SILKE HENTSCHEL

Nationality: German
Business unit and country: MONIER Technical Centre, Germany
In the Group since: January 2001

Why did you join MONIER?

After training as a lab technician and studying chemical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Aachen, I took my first job at the University of Kassel. The work wasn’t uninteresting but – as I was just starting out in my career – I felt I wanted to do more. As a result, I started looking for a more challenging role that would offer me better opportunities for development. That’s how I came to make the move from the world of academia to the world of business.

What attracted me to MONIER was the international nature of the business. Life at the company isn’t solely about resolving technical problems – it’s about different people from diverse backgrounds and cultures working together. And because we have operations in 46 countries, I often have the opportunity to travel, both in Europe and further afield.

What was your first position in the Group and which career steps followed?

My first position was in the General Process department. I then moved to Engineering & Manufacturing Support, where I had the opportunity to develop my skills as an in-house expert in curing chambers. Basically, these are special chambers used to cure freshly made roof tiles under controlled temperature conditions – a stage of the production process that is crucial to the quality of the finished product.

As a result of the expertise I have acquired, I am now the designated contact for any enquiries relating to curing chambers from our subsidiaries in other countries; they come to me if they want to optimize their curing chambers, build new ones or further improve the product quality.

In addition, I often take part in other projects – this means my work is always interesting and varied. For example, I recently worked on a project to optimise packaging processes.

It is important for me to have plenty of freedom and scope for initiative in my work. And this is something that I have been able to get more and more of since joining the Group.

How has your experience with the Group helped you develop your personal and professional skills?

I found the cross-functional Junior Management Program very helpful indeed. It taught me a lot about general management, presentation and moderation techniques, and conflict management – skills which have proved very useful for both my professional and my personal development.

What makes MONIER unique? How would you describe the company culture?

MONIER is a company that has grown over many years and has operations in 46 different countries – and its diverse and varied nature never ceases to amaze me. This applies to both the technical aspects of the business – many different kinds of curing chambers are used in different parts of the world – but also to the colleagues, customers and markets I work with, with all their diverse cultures and requirements. My task is to ensure that our skills and expertise are available to the whole group, and to give effective advice and support to our subsidiaries wherever necessary.