Which step has been the most impactful one for your own development?
That would definitely be moving to China! Adapting to become successful in a totally different cultural context – from a personal and professional point of view – is very challenging, but at the same time extremely rewarding. It broadened my horizons, enriched my way of thinking, and taught me to manage across cultures, which is an important skill to have when working in a multicultural, global company like Henkel. On the personal side, I moved to China alone, but I came back with wonderful new friendships!
Juliane’s Career Path
Within Henkel, you worked in three different regions and two business units. How did Henkel support your career development?
Henkel supported my career development on several different fronts. For example, through great training to help enhance my competencies and skills. I was also able to benefit from official mentoring programs which helped me tremendously in my leadership development. As I had always expressed my interest in moving to different areas within Henkel, my managers always supported my ambitions by providing new opportunities. Finally, Henkel also ensured that all my transitions were seamless from a HR process perspective.
How do you advocate gender diversity within a seemingly male-dominated department field like Automotive/Adhesives?
There are a couple of things I am doing to encourage more women moving up the career ladder in Adhesives Technologies. First and foremost, I strive to be an ally for female talents from different divisions at Henkel by mentoring them. Alongside that, I regularly contribute to the development of our Adhesive Technologies Diversity & Inclusion program. I am also leveraging my professional network to attract external female talents to our company, and I am active in different industry associations focusing on promoting Diversity & Inclusion.
What is truly unique about Henkel?
That is a difficult question to answer because there are genuinely so many great things about Henkel. For me, it’s the magic mix of our strong company culture that fits to my values, the fantastic people that work here – you will find true team spirit at Henkel – and the diversity of our business which opens up countless opportunities to develop yourself.