Monika Lehnhardt-Goriany was born in Vienna and graduated from the University Alma Mater Rudolfina. She obtained her PhD in philology, psychology and philosophy.
During her professional career she has held various positions in German, American and Swedish companies. 1987 she established Cochlear Europe in Basel, Switzerland. She gained broad experience in all aspects of treatment for hearing impaired people – various products (e.g. cochlear implants, bone conduction hearing aids, middle ear implants), surgical interventions, audiological services (e.g. hearing screenings, diagnostics, fitting of speech processors), rehabilitation concepts and methods and economical aspects (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility studies) over a period of more than 20 years.)
Her extensive traveling through Europe, the US, Australia and most countries of CIS strengthened her multi-cultural competence. Her language skills (German, English, Russian, French and Polish) are essential in establishing direct contacts to key opinion people in the field (surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists, surdopedagogs, economists and politicians).
Since 2002, she has been Chairwoman of the Lehnhardt Foundation.
Marina Gureva, teacher-defectologist (surdopedagogue) of the highest qualification (26 years of experience), supervisor of internship for students at the Herzen State Pedagogical University in the Children’s City Surdology Center, St. Petersburg, expert at the Lenhardt Academy.