Job title: Assistant Brand Manager
Department: Diversified Markets Division
At Henkel since: 2003

What is your position at Henkel?
I’m an Assistant Brand Manager in our Diversified Markets Division.

How did you begin working with Henkel?
I received my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in 2002. After graduating I started working for Dial as a technician and later was promoted to scientist. Afterwards I went back to school to get my master’s degree in business administration and once I completed my MBA, I applied for a marketing position.

What distinguishes Henkel from other companies?
To me, No.1 would be the culture and the people. When I first applied at Henkel, what was eye-catching for me were the culture and the people I was talking to. Everybody is very friendly and nice to work with. In addition, through the purchase of Dial by Henkel, more opportunities have opened up. There is a lot of room for personal growth.

Did you have personal responsibility from the beginning?
Before I took over this position I started out in R&D. At that time the company was redoing the organizational structure. So I got the chance to be in charge of different projects.

Which projects have you worked on?
When I was in R&D, I worked on a project for a couple of years that required me to do some of the marketing functions because we didn’t have a marketing person on the project team. Due to my experience, I managed the R&D side where I worked on formulation. Working on the science side,  meaning researching technologies, I was also doing a lot of consumer insight work at the same time to see how it fit with our brands. That project helped me to decide that I wanted to go into marketing and also gave me opportunities to gain experiences that I needed, in addition to getting my business degree.

Did you have a mentor?
I had a mentor who was a manager in the technology area, because it was my goal to get into management on the technology side until I decided to go into marketing management. He really helped me get to the point where I am today. Currently, I don’t have a formal mentor.