Job title: HR Director
Department: Human Resources
At Henkel since: 2000

What is your job at Henkel?
Since May 2006 I have worked as an HR Manager for Henkel of America here at the Dial Headquarters in Scottsdale. I’m primarily focusing on the harmonization of HR related topics between Dial and Henkel. My main tasks are the conception, design and implementation of our new worldwide online tracking system for Henkel of America, the re-launch of the HR website for Henkel and Dial and the development of a new On-Boarding process.

How did you get started working with Henkel?
I started in the IT department in Düsseldorf in 2000 where I worked until the end of 2003. I came from a consulting management background. In IT, I was responsible for several SAP projects dealing with HR related aspects. Then I moved on to HR where I was in charge of recruitment. That involved contacting different parties necessary for finding appropriate candidates needed for specific jobs in the company. I enjoyed being in contact with students and graduates, student associations, and universities on an international level. Meeting them personally gave me an opportunity to apply what I have learned to placing people. This is the aspect of my work that has always appealed to me.

What further professional training programs have you taken part in while with Henkel?
I took part in several training programs of the Henkel Global Academy, a program which offers seminars on different management topics in order to develop both personal and a business related skills needed for our daily business. This program is organized in close conjunction with internationally renowned business schools such as Henley, Cranfield, IESE, INSEAD.

What about the term "learning on the job"?
As the company offers on-the-job training instead of an apprenticeship, you have to be willing to learn from day one. This way of entering a position in the company is a fast track one but gave me the great opportunity to take on responsibility at a very early stage. Of course, I had to be willing to be accountable for results probably faster than in other companies. But through this process, I believe, I learned better to find out which qualifications I need to acquire for my job. On-the-job training has the advantage of getting employees into a position more quickly and into the company’s way of doing business. Henkel offers mentoring too, formally and informally.

Which projects do you work on?
Recently I’ve been working on the conception and implementation of our new online application platform for Henkel of America. When I started out with the company in IT, I took over the lead for the first launch of this project in 2001 and maintained this responsibility when I moved over to HR. Due to the international structure of the company, the application system is organized in a way that suits Henkel’s globally oriented corporate culture. At the end of 2007, the whole Henkel world will be integrated in this system and my colleagues responsible for this project in other countries will bring in their expertise, influencing and perfecting the process of the project positively.

What makes your working environment special?
Henkel is a family-owned business and like a family, it encourages an open and honest atmosphere to function well. This really shapes my working environment. And additionally the chance to work internationally is very important.

What piece of advice would you give to people starting at Henkel?
It’s your turn – that’s our central message. Bring in your own ideas from the first day on. Be brave to view things critically and create new solutions on different tasks. Your own initiative counts. This will help you get further in your career and start on a good basis with the company. At the end of the day this will help Henkel become a greater place to work and to increase our success as a business.