Dr. Dr.h.c. Monika Lehnhardt was born in Vienna and graduated from the University Alma Mater Rudolphina. She obtained her PhD in philology, psychology and philosophy. During her professoinal career she has held various positions in companies such as Schering (Berlin), Monsanto (Dusseldorf and Brussels) and Pharmacia (Freiburg). She established Cochlear Europe in Basel in 1987. While being Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1987 until 1999, Cochlear Europe grew from two to seventy employees and additional offices were opened in London and Hannover. In 1999 she stepped aside and continued to work in a Management position for business development and customer relations which was connected with extensive travel across Europe and the US. Between 2004 and 2008 she concentrated her efforts on 18 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, from the Baltic, to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Since 2002 she has been Chairwoman of the Professor Ernst Lehnhardt-Foundation. She has also served as a member of the Board of Auditory Verbal International, Inc. (AVI. Inc.). In 2007 she established her own company under the name Monsana AG in Basel, Switzerland. In July 2007 she was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor by the International Academy of Otorhinolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery, St. Petersburg.
Monika Lehnhardt lectures at scientific conferences and organizes congresses for professionals and parents of children with cochlear implants (CI). She is a published author on various topics related to CI on a technical, audiological and rehabilitation level. She has also contributed to the development of education and training material. In 2006 the Lehnhardt-Academy initiated the HICEN project (Hearing Impaired Children – Elementary Needs in Preschool Care and Education), now available in four languages at www.HICEN.eu. In 2009 Monika Lehnhardt created PORA! Details can be found at www.lehnhardt-akademie.net/poraseminar09