My career story is a tale of contiuous change. I believe the “jump into cold waters” provides maximum learning opportunities. So I have lived and worked in North Carolina (US), Madrid (Spain), Geneva (Switzerland), Cape Town & Johannesburg (South Africa), London (UK) and now I am based again in my hometown Berlin.
Growing up in Berlin – Why not? attitude
1979-1999: Born and raised in East Berlin, the German reunification taught me early on to approach change with a positive attitude and allowed me to develop my curiosity for other cultures. My first time living abroad was at 16 living with an American family in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had student jobs delivering newspapers, conducting market research, cleaning, selling fish and doing entrance control at a club. I did my high school diploma (Abitur) at Rosa-Luxemburg-Gymnasium.
Studying in Mannheim/ London/ Madrid
1999-2002: To enjoy independence and a new environment, I looked for employed student positions in the south of Germany and was hired by Wella AG with the Berufsakademie Mannheim. I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and did internships in all major functions of Wella (marketing, sales, logistics, accounting, HR). To maximise learning, I also did a trimester in London at the University of Westminster and an internship abroad in Madrid. To fund this, I worked as a door woman at the national theatre Mannheim and as a bookkeeper for a properties developer in London.
Growing professional acumen in Darmstadt
2002-2005: My main focus was to earn professional credentials and to get international exposure so that I could get the chance to be seconded abroad. I enjoy working across different functions and fact based decisions hence I started as a junior analyst in the global hairdressing division with Wella. I was responsible for the management accounting results of the Iberia region and owned the marketing project financial model. Soon P&G announced their acquisition intention and I was identified as a top talent for the integration team.
Working and playing hard in Geneva
2005-2008: The company culture change from a German corporation that was backed still by the founding family to an American multi-national was immense, scary and exciting. My „Why not?“ attitude and my curiosity carried me through this transition. In the integration team I was in charge of implementing standards and software solutions for the acquired business. I designed and tested processes, created handbooks, rolled-out trainings and maintained the system going forward. I learnt strategic direction setting, aligning regionally dispersed cross-functional teams and working effectively across cultures and time zones.
First people management experience in Cape Town
2008-2009: After working for 6 years in global and regional headquarter roles I joined a relatively immature country organisation. I had the chance to manage a team and to see the results of my work with immediate effect in the market. I learnt to manage a heterogeneous team that was on-site and remote. I also learnt to work in a fast growing organisation with limited structures and processes.
Growing cohesive teams and setting up processes in Johannesburg
2009-2012: For my promotion to management I moved to the Southern African hub Johannesburg. I was in charge of setting up processes that allowed for the agility and controls needed in a fast growing developing country. I authored standard operating procedures and implemented software solutions. I also focused on creating team cohesion and employee retention in a very volatile employment market.
Optimizing in a saturated market – London
2012-2015: My focus in the UK was on creating an atmosphere that enabled peak performance for the people I led directly and as an agile coach. I invested time in building my coaching and servant-leadership skills. As an agile coach my main focus areas were to foster autonomy and create team missions.
Leadership at executive board level back home in Berlin
2015-2017: I utilized my skills in the area of people management, analysis and process design as the Director of Finance and HR for a German wholesale supplier of building materials. Here my experience in managing transitions was the most important asset. The company had recently been acquired by a Belgian investor group and employees lacked trust in the company’s leadership and didn’t feel certain of their personal future. The most important tool was transparent communication across all available channels.
Focusing on my professional success and fun factor – high performing teams
from 2017: I have experienced many different situations were strong teams were the make it or break it point for projects. My key success and fun factor has been the development of employees and teams. I bring my experience in coaching, process optimization and performance management to individuals, teams and organisations that feel they can be even more effective.