbach, Senior Consultant

Sonja Claas is an experienced manager who joined SSH Consulting in March 2024 as a Project Manager and Director of the New Jersey Europe Center, the European office of the economic development organization Choose New Jersey, based out of Germany. Since November 2025, she took on the role as Director Europe of Business Oregon. In her role, she is leading the investment attraction efforts and represents the state in Europe to drive investment opportunities from diverse sectors such as advanced manufacturing, technology, life sciences, food and beverages, aerospace and clean energy to help promote economic growth in Oregon as well as strengthen business ties between Oregon and Europe.

Prior to joining SSH Consulting, Sonja worked as a Project Manager at OCO Global, a leading advisory firm focused on trade, investment and economic development. At OCO Global, she was involved in various FDI and trade promotion projects with Economic Development Organizations, such as the Arizona Commerce Authority, Invest in Chihuahua, REDI Cincinnati (Ohio), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Locate in Kent and regional agencies, including Invest in MV and NRW Global Business. Previously, Sonja gained experience in an international environment in the tourism industry and was responsible for marketing, social media and website content.

Sonja has over seven years of experience in the field of FDI, Trade and Tourism and has spent more than the past four years on FDI lead generation, primarily from Europe to the US with a special focus on technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and cleantech. Sonja holds a Master’s degree in International Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Marketing Management. She is fluent in German and English and is based out of Frankfurt, Germany.

Shayan Balali, Consultant

Shayan joined SSH Consulting as Project Manager in 2023 with more than four years of experience in project management and international development cooperation.

Before joining the team, Shayan spent three years working as Project Coordinator at Senior Expert Service. He implemented and supervised short- and long-term projects in the Middle East and North Africa, contributing to the economic development of small and medium sized companies in countries like Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan. 

As former Business Promotion Specialist at the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency, Shayan also brings strong analytical and interpersonal skills from an international environment – offering tailor-made support to foreign investors and evaluating the best location for their international expansion. 

Since March 2023, Shayan is a Project Manager for the Greater Geneva Bern area in Germany. In this role, he identifies and supports companies with their investment projects in Western Switzerland. Shayan is also responsible for Greater Geneva Bern’s economic stakeholder relationships in the German market, representing Western Switzerland at trade shows and state receptions.

Shayan is a graduate of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po Paris and fluent in German, English, French and Persian. He is based out of Berlin, Germany.

Malik Njoya, Junior Consultant

Malik joined SSH Consulting in early 2024 and works since then in the role of a junior consultant for JobsOhio. In this position, he identifies and supports companies primarily from the DACH region, with investment plans for North America. By doing this, he drives economic development and job creation in diverse sectors such as advanced manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, life sciences, food and beverages, and chemicals & plastics. In previous projects, he also supported a diverse set of international clients in their FDI attraction projects, such as the Thailand Board of Investment and Invest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In addition to that, he comes with solid experiences from his previous private sector roles in the areas of market research, strategy & communication and business to government relationship management.

He holds a M.Sc. in the specialization of International Political Economy from the research orientated Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands) and successfully completed his undergraduate degree (B.A.) at the University of Mannheim, one of Germany’s leading University in the fields of economics and political science.

Malik is a native German speaker, fluent in English, has basic French and Dutch knowledge, and is based out of Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Luca Augé, Junior Consultant

Luca is a Junior Consultant since July 2025. In this capacity, he identifies and assists companies across various industries in their internationalisation strategies aimed at entering new European and Asian markets. Drawing on strong analytical and intercultural skills gained through professional experiences in multiple countries, Luca provides effective support in navigating complex global business dynamics.

Prior to joining SSH Consulting, Luca worked in Public Affairs for both private sector and government institutions. He holds a Bachelor in International Relations from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) and a Research Master’s in Political Studies from the EHESS Paris (France). Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris (France), which includes research visits to Paris and Berlin.

Luca is a native speaker of French and German, fluent in English and Italian, with basic knowledge of Dutch and an introductory understanding of Russian. He is based in Berlin (Germany).

Alexander Kralev, Junior Consultant

Alexander joined as a junior consultant in August 2025. In his role, he supports seniors in company screenings and expansion strategy consulting with focus on the European market.

Moreover, Alexander is a master in management graduate at Mannheim University. He brings agile knowledge in business development and financial markets from previous positions at Deutsche Bank, UBS and KfW Development Bank. 

Born in Bulgaria, Alexander also speaks German, English and Spanish. He is based in Mannheim (Germany).