Dr. Sophie von Preysing began her professional career after studying law at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, graduating with honors in European Law. Her initial professional steps led her into academia. At the Europe Institute at the University of Zurich (EIZ), she advised government authorities, businesses, and civil society on the bilateral relations between Switzerland and Europe. She participated in various publications and held a teaching assignment at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. In 2007, she earned her Doctor of Law (Dr. iur.) from the University of Zurich in Swiss and European Antitrust Law.

In 2006, she worked for the Swiss Competition Commission (Weko) in Bern in the areas of product markets and public procurement. Due to her voluntary work with the homeless in Zurich, she decided to refocus her career. In 2007, she joined the Malteser Hilfsdienst, becoming the executive president’s assistant. Many former colleagues warned her of a potential “career break” and predicted a swift return. However, the Maltesers offered her so many opportunities that there has been no “turning back” to this day. From 2010 to 2013, she continued her career as the diocesan managing director in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, where she first took on significant personnel and financial responsibilities.

After nearly four and a half years of parental leave, Dr. von Preysing took on a part-time role in August 2018 as the head of corporate development and project management for digitalization at the Malteser headquarters. In this role, she also worked on the structural reform to revise the statutes and guidelines of the Malteser Hilfsdienst. Since September 1, 2019, she has been the state and regional managing director in North Rhine-Westphalia, overseeing nearly 5,000 full-time and 13,000 volunteer employees.

From 2009 to 2019, Dr. von Preysing volunteered for fundraising at the Malteser maternity clinic in Bethlehem. During her parental leave in 2014, with an infant in her arms, she established a medical practice for people without health insurance in Mannheim and led it until the birth of her second child. Since 2023, she has been a member of the University Council of the Technical University of Cologne, advocating for the model of social innovation. In 2024, she was recognized by Vicky Wagner of BeyondGenderAgenda as one of the 101 Women of the Year for her commitment to promoting women.

Dr. Sophie von Preysing was born in 1975, is a native Swiss, married, and the mother of two children. She lives with her family near Cologne.