My 15th year at ADWEKO!

How it all began for me

What brought you to ADWEKO back then?

Clearly, it was Christian Kobler, our founder and Managing Director. He wrote to me on XING, and I thought that 1–2 years of professional experience in the consulting industry would look good on my CV.

In which position/role did you start with us?

Back then, I started as a junior consultant for SAP Bank Analyzer.

What memories do you have of your beginnings at ADWEKO?

To be honest, after the first 6 weeks I thought to myself “horror, this is not for me at all” and programming is not my future. So I simply grabbed all the other tasks that I enjoyed more, and so I became a business analyst, tester and quickly took on smaller project management tasks. It was great to experience how you understand more and more and how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

How has your role changed over the years?

I felt really comfortable in the first projects and with the roles and tasks I was aiming for. I quickly learned to shape my own path and received all the support I could have wished for from ADWEKO. It was simply the right amount of support and challenge, and also simply letting them do a lot.

My SUCCESSES and challenges

Is there a project and/or an event that you are particularly proud of?

Yes, I even have two! One was the proof of concept at PayPal in Silicon Valley. That was something very special. The fact that I was allowed to go there to prove our expertise and present a remote delivery concept was definitely the accolade.

And the second sense of achievement was when, as Key Account Manager for our largest customer at the time, I concluded the largest project deal in our company’s history to date, worth several million euros. I was in my mid-20s at the time, and it was an indescribable sense of achievement for us as a company and for me personally.

Name two of the most challenging situations during this time. What did you take away from it?

I always thought board appointments, million-dollar deals and go-lives were the biggest challenges. Since becoming a mother, I think differently. Balancing work and family and keeping all the stakeholders involved in these systems happy is the biggest challenge every day. 😉

How has the market and ADWEKO changed in the last 14 years?

Despite all the negative things the pandemic has brought with it, I have to say it has made our job a lot easier. In the past, it was standard to be at the customer’s site from Monday to at least Thursday, to travel throughout Germany or even to commute to Sweden every week for 1.5 years, as I did. Today, with working from home, much more flexible working models across all sectors and significantly more tolerance for personal situations, the consulting job is much easier to combine with private life than it used to be.

What ADWEKO means to me

How has ADWEKO contributed to your personal development?

The question should rather be how ADWEKO has NOT contributed to my personal development over the last 15 years. 😉
The answer is: enormously.

Are there any hobbies or passions that you have discovered through your work?

No hobbies, but a very clear focus of interest at work. On people, employee and team development, communication, relationships, roles, responsibility, structures, organizational development, project methods and the big picture of HOW we work together.

What does the family team culture at ADWEKO mean to you?

Some of my colleagues have been working with me for over 10 years. We’ve celebrated weddings, had children, pulled all-nighters (in the club and in the office …), laughed, cried and rocked projects for our clients in between.

Can you share a special anecdote about team culture that is close to your heart?

We once had a customer set an escalation date as an excuse to kidnap our colleague/girlfriend for her hen party 😉.

This is how it goes on for me

How do you envision your future career at ADWEKO?

I would like to continue to help shape the division and the company as a manager. The development of my team members is my top priority.

What advice would you like to give new colleagues?

One thing I have learned in my professional career is that you only grow outside your comfort zone, so dare to try new, unknown things!