What are your responsibilities at Henkel?
The Global Diversity & Inclusion function is relatively new at Henkel. Its aim is to make the company more international and more feminine in its structure. I am also responsible for monitoring and managing the effects of demographic development at Henkel.

What would be a typical working day for you?
It is my job to actively communicate the advantages of diversity and inclusion around the world, and in particular the access that these aspects provide to new markets and the higher productivity and innovation capability of our heterogeneous teams. It is also my specific task to improve the underlying conditions of employment for mothers and fathers within the company by ensuring the provision of childcare and appropriate flexibility in working time and working location arrangements. In the case of our older colleagues, the enhancement of health and motivation is a further important factor.

What excites you about your work?
Globalization, demography and also the change in social values are trends that Henkel cannot ignore or, indeed, escape. It is a hugely stimulating challenge to ensure the timely introduction of cogent countermeasures and the creation of suitable frameworks and boundary conditions.

What would your advice be to someone starting at Henkel?
At Henkel, it is advisable not to decide too early on a specialism, but rather to first utilize all the possibilities available to an individual within the company – because Henkel has many and varied facets and can often offer opportunities that may not have been initially apparent.

What were your previous posts with Henkel?
I started in the Investor Relations department at Henkel HQ in Düsseldorf. I then moved to Subsidiary Financing. Later, I became a project manager with Henkel Financial Services before moving to the UK in 2004 where I spent eighteen months as the Head of Finance at our British subsidiary. In July 2005, I returned to Germany and worked in the Internal Audit department until October 2007. I have been responsible for Global Diversity & Inclusion since November 2007.