Interview with Caroline Schlienkamp

The cooperative concept of the initiative is also reflected in her career overall. In 2019, Caroline Schlienkamp was nominated for the Talanx Excellence Programme (TEP) – the programme prepares successful managers in the Group for their next step to positions on management boards. Together with her four fellow participants, she had the mission of persuading as many employees as possible across the world to participate in the discussion about the reason for the existence of the Talanx Group and to develop the joint Purpose: “Together we take care of the unexpected and foster entrepreneurship.” The “Together” is her constant companion in all aspects of life.

In the meantime, she has also been appointed as a Board Member of HDI Service AG and as such she is responsible for more than 350 employees in Internal Services and Purchasing Non-IT. “I very much value the wide scope for decision-making in our Group,” was how Caroline Schlienkamp summed up her motivation. The size of the Group makes her work enormously varied. “In my position, I can play an active role in shaping our company. This is very rewarding for me personally.”

The 46-year-old has grown into the responsibility of management and very much enjoys empowering people to achieve their best performance. “I motivate, challenge and encourage, I optimise the working environment and I provide a lot of feedback,” is how the lawyer describes her management style.” She commented that making a culture of feedback and management a reality was important to her, and added that open and honest communication were equally indispensable. Personal interaction between employees and managers in an atmosphere of trust and respect forms the platform for good cooperation. Caroline Schlienkamp’s firm conviction is that part of this relates to “including employees in decisions that impact on them directly, and transferring responsibility to them,”. However, she believes that employees also have to embrace responsibility themselves – it is a two-way deal.

She was in her seventh month of pregnancy when she received the offer of her first management position. In herself, she knew that she could do this. But how would she manage the organisation with a new-born baby? After her husband opted for parental leave, took on most of the domestic work at home and decided to look after child care, Caroline Schlienkamp signed the contract following a lot of soul-searching. She’s never regretted it, even though she sometimes silently cursed when negotiations dragged on into the night-time hours.

Up to now, the two partners have mastered the everyday family routine on a very equal footing – they put it down to well-coordinated teamwork. “Perhaps my husband would say that he was doing a lot more in the household,” suggested the enthusiastic home cook with a grin. In spite of her long working days, Caroline Schlienkamp always makes enough time for her son, now ten years old. As far as she’s concerned, that’s part of a good work-life balance, in the same way as sport and friends. She only sacrifices valuable family time in the late evenings and at weekends for professional demands if there is the utmost urgency. “Everything runs smoothly with good organisation and discipline,” she commented with a laugh.

Caroline Schlienkamp will be enjoying family time in the future – now also at the “village house”: drinking a coffee, enjoying a chat, having fun or putting in a shift behind the counter.