Born in 1971, Barbara Coudenhove studied commercial science at University of Vienna and UTS Sydney. She began her career in the real estate sector with a focus on tourism, then moved to the music industry, where she worked for various music labels as an A & R, PR and marketing manager. In 2002 she joined the non-profit business CliniClowns Austria as Managing Director. In 2004, she took over the Marketing Department at ICEP (Institute for Cooperation in Development Projects) and played a significant role in the initiative corporAID - the Austrian platform for business, development and global poverty reduction.