The people behind von Bülow
Always happy to help!
Meet the team behind von Bülow Education. Each of us brings something unique, but we all share the same goal: making the path to an amazing boarding school experience as clear, supportive, and personal as possible.
Ferdinand Steinbeis has been Managing Director of von Bülow Education since 2015. A true “product” of the British education system, he completed his International Baccalaureate at Sevenoaks School before studying Economics and Philosophy at the London School of Economics (LSE). He then worked in the music industry and management consulting, and completed an MBA at INSEAD Business School in France before taking over the leadership of von Bülow Education.
Ferdinand is a firm advocate of the value of a boarding school education in the UK. His formative experiences as a teenager have profoundly shaped his life path. For around ten years, Ferdinand has lived in London with his wife Barbara and their two children, Klara and Felix. He loves England — its people, beaches, music, literature, and of course, its sense of humour.
Marita Butterfield has been a cornerstone of von Bülow Education for over a decade. In daily contact with our partner schools, she introduces them to our pupils and is famous for knowing not just everyone at the schools, but everything about them — making her our true fountain of knowledge. Alongside this, she keeps the company’s finances running smoothly.
Having lived in the UK for almost 30 years, Marita has fully embraced British humour — the tongue-in-cheek wit, the almost undetectable sarcasm, and the kindness underneath it all. She admits she couldn’t function without it anymore (and frankly, we wouldn’t want her to!).
Dorothee Hawkins is our resident education expert par excellence. With a background in pedagogy and years of experience tutoring both German and English pupils, she is the team’s go-to person for all things education — from academic guidance to supporting families with learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Based near Salisbury but always on the move, Dorothee regularly flies across Germany to meet with families in person. Beyond her work, she is a passionate equestrian and can often be found competing at events across England on weekends.
She loves life in the UK — especially the rolling countryside, charming villages, and the rich traditions that add history and character to everyday life.
Karen Sander lives in Berlin and London and advises families from our Richmond office as well as in person in Berlin.
Karen's passion for boarding school life runs in the family. In her youth, she followed her father and attended a German boarding school for several years. She then studied business administration and worked in the media world, including at Bertelsmann and MTV. Karen discovered her love of England when her first child moved from Berlin to an English boarding school in the 8th grade. She is especially fascinated by English humor, the easygoing nature of the British, and their strong sense of beauty. Her three children have now been attending various British boarding schools for several years and are very happy there.
Karen has a lot of experience with boarding school life and knows all the challenges and questions that a stay abroad entails.
Leslie Epking-Crane moved from Germany to London 25 years ago to work as an architect - and never left.
What she loves most about the city is the endless possibilities and inspiration, the energy and diversity of people from all over the world.
At von Bülow, Leslie is responsible for our summer schools portfolio. She also leads the project management for special projects at von Bülow education. Most recently these have included the development of our family portal and our new website. She also keeps the team informed about everything to do with UK immigration and child visa applications.
Sevil Hincal is mostly responsible for the planning of our families' school trips. Her job is to put together compact, enjoyable and realistic travel plans. Sometimes she tries out the best routes herself when travelling with her family and is happy to share her insider recommendations.
Furthermore, Sevil Hincal is very familiar with the various school application procedures and accompanies our families through the placement process in a seamless and relaxed manner.
Sevil has been living in the UK for nearly eight years now, together with her husband and three children. She loves the British sense of humour and enjoys sampling the different cuisines that London has to offer.
Vera Hanke organizes school visits for our families and oversees the application processes. With over 20 years of experience in advertising, she also shapes the branding and public image of our company. What matters most to her is that families feel the warmth and openness of British hospitality from the very beginning.
That is also one of the reasons why the Hamburg native decided to stay in London despite her original plans – and now calls it home with her German-British family. “Life here in London, as a multicultural melting pot, is simply an endless source of inspiration for me. At the same time, it’s incredibly comforting that on this island, a break by the sea is always within reach.” She loves London as a multicultural melting pot because it both inspires and enriches her. Yet for this North German, it is deeply reassuring to know that the North Sea still feels close at hand.
Nina Slattery has been part of the von Bülow team since 2025, taking care of communications. A graduate in German studies, she brings experience from journalism and press work in Spain and Germany, and loves distilling stories to their essence. At von Bülow, she focuses on formats such as the website and newsletter, writing about our visits to boarding schools.
She has lived in England with her family since 2020 and especially enjoys the colourful, exuberant Christmas season, walks through Richmond Park, and the warmth of the British people: “When the cashier at the supermarket said ‘Goodbye, my love’ as I left, I decided this was a place where you could grow old.”
Barbara Weber lives by the beautiful Lake Constance in Germany and is one of our longest-serving team members. A trained journalist, she is primarily responsible for creating our students’ introductory profiles. Through these profiles, we introduce the children to our partner schools.
Thanks in no small part to her writing talent, we repeatedly manage to get a foot in the door at some of the best boarding schools in the UK!
Susanne Bahlsen has been an essential part of the advisory team for over 10 years now and supports von Bülow Education from her office in Hanover, Germany. With four children and two grandchildren keeping her busy, she is currently adivising fewer von Bülow clients. Still, she is very happy to meet families in Hanover or online to share her extensive knowledge of British boarding schools.
She is another member of the team who had children in a British boarding school. Her daughters Verena and Julia graduated from Oakham School where they pursued the International Baccalaureate. She also describes this as a life -changing experience, along with her daughters.
Ferdinand Steinbeis has been Managing Director of von Bülow Education since 2015. A true “product” of the British education system, he completed his International Baccalaureate at Sevenoaks School before studying Economics and Philosophy at the London School of Economics (LSE). He then worked in the music industry and management consulting, and completed an MBA at INSEAD Business School in France before taking over the leadership of von Bülow Education.
Ferdinand is a firm advocate of the value of a boarding school education in the UK. His formative experiences as a teenager have profoundly shaped his life path. For around ten years, Ferdinand has lived in London with his wife Barbara and their two children, Klara and Felix. He loves England — its people, beaches, music, literature, and of course, its sense of humour.
Marita Butterfield has been a cornerstone of von Bülow Education for over a decade. In daily contact with our partner schools, she introduces them to our pupils and is famous for knowing not just everyone at the schools, but everything about them — making her our true fountain of knowledge. Alongside this, she keeps the company’s finances running smoothly.
Having lived in the UK for almost 30 years, Marita has fully embraced British humour — the tongue-in-cheek wit, the almost undetectable sarcasm, and the kindness underneath it all. She admits she couldn’t function without it anymore (and frankly, we wouldn’t want her to!).
Dorothee Hawkins is our resident education expert par excellence. With a background in pedagogy and years of experience tutoring both German and English pupils, she is the team’s go-to person for all things education — from academic guidance to supporting families with learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Based near Salisbury but always on the move, Dorothee regularly flies across Germany to meet with families in person. Beyond her work, she is a passionate equestrian and can often be found competing at events across England on weekends.
She loves life in the UK — especially the rolling countryside, charming villages, and the rich traditions that add history and character to everyday life.
Karen Sander lives in Berlin and London and advises families from our Richmond office as well as in person in Berlin.
Karen's passion for boarding school life runs in the family. In her youth, she followed her father and attended a German boarding school for several years. She then studied business administration and worked in the media world, including at Bertelsmann and MTV. Karen discovered her love of England when her first child moved from Berlin to an English boarding school in the 8th grade. She is especially fascinated by English humor, the easygoing nature of the British, and their strong sense of beauty. Her three children have now been attending various British boarding schools for several years and are very happy there.
Karen has a lot of experience with boarding school life and knows all the challenges and questions that a stay abroad entails.
Leslie Epking-Crane moved from Germany to London 25 years ago to work as an architect - and never left.
What she loves most about the city is the endless possibilities and inspiration, the energy and diversity of people from all over the world.
At von Bülow, Leslie is responsible for our summer schools portfolio. She also leads the project management for special projects at von Bülow education. Most recently these have included the development of our family portal and our new website. She also keeps the team informed about everything to do with UK immigration and child visa applications.
Sevil Hincal is mostly responsible for the planning of our families' school trips. Her job is to put together compact, enjoyable and realistic travel plans. Sometimes she tries out the best routes herself when travelling with her family and is happy to share her insider recommendations.
Furthermore, Sevil Hincal is very familiar with the various school application procedures and accompanies our families through the placement process in a seamless and relaxed manner.
Sevil has been living in the UK for nearly eight years now, together with her husband and three children. She loves the British sense of humour and enjoys sampling the different cuisines that London has to offer.
Vera Hanke organizes school visits for our families and oversees the application processes. With over 20 years of experience in advertising, she also shapes the branding and public image of our company. What matters most to her is that families feel the warmth and openness of British hospitality from the very beginning.
That is also one of the reasons why the Hamburg native decided to stay in London despite her original plans – and now calls it home with her German-British family. “Life here in London, as a multicultural melting pot, is simply an endless source of inspiration for me. At the same time, it’s incredibly comforting that on this island, a break by the sea is always within reach.” She loves London as a multicultural melting pot because it both inspires and enriches her. Yet for this North German, it is deeply reassuring to know that the North Sea still feels close at hand.
Nina Slattery has been part of the von Bülow team since 2025, taking care of communications. A graduate in German studies, she brings experience from journalism and press work in Spain and Germany, and loves distilling stories to their essence. At von Bülow, she focuses on formats such as the website and newsletter, writing about our visits to boarding schools.
She has lived in England with her family since 2020 and especially enjoys the colourful, exuberant Christmas season, walks through Richmond Park, and the warmth of the British people: “When the cashier at the supermarket said ‘Goodbye, my love’ as I left, I decided this was a place where you could grow old.”
Barbara Weber lives by the beautiful Lake Constance in Germany and is one of our longest-serving team members. A trained journalist, she is primarily responsible for creating our students’ introductory profiles. Through these profiles, we introduce the children to our partner schools.
Thanks in no small part to her writing talent, we repeatedly manage to get a foot in the door at some of the best boarding schools in the UK!
Susanne Bahlsen has been an essential part of the advisory team for over 10 years now and supports von Bülow Education from her office in Hanover, Germany. With four children and two grandchildren keeping her busy, she is currently adivising fewer von Bülow clients. Still, she is very happy to meet families in Hanover or online to share her extensive knowledge of British boarding schools.
She is another member of the team who had children in a British boarding school. Her daughters Verena and Julia graduated from Oakham School where they pursued the International Baccalaureate. She also describes this as a life -changing experience, along with her daughters.
Questions? Ready to start the process? Talk to our consultants.
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