A young professional’s path to leadership

Talking about steering her personal course with Team Purple, she reveals, “In the beginning, I worked as a commercial offer manager. Gradually, I took on more responsibilities from that perspective, particularly focusing on the offshore and wind businesses. I also very much enjoyed the task of being a buddy when new team members joined. My first leadership role was as a technical sales expert, where I was responsible for the sales of switchgear across Europe and Africa. Last October, we underwent an internal reorganization, which led to my current role. NowI am tasked with building a pricing department for Grid Technology business area. Sure, it’s a massive responsibility, but it’s also very rewarding and an incredible opportunity.” Moreover, Stefanie’s personal impact is very important to her. Practical and motivational inspiration go hand-in-hand with a sustainability-minded way of working. Visibly so, as Stefanie and her team aim for setting a cornerstone. As we inquire about her biggest achievements so far, she explains in more detail how everything’s inseparably connected: digitalization within the company portfolio, future-forward technologies such as artificial intelligence, and the common quest for net zero. Her team's purpose is to enable intelligent selling through analytical innovation and data-driven value creation. 

“One memorable project that stands out is the pricing dashboard we’re currently developing. It's a smart tool that takes data from our CRM system to understand past, present, and future price developments, to create price transparency. It’s still vivid in my mind because just last week, we presented it to upper management. I felt like they acknowledged that we’re forming the pillars for future impact,” she goes on.

In order to follow a path as ambitious as the one #TeamPurple is on, it’s vital to explore what each individual at the company can bring to the table. “In my previous role, I was part of negotiating several contracts; the biggest to date was a significant framework agreement,” she concludes, “I had the opportunity to learn a lot through doing myself and from amazingly experienced people.”

Especially when it comes to Siemens Energy’s blue product portfolio, we learn that Stefanie was responsible for a range of solutions that further net-zero technology. This goes way beyond the elimination of F-gases alone; the goal has to be zero reduction in performance, too. “I can identify very well with our blue product portfolio in the offshore and wind business. The topic of sustainable energy transition is very close to my heart, as I am passionate about it and the impact it can potentially have on society,” she highlights.

“Team Purple has a special place in my heart. We share a passion for our work and believe that our collective efforts are essential to achieving our goals. Besides, HR-wise and interpersonally alike, I feel like we’re on the right track. It’s usually the people you bond with. They will motivate you to go to the office in times of remote work, I like that very much, it contributes to my work-life balance, too” she says.

While she alludes to flexible working hours and options for remote work, she explains her perspective in more detail: “The people I work with are truly inspiring. They’re all real pros in their distinctive fields. There’s a lot to learn from that when you start off, when you arrive somewhere fresh out of university. There are so many colleagues who are open and willing to engage in meaningful conversations, that just makes all the difference. We support each other, we’re assigned mentors and are given the freedom to explore and innovate. I believe the most contemporary of our soft benefits to be an allowance for failure. This fosters a safe environment for growth and creativity. Furthermore, I believe that there is nothing more rewarding than achieving results and mastering milestones together as a team. This is also a great incubator for scaling these results further across the whole organisation.”