Waltraut Ritter is the founder of Knowledge Dialogues, and works on transdisciplinary, applied research projects on societal transformation which requires new forms of engagement and communication between different stakeholders, organizations, institutions, and individuals.

Ritter is an information scientist specializing in applied research on knowledge-based society at Knowledge Dialogues, which she founded in 1997. Research areas include urban and regional innovation systems, public sector innovation, data governance in digital/smart cities, and sustainable urban mobility. She regularly contributes on these topics to working groups of international and multilateral organizations within the UN system.

She is a member of the Euro-Asia Management Studies Organisation (EAMSA), the European Women’s Management Development Network (EWMD), the International Council on Knowledge Management (ICKM), and is a founding member of the New Club of Paris.