The incredible story of Niklas Mertens began when he was born in India with a tragedy which turned into a wonderful happy ending in the decades that followed. As a toddler, he was abandoned by his parents on the streets of the northern Indian city of Pandharpur. At the age of three, the young Indian boy was finally taken into an adoption programme run by “Terre des Hommes” and was taken in by a lovely German family in Munich-Schwabing.

His new parents and his new sister, an academic German family, enabled him to follow the traditional school path in Bavaria from Kindergarten to Primary School to Gymnasium, but for Niklas Mertens, one thing was always clear: “I always wanted to be able to focus on international issues and didn't want to spend all day studying Latin,” he recalls. In Grade 8, he transferred to the Bavarian International School, then located in Hallbergmoos near Freising, and earned his International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB DP) in the first graduating class in the history of the young school – as one of 17 graduates in the Class of 1997.

A new home

“I always went to school feeling positive. There was no pressure from the system; instead, each student was encouraged to develop their personal strengths. The focus was on the individual, regardless of race or religion,” says Niklas Mertens. He felt at home in the international community. A class trip to England during the 1996 European Football Championship and the graduation trip to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with class teacher Chris Mantz remain unforgettable.

After finishing school, he went straight into professional practice. “I wanted to work in the media – with people, for people,” says Niklas Mertens. He did an internship at Deutsches Sport Fernsehen (now Sport1), later worked on football programmes at SAT.1 and Premiere (now Sky), and in the meantime switched to magazine and talk shows at ProSieben and Günther Jauch's team (“Who wants to be a millionaire?”). Through his work, he developed a close connection to FC Bayern Munich that stretched far beyond his job. As a friend of the team, he was invited to celebrate their 2000/01 Champions League victory on the balcony of Munich City Hall. “It was a dream come true,” says the family man, who lives with his wife and daughter near Frankfurt am Main.

Learning from mistakes

Even though Niklas Mertens' career path always seemed brilliant and steeply upward from the outside, it is a matter close to his heart to emphasise that he too has failed, questioned himself, and ventured out of his comfort zone to explore new paths. “The trick is to see challenges as opportunities and learn from your mistakes – that's the only way to grow. It takes courage to go your own way and always be open to new things,” says Niklas Mertens.

Easier said than done, he bid farewell to the glitzy world of television and began training as a golf operations manager, leading clubs in Cologne and Kitzbühel. The energetic manager also left this comfort zone and eventually immersed himself in the world of digitalisation, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence. Since 2024, Niklas Mertens has been working on his new major project as co-founder and Chief Partnership Officer – the all-in-one finance app called “oneBanking,” which combines traditional banking with crypto and AI-supported financial advice.

At the same time, he is a partner and city host for “oneBanking” exclusively in Frankfurt and a driving force behind the development of “The Power of AI International,” a platform for AI specialists to exchange ideas, create space, and connect in the real world.

Per aspera ad astra

From sports to management, from finance to artificial intelligence – a unique career path based on a strong value system, openness, and courage, while also requiring a mindset that is cultivated at international schools from an early age. Per aspera ad astra – through hardship to the stars (from the streets of Pandharpur)...

P.S.: We are very proud and grateful to have Niklas Mertens as an alumnus and are all the more delighted to welcome him as a speaker at the 15th BIS Careers Day on 25 March 2026!