The sincere interest in people runs like a thread through Katja Steinweg’s professional life. What is it that motivates people? What are driving forces and what hinders success? And how can you manage the different expectations within a company?

A positive attitude, desire for change, curiosity as a motor, inner growth, and humor. These are terms that can be linked not only to Katja Steinweg’s life, but also to her work.

Prior to her studies, Katja spent a year abroad in the USA and traveled through southern Africa. After spending the elective part of her legal clerkship in South Africa, she successfully completed her law studies at the University of Münster in 2001 with the 2nd state examination.

As a specialist in employment law, Katja Steinweg gained initial experience at an international IT management consultancy. She then moved to the METRO Group, where she initially held management positions at real,- SB Warenhaus GmbH. Subsequently she worked as HR Director at the group’s internal logistics company in Düsseldorf.

Here, the reorganization of the company was one of her main tasks. This involved the out- and insourcing of business units, the introduction of new management and organizational structures, and the merging of locations and companies. As part of the restructuring projects, she was particularly concerned with negotiations with employee committees and trade unions as well as good change management communication.

Most recently, Katja Steinweg was Managing Director Human Resources and Communications at Stark Deutschland GmbH (formerly Saint-Gobain Group). As a member of the management board, she was jointly responsible for the strategic and operational management of the company and had overall responsibility for People, Corporate Communications and EHS. The focus of her work was on the strategic alignment of the company, the development of a modern organizational structure and the establishment of a value-based leadership and corporate culture.

„Managers must behave decently,“ is how she sums up her attitude after twenty years of HR work. „They have a role model function. Therefore, they should be no strangers to a healthy dose of humility and gratitude.“