Stepping Beyond the Comfort Zone

Keep learning, keep improving, keep moving - a motto that has shaped my Evonik journey. 

Looking back on your first five years in accounting, what experiences had the biggest impact on your career path? 

Several experiences formed a solid foundation for my professional growth within a global environment. I joined Evonik in 2017, beginning my career in accounting with responsibility for the Asia Pacific region and later expanding to Europe, middle east an Africa. Over five years, I supported process harmonisation and migrations while developing strong capabilities in cross‑regional collaboration, people leadership, and the management of operational complexity.   

Let's talk about your professional development: What steps did you take to move beyond your comfort zone and grow with it? 

Stepping beyond my comfort zone, I transitioned into a Business Analyst role to support management and segment reporting for regional leadership teams. Working closely with business controllers and regional leadership teams, I focused on translating complex financial data into relevant insights that support decision‑making. I learned that effective reporting is not just about presenting numbers, but about telling the story behind them and helping stakeholders understand what drives business performance. During this phase, I also contributed to improving reporting efficiency by combining financial expertise with automation and analytics to streamline manual processes and enhance data quality. 

How has taking on global responsibilities broadened your perspective and way of working? 

About a year ago, I took on global responsibilities including Product Line Segmentation, working closely with Group Accounting, Reporting Systems, and Global Business Line Controllers to ensure accurate and transparent reporting. What surprises people most when they work with me is how I navigate complexity and bring structure to diverse requirements. Supporting global reporting requires close collaboration across regions, connecting multiple data sources, and translating complex information into clear insights that support decision‑making.  

In what ways have process improvement and digitalization influenced your way of working? 

My passion for process improvement and automation grew as I realized how powerful digital solutions can be applied in finance. With support from colleagues across functions, I learned tools such as Power BI and automation techniques that significantly reduced manual effort while improving accuracy. 

What milestone in your career at Evonik are you particularly proud of? 

One of my proudest moments was being trusted with global responsibilities - an opportunity that broadened my perspective and strengthened my confidence, both professionally and personally.  

What does being part of something special at Evonik mean to you personally? 

For me, being part of something special at Evonik means trust, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. It’s about people supporting each other and growing together. My journey so far? A journey of continuous growth through trust, learning, and collaboration in a truly global environment.