Ferda Ataman is a journalist, author and diversity expert. She studied political science, was a speechwriter for Armin Laschet and head of department at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. As a journalist, she has worked in the editorial departments of Der Tagesspiegel and Spiegel Online, built up the "Mediendienst Integration", was a Spiegel columnist in 2020 and is a media columnist at radioeins (rbb). In 2019 she published the book "Hört auf zu fragen. Ich bin von hier" (Stop asking. I'm from here) published by S. Fischer Verlag and sparked a debate about belonging in Germany under the hashtag #vonhier.

She is the honorary chair of the association "Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen" (New German Media Makers) and co-founded the post-migrant network "neue deutsche organisationen" (New German Organisations). Ataman lives (happily) in Berlin.