People & ideas at Deutsche Börse
For communicator Sven Schumann, talking to people and institutions and explaining complex topics in an understandable way is part of his everyday work. But it wasn't always going to be that way: the business IT specialist had a very varied career before becoming a communications specialist at Deutsche Börse. The common thread running through his career is his enthusiasm of change.
He has had many guests in front of his microphone, from the Minister for Digital Affairs to stock market reporters and university professors. Sven Schumann is the voice behind ‘Börsenplatz’, Deutsche Börse's podcast. In it, he talks to movers and shakers in the world of finance. Economic and financial education is Sven's passion, which he not only brings to people's ears, but also to school curricula and classrooms through his involvement in the Bündnis Ökonomische Bildung (Alliance for Economic Education).
After finishing school, Sven's path to becoming a communicator was not immediately clear. He studied business administration in Würzburg, Germany and wanted to work in a creative field, but not in a bank. He knew that from an internship at a branch. His professional life began in 2000, but the bursting of the dotcom bubble slowed him down: his first job ended sooner than he had hoped. However, his major in business informatics enabled him to work as a freelancer. ‘I now refer to this as my “apprenticeship years” because I saw and learned a lot in a short period of time working on various projects,’ Sven recalls.
One of the projects led him to Deutsche Börse Group in 2002. He was hired permanently in 2008, initially in political communications, then in committee work. ‘I later became project manager for Deutsche Börse's Annual General Meeting, which I saw as a huge vote of confidence.’
No more routine! Bring on the excitement!
Leaving the routine and thus the comfort zone every few years is a recurring theme in Sven's career. ‘You take your wealth of experience with you and build on it elsewhere. My career at Deutsche Börse is similar to that of many of my colleagues. Internal transfers are welcome and encouraged,’ he says.
When the opportunity arose in 2016 to move into public relations, Sven seized the chance once again. Since then, he has been committed to issues that are important to both society and Deutsche Börse: strengthening economic and financial education and further developing the pension system.
One of his tasks is to maintain relationships with individuals and institutions. To this end, he participates in initiatives, networks at events and implements his own formats, such as the ‘Börsenfrühstück’ (‘Stock Exchange Breakfast’) on the Frankfurt trading floor.
Finance you can listen to
However, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, most of these events were canceled. An alternative was needed to stay in touch with the community. So in 2020, Sven launched his podcast ‘Börsenplatz’: ‘I had been a radio listener as a child and soon became a podcast fan with my first iPod.’ His ‘Börsenplatz’ has now established itself, with each episode attracting several hundred listeners. There are two episodes per month, with
episode 41 featuring securities expert Jennie Baisch from Swift available since the beginning of May 2025 (in German only). Episode after episode, Sven manages to cover a wide range of topics from the world of finance with different guests and provide exciting insights.
He considers it a privilege to get to know people, topics and institutions. The wide range of topics, some of which can be very complex, is challenging. He masters this with great curiosity and the ability to break down complex issues to their core and package them clearly in stories and images.
Sven's heavy workload is manageable for him for a simple yet difficult reason: he enjoys what he does and, in his own words, has ‘found his calling.’
