�鶹ԭ�� employee profile Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News Center

Establishing a Mission and Vision for a Skills-Led Organization

Jeanette Rohr — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:15:00 +0000

It was a special moment when Caroline Hanke began her new role as global head of Organizational Growth and Health at �鶹ԭ�� in early October 2024—though in an unexpected way. At the same time, Florida, where she and her family had moved into a new home three months earlier, was struck by Hurricane Helene, followed by Hurricane Milton two weeks later.

“We were evacuated and, fortunately, came out unscathed,” Hanke recalls. “But I had to hold the first all-employee meeting with the knowledge that we’d have to rebuild a flooded house, all while staying in a hotel with an unstable power supply.”

Caroline Hanke. Photo courtesy of Dana Rösiger for �鶹ԭ��

In her role, Hanke oversees strategic workforce planning, health, safety, and well-being, as well as the HR Trends and Innovation, People Insights, Organizational Design, and New Work departments.

Hanke also leads a new area of great importance for �鶹ԭ��’s future: the skills-led organization. But what exactly is a skills-led organization, and why is it important to focus on the capabilities of employees?

“A skills-led organization means moving away from rigidly defined job roles with a limited set of key qualifications and instead focusing more on the individual with their specific skills,” Hanke says. “The personal skill sets of employees will shape internal mobility, professional development, and our hiring strategies as a company.”

The skills-based approach recognizes that current job profile structures often fail to fully reflect employees’ competencies.

Hanke herself is a prime example of a personal skill set that extends beyond what a job description suggests. While she spent the past five years in the People & Culture Board area, her professional roots lie elsewhere.

Born in Germany, at the age of four Hanke moved to the U.S. with her parents for her father to work as a professor in computer science and software engineering at the University of Maryland. The planned one-year stay turned into nearly 10.

“I believe those formative childhood years in the U.S. not only gave me native-level English skills but also a deeper understanding of how culture shapes people’s thinking—and the importance of wanting to understand those differences,” she says.

While studying business information management in Mannheim, Germany, she joined �鶹ԭ�� as a working student and gained experience in development. She later supported Daimler-Chrysler, initially as a technical quality manager and later as an engagement architect, where she served as a key �鶹ԭ�� contact.

She then developed and led a customer management program for the private cloud, which at that point was still in its infancy. In that role, she reported weekly to the Executive Board of �鶹ԭ�� SE and then-CEO Bill McDermott, which eventually led to discussions about her becoming his chief of staff.

“When I got the call, I thought there must be a misunderstanding because I hadn’t applied,” Hanke remembers. “The colleague on the other end laughed and said, ‘It seems someone recommended you.’”

This role took Hanke and her husband, along with their son born in Heidelberg, Germany, back to the U.S., where she had grown up. “I’ve never regretted it,” she says. “All in all, I’ve spent almost half my life in the U.S. and feel very at home here. I’d describe myself as half American, half German.”

After McDermott left �鶹ԭ��, Hanke worked in several roles for the new CEO, Christian Klein, before becoming COO in the then-new People & Operations Board area. Though she initially had little contact with HR, she quickly found the topics as engaging as they were challenging, especially given their impact on people and the organization.

“I think my own career path shows how much more experience and skills each of us brings beyond the role officially assigned to us,” she says. “The skills-based approach allows both the company and its employees to make better decisions. Employees want to stay relevant, and as an employer �鶹ԭ�� aims to minimize disruptions for its people during changes.”

Skills Development with �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HCM

Two key areas impacted by the skills-based approach are training and hiring. Skills-based hiring means that while degrees won’t become irrelevant, the search for candidates will increasingly focus on individual skills and prior experiences.

But how can a company gain a clear picture of each employee’s range of skills?

This is where the growth portfolio, part of �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HCM, comes into play. All employees can conduct a skills inventory and add additional skills unrelated to their current role. These skills, often gained outside their formal roles, can now be documented.

Since it’s part of �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HCM, the growth portfolio can integrate seamlessly with functionalities like hiring, learning, career development, and talent management—areas that benefit the most from maintaining up-to-date skill data. Based on this information, the system can offer employees personalized, AI-driven recommendations for training and development, paving the way for their next career step.

The skills-based approach also brings significant advantages for workforce planning.

As Hanke explains: “For example, we want to avoid looking externally for skills that already exist within the company but haven’t been utilized or are in the wrong areas. That’s why transparency is so crucial.”

The more accurately workforce planning reflects the skills within the company, the better decisions can be made.

“Business and HR Need to Work More Closely Together”

“HR is one of those areas where everyone thinks they can weigh in,” Hanke says. “Looking back, I must admit I initially approached it with a typical business mindset: HR—how hard can it be? But I quickly learned otherwise. The topics are incredibly complex because there’s no right or wrong answer—solutions must be tailored to individuals. My respect for the HR organization has only grown since then.”

Hanke made a deliberate decision to stay in the People & Culture Board area. For her, HR is more than just a reporting or operational function; it must be deeply integrated into business decisions.

“I believe that people transformation can be a significant competitive advantage in today’s dynamic world,” she says. “And with my mix of business and HR knowledge, I can add value here because these two areas can no longer be separated.”

Hanke also emphasizes the strategic importance of health, safety, and well-being. “Employee well-being is one of the fundamental requirements for a functioning organization.”

�鶹ԭ��’s award-winning health management program, Run Healthy, is set to expand globally to additional countries in 2025. Mental health, especially in the context of COVID-19 and global political developments, remains a critical focus.

“I’m continually impressed by how advanced and diverse �鶹ԭ��’s offerings are,” Hanke says, who has personally benefited from some of them. As a leader, she feels particularly responsible for addressing health-related topics appropriately.

“It’s important to us to see employees as whole individuals and support their holistic development,” she emphasizes. “The skills-based approach, which enables employees to fully leverage their potential, offers exciting new possibilities. We’re embarking on this journey together—and I’m looking forward to it.”

�鶹ԭ�� Success Stories: Underway in the Amazon with the Hospital Boat

Jacqueline Prause — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:15:00 +0000

In the quiet darkness of the Amazon night, a broad boat deftly navigates a tributary of the Madeira River, making its way towards a tiny village of wooden houses and thatched shelters nestled on the shoreline. But the boat’s approach does not take the village by surprise. As it nears the riverbank, the cheers of children excitedly herald its arrival: “The doctors are here! The doctors are here!”

And so begins a new day of service for Ana Khouri, manager for Partner Delivery Management of �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors solutions. Khouri was a member of the 2023 expedition of (Doctors of the Waters), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Brazil that provides medical and dental care, alongside essential socioenvironmental education, to the isolated communities of the Amazon River Basin. “We had such a welcome,” Khouri says, reflecting on her experiences in the villages the expedition visited along the Acari and Canumã rivers from July 31 to August 12. “We arrived there at night. The boat had not yet docked and everything was dark, and then all these kids were already at the edge waiting for the boat. They were screaming and cheering. It made me kind of emotional.”

Healthcare for Isolated Communities

For these communities, the annual visit of Doutores das Águas, now in its twelfth year, is often the only occasion people are able to see a doctor. Their villages are so remote that they would otherwise need to travel many days by boat just to reach the nearest health center. Many have been looking forward to the NGO’s visit. Beforehand, families receive a password to access the services onboard the boat, which include health checks, vaccinations, vital medicines, dental care, and new dentures.

Doutores das Águas sends one expedition per year into the Amazon, divided into two successive stages with each taking either a northern or southern route. Khouri’s expedition traveled south, navigating the Acari and Canumã rivers for 12 days to deliver services to six villages. The boat, 21 meters long and seven meters wide, has sleeping berths for 32 team members plus 12 crew members. It travels at an average speed of 15 kilometer per hour, powered by a 300 HP propulsion engine and has capacity to carry 13,000 liters of fuel, enough to last an entire month. Two generators are also onboard. Built specially for Doutores das Águas, it is equipped with modern medical equipment, including an ultrasound machine, four dental chairs and a dental lab, and a portable wash basin for lessons on teeth brushing. It carries enough stockpiles of vaccines and medicines to support communities for one year, until the boat’s next visit.

In 2023, the expedition provided services to 36 communities in 23 days to deliver 2,081 medical treatments or vaccines and perform 1,890 dental treatments and 62 micro-surgeries. And the onboard dental lab produced 265 dental prostheses or dentures, giving many people their smiles back.

Hidden Skill Set Reveals Passion for Healthcare

In the Amazon, even winters are intense, as daily temperatures reach 37 degrees Celsius with high humidity and frequent rain. The shrill buzz of mosquitos is ever present. Creatures of the rainforest move about invisibly, eager for a free pantleg or untucked shirt to crawl into.

For Khouri, who joined �鶹ԭ�� in 1999, life on the hospital boat is a long distance from her workspace at �鶹ԭ�� Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, where she ensures that partners have the enablement tools and support that they need to deliver successfully to customers. Her energetic, affable interpersonal skills and tenacity for problem-solving – the same qualities that help her succeed in her work at �鶹ԭ�� – enable her to thrive in dynamic environments.

But there is another side to Khouri that few colleagues know about. She has a background in nutrition with a master’s degree from Michigan State University. This hidden skill set, which is an integral part of Khouri’s whole self, qualified her to join the expedition as a socioenvironmental and nutritional health expert. “I always liked the healthcare field,” she says. “So, to be there and to be able to provide this benefit to these people and to be part of the team, that’s my motivation. We are giving the people healthcare.”

Learning by Doing for Health and Hygiene

In the early morning, villagers gather to listen to the doctor, dentist, and the socioenvironmental and nutrition team, who discuss the importance of nutrition and hygiene for long-term health. Afterwards, the adults go to the line to be called in for treatment. “We stay with the kids and teenagers. We play games about food, nutrition, garbage disposal, and recycling,” Khouri says. This year, 750 children received instruction in socioenvironmental and nutritional activities.

One game is a competition to see which team can collect the most garbage in a big bag. “The kids are all running, and we run after them, in this intensive heat,” Khouri says. A prize is awarded for the most garbage collected. There are lots of batteries and plastic drink bottles. “This is one exercise we do to tell them they shouldn’t just throw things on the ground because it’s going to be washed away to the river.”

Twice a day, the children receive instruction on how to brush their teeth. They each receive a dental examination aboard the hospital boat. “We teach them with games and music how to brush their teeth,” Khouri says. “In the boat, we bring a huge sink with eight places so we can have eight kids at once and we give them a small toothbrush and toothpaste.”

Children who have no cavities at their annual dental checkup receive a badge. In communities where the boat has visited previously, the number of children with no cavities is increasing – evidence of the NGO’s impact on healthcare in the region. “We have lots of little kids, 5 years old or 6 to 7. They have the badge ‘Zero Cavities,’” Khouri says. “We also teach them how to wash their hands and to always wash their hands before they eat.”

“The kids somehow get attached to you,” Khouri says. “They don’t know you, but then at the end of the day, sometimes you sit quietly somewhere to have a break and they come and hug you. They stay with you. This is something that touched me.”

Tapping Natural Resources to Satisfy Global Markets

People in the communities along the river live simply from the land and the water. They sometimes sell the fruits, cashew nuts, and mandioca (basis of tapioca) that they cultivate. Many have begun to earn money by selling copaiba oil, used in traditional medicines. The oil is extracted using traditional, sustainable methods to tap tree resin. The oil is popular in high-end cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, including sunscreen, because of its anti-inflammatory properties. “Some of the communities extract the oil,” Khouri says. “Unfortunately, they sell it very cheap to the middleman, who sells it to cosmetics companies for a lot of money.”

The NGOs that work in the region, including Doutores das Águas, are encouraging the communities to create a cooperative so they can sell copaiba oil directly and receive more money, because the oil “is really cheap and it is very ‘in’ at the moment,” Khouri explains.

One Boat Is Not Enough

Khouri wants to participate in the next expedition of Doutores das Águas, scheduled for April 2024. Also, the communities change over time, as she notes, “Some of the communities disappear. They are so small that they migrate.” One community has become more developed since becoming connected to the region’s main road, making healthcare more accessible to community members.

“What I expect for the future of these communities is that they get more access to healthcare, improve hygiene, and take care of the river by adopting the garbage collection practice that we teach them,” says Khouri. “I would like people to know that this issue exists and that the need in the Amazon is huge. One boat is not enough.”

Watch on demand.

Top photo courtesy of Ana Khouri

Take Small Steps and Create Big Impact Through Volunteering

Atalanta Kyriazi — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:15:00 +0000

If the more than 105,000 �鶹ԭ�� employees all took just one step toward creating the change the world needs by taking action outside of their day-to-day work, imagine the impact that would result. �鶹ԭ�� Corporate Social Responsibility () and its champions work together to bring opportunities to all employees who are looking to make a positive impact in ways that are meaningful to them.

�鶹ԭ�� CSR’s strategy utilizes two approaches to create sustainable impact: being an enabler and an exemplar. As an enabler, we provide products and services that help meet sustainability challenges and create opportunities for customers. As an exemplar, we lead by example in our own sustainable business operations and practices to bring our purpose of helping the world run better and improving people’s lives to life. It is no secret that �鶹ԭ��’s commitment to creating positive economic, environmental, and social impact is a draw for potential employees and customers.

There is no better example of that than the work employees do to bring that CSR mindset into the work they do every day. �鶹ԭ��’s impact is greater because of leaders who integrate the CSR mindset into the business culture, like Maggie Ramaiah.

Meet Maggie Ramaiah

Ramaiah’s social impact journey began much like so many of ours. She was involved in one-off events here and there, trying to prioritize doing something good while at work so she could show up more authentically and with more energy to give it her all. However, when she joined the �鶹ԭ�� Academy faculty as vice president of the �鶹ԭ�� Academy for Customer Success – Sales Program, she began to take her dedication to making an impact to the next level, not only for herself but for those around her as well.

Ramaiah is a passionate supporter of enabling others to pursue their passions through pro bono volunteering. She knows that with some organization, the impact we can make collectively is limitless. �鶹ԭ�� has tremendous power to make an impact in a small amount of time. These beliefs are why she works to bring out the best in others by providing opportunities to contribute in a tangible way that is meaningful to them. This core value of investing in employees builds strong leadership competencies, which in turn leads to greater collaboration, innovation, and trust among each other and with customers.

“In the corporate environment, we are all driven by success, but the CSR mindset is about human beings. We can do something good for everybody that we come across. It doesn’t have to be big; small little steps make a difference, too.”
Maggie Ramaiah

Ramaiah has participated in pro bono volunteering programs and was inspired when she created change. During her time with Pro Bono for Economic Equity, a program �鶹ԭ�� has partnered with that focuses on supporting Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses in North America, Ramaiah was assigned to a team of three pro bono consultants who had never worked together. Over the course of six weeks, Ramaiah and her team worked part-time with GoLogic Solutions, based in Chicago, Illinois, to propose an organizational structure for new business models. This was her aha moment. “At �鶹ԭ��, we have everything done for us from a process and resource perspective. We just have to look for it. However, for an organization that is run by one person, or maybe two or three people, everything is so constrained,” Ramaiah said.

“Every resource that we put out there from an �鶹ԭ�� perspective, we might think is a few hours’ worth of work, but for [social enterprises] it’s a whole end-to-end project that they might not have been able to create,” she added. This is a unique way of appreciating the skills that employees bring to their company and a view that builds confidence, empathy, innovative thinking, and other leadership qualities. Ramaiah’s inspiration to increase her impact footprint came from her experience creating change for an entrepreneur as part of Pro Bono for Economic Equity.

Ramaiah saw the opportunity to integrate skills-based volunteering and pro bono consulting into the curriculum of �鶹ԭ�� Academy, multiplying her impact and enabling others. She offered associates the chance to use what they already knew as well as skills they were developing for good by supporting social enterprise clients through the TRANSFORM Support Hub, a virtual pro bono consulting initiative between �鶹ԭ��, EY, MovingWorlds, TRANSFORM, and Unilever.

Ramaiah’s goal is to build future leaders who think with a CSR mindset. A CSR mindset is something they can carry with them throughout their career and can be transferred to any team, program, or even company. Specialized experience is not required for employees to build leadership qualities and evolve the way they think at work and about business. Many only need an example set, or the opportunity presented to them. Being a multiplier does not require special skills or knowledge. It can be planning a team volunteer activity, ensuring that each team member knows that volunteering their time is important for their professional growth and overall satisfaction at work. It can also be as simple as sharing stories and takeaways from your own impact experiences or asking your network for support on a social impact project.

There is not just one way to set an example and enable those around us to make an impact – what resonates with some might not resonate with others, and it is important to build in choice for meaningful and transformative experiences. At �鶹ԭ��, being a multiplier for good and investing in our employees, either as an enabler, an exemplar, or both like in Ramaiah’s case, leads to innovation through experiencing new ways of working, trust with our customers, quality leadership with values that the world needs, and a greater ability to achieve our goal of helping the world run better and improving people’s lives.

Join Us

Ramaiah’s journey to being a CSR champion went from her pursing her own interests and passions to helping others find theirs by integrating the CSR mindset into the programs she leads. If you feel inspired to continue your journey as an exemplar and an enabler, we invite you to share this story and on the TRANSFORM Support Hub.

Heidi Pio is a non-profit in residence at �鶹ԭ��.
Atalanta Kyriazi is a non-profit in residence at �鶹ԭ��.

�鶹ԭ�� Success Stories: Building Strong Communities of Compassion and Connection

Jacqueline Prause — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 11:15:28 +0000

Community is the thread that weaves us together and unites us in a common goal. The strength of that thread, or the social ties of the community, imbues a sense of belonging and trust. In a community, we feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Whether at the town hall, marketplace, or meeting house, there are people that strengthen a community’s culture through their generosity, fellowship, and compassion. Often these selfless individuals are volunteers dedicating their time and talents to ensure the betterment of the community and well-being of its members.

“Community is so important. We have to take care of each other,” says Marissa Baum, customer program manager, Customer Growth & Advisory Programs team at �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors. Based in �鶹ԭ��’s Newtown Square office, she fulfills her passion for building strong communities through her work leading high-touch customer programs for �鶹ԭ�� and volunteering with not-for-profit organizations in the Philadelphia area. “The pandemic and the years following have taught us that your community is what can bring the most joy,” she says. “You can have all the material things in the world, but the people who surround you matter most. If they prosper, you prosper.”

�鶹ԭ�� Customer Community: Where You’ll Meet the Most Incredible People

At �鶹ԭ��, Baum oversees her team’s communications strategy and helps lead a portfolio of customer programs for �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors, including customer advisory boards – such as, the CHRO Advisory Board, Sales Performance Management Advisory Board, and Learning Advisory Board – and several user groups. “I love our customers,” she says. “They are some of the most incredible people I’ve gotten to meet, work with, and learn from. I discover something new every single day.”

“�鶹ԭ�� Partner Speed Dating” is one of the innovative programs that Baum and her team launched this year. It allows �鶹ԭ�� partners to present pitches of their solutions to a set of customers, who can then decide to follow up for more information or a deal. The sessions are fun, fast-paced, and beneficial. These sessions have had a direct impact on the sales cycle, which Baum says “was extremely rewarding, because we’re adding value for our customers, our partners, and sales teams. And when they win, I win.”

The team also recently launched the Sales Performance Management Advisory Board, now preparing for its second session after its highly successful premiere, which was rated by customers at 100% “would recommend this to a colleague.” Baum is proud of having built this group up in less than one year. “All the hard work that went into making that advisory board a reality was amazing,” she says. “We had a great first session. The customers were super passionate and excited. I am looking forward to this new adventure with this great group of executives.”

Warm Clothing and Reassurance Sustain a Community in Need

When she is not engaging �鶹ԭ�� customers, Baum spends her time volunteering at not-for-profit organizations like , where she helps to collect gifts, grocery cards, and other necessities for families in the community. Located in West Philadelphia, the parish has many immigrant families who are struggling to make a better life for their children in a new country. Baum helps to distribute warm winter clothing at the holidays, which she wraps as Christmas gifts for the children to open. “Our main mission during the season is collecting and buying winter clothes, including coats and boots, because Philadelphia can get very cold and those [clothes] are expensive, especially if you have a big family” she says. “Talking to the community and learning about the kids and what is on their holiday wish lists helps us to spread joy and compassion. Seeing their faces light up when they get presents of their very own is exciting. They can’t wait to go out and play in the snow.”

Creating that personal connection is an important part of Baum’s volunteer work and flows from her belief in creating an inclusive community where people have a sense of belonging and feel supported. “I think it’s really hard for people to ask for help,” she says. “I’m an independent person and asking for help can feel like a weakness, but I’m always there to reassure our community members of how proud I am of them to seek help and that I am glad we were able to get connected.”

She offers her ongoing support as a point of contact for people who are rebuilding their lives. “I tell them that if there’s any other way in which we can help, please be open, call me. That’s all; I will be there without hesitation. I always give out my cell phone number or e-mail. Taking care of one another is the most important thing we can do as humans.”

From School to �鶹ԭ��: Live Your Passion

Baum’s passion for community building and volunteer work stems from her upbringing. “I went to an all-girls’ school and absolutely loved it,” she explains. “It really taught me so much in terms of my independence, but also being very observant of how I can be a helper, and there were many opportunities for me to do that.” In school, she worked with younger students, assisted at partner schools in the inner city, and organized fundraising for cancer research.

Finding her passion gives her a sense of meaning and purpose, she says. “The best advice I received from my teachers and family when I was younger was to find what you’re passionate about and discover how you can help people through your passion. And so I took that with me into college and then �鶹ԭ��.”

Baum attended Villanova University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. In her senior year, she broke down barriers to take high-level investment and management consulting courses at the business school, where she recalls what it was like being the only woman among 40 male students in the classes. She earned both the respect of classmates and top marks by offering a differentiated perspective on case studies. Today, she is an active alumnus who mentors female students and presents at professional development classes about the importance of moving beyond your comfort zone – and to always advocate for yourself because you are your biggest cheerleader.

Finding Purpose Beyond the Nine-to-Five

When Baum joined the workforce after college, she looked for an organization that valued community. “My motto is always ‘collaboration over competition,’ being able to work with others and having goals set so that everyone can succeed. Sometimes that’s hard to find, but that is always my number one priority in work,” she says.

Upon joining �鶹ԭ�� in November 2019, Baum made a point of bringing the formative experiences, attitudes, and commitments that make up her whole self to her new workplace. A firm believer in the power of mentoring, Baum signed on to be an early talent ambassador, a pro bono role that helps recent university graduates and younger employees get comfortable within �鶹ԭ�� through in-person events, executive speakers, networking opportunities, and occasionally meeting up for lunch. “It’s all-encompassing. Being a mentor brings me so much fulfillment and I loved every second of it. It is exciting to welcome new employees into the �鶹ԭ�� fold,” Baum recalls.

Though her two-year rotation as an early talent ambassador came to an end in January, Baum is thankful for the experience – and very grateful for the support of her manager to take on the additional time commitment. “It was always encouraged to go after my goals and passions,” she says, reflecting on her experience volunteering at �鶹ԭ��, “which is why I always tell people to get involved, because new people and students coming into the workforce may think, ‘Oh well, my life is now my nine-to-five.’ I always explain to them that your nine-to-five is now a part of your life, but not your entire life. There are so many people to meet, things to do, and places to travel. The journey is just beginning.”

Paying It Forward by Keeping Memories Alive

In April 2020, tragedy struck Baum’s family when her father passed away after a long battle with cancer. His death came shortly after Baum began her job at �鶹ԭ��. Coping with the devastating loss, Baum recalls thinking, “I’m so young. I just started my first full-time job. It’s COVID-19. Everything’s locked down. And my father just passed away. What do I do?”

“That was extremely overwhelming,” she says. “To this day, I thank my lucky stars for my team.” Her �鶹ԭ�� manager at the time, Jason Ludt, global vice president, Field Activation and Strategic Programs, �鶹ԭ��, led with compassion, telling her to take as much time as she needed to be with her family. “I will never forget the care and compassion that I received in that time, and I will always pay that forward. I still say to this day, that experience is what made me want to invest in �鶹ԭ�� and it has led me to be a more compassionate and empathic leader, peer, and friend.”

Overcome with grief, Baum talked with social workers, hospital staff, and nurses to find a way to channel her anguish into a positive contribution, explaining, “I need something where I can use my hands and really help a community that needs it, maybe working with kids or young adults who have gone through what I did with the loss of my dad.”

That’s how she got introduced to , a volunteer-led organization that helps children to cope with the loss of a special person in their young lives, such as a parent, sibling, or best friend. Peter’s Place provides weekly group therapy sessions free of cost for families. When Baum first entered the Peter’s Place meeting house, she noticed on the wall a tree of Post-it notes, each reflecting something that a child is missing most about their loved one. “The tree keeps their memory alive, which is so important to that community because these kids don’t want to make anybody uncomfortable or upset if they want to talk about the person they love,” says Baum, who contributed for a while as a group facilitator and now supports the organization with activities and fundraising.

“For these kids, it’s really about building a community of people, including adults who help the grieving process and other kids who know that what they’re going through, and being able to relate and understand that what they are going through is really hard right now,” Baum says. “They feel like no one understands them because most people are lucky enough to not have to go through such a massive loss when they’re that young. And the volunteers get it because the volunteers have been there and are able to make them feel less alone. It is all about support.”

For Baum, being able to provide support to the children at Peter’s Place is a tribute to her father’s memory and a way of saying, “I wish I had had a program like this when I was young, to have someone to relate to, but now I’m going to be that person for someone and help pay it forward.”

Workplace Culture for the Whole Self

Building a community doesn’t happen overnight: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Baum is satisfied that she can achieve a healthy balance with her work and volunteerism. She believes it is a benefit of a supportive workplace culture that encourages employees to be their whole selves. “I have been extremely lucky to have great leadership around me that encourages me to lead a balanced life, and I don’t think that’s unique to my team. I look around �鶹ԭ�� and I see an abundance of strong, compassionate leadership,” she says.

Learn more in the .

From Kitchen Assistant to IT Student

Luis Trunk de Flores — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:15:33 +0000

No matter what the obstacles, some people manage to overcome them and achieve their goals. Malbina Ramil Kyzy is one of them. You can’t help but be struck by the extraordinary perseverance, curiosity, and enthusiasm she has shown in her young life. Born and raised in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, she challenged herself and set out to make her dreams come true.

Malbina Ramil Kyzy. Copyright Norbert Steinhauser

A Chance Meeting

After signing up to a work-and-travel program, Kyzy came to Germany in the summer of 2019. She and a friend worked as catering staff at weddings, festivals, and hotels. But Kyzy soon found the irregular shifts stressful and asked her employer for a job with fixed working hours.

That took her to one of �鶹ԭ��’s cafeterias in Walldorf, where she worked as a kitchen assistant. When asked about her first impressions of the company, she said, “I just thought, ‘Wow! �鶹ԭ�� is huge and there are so many young, interesting people here!’” The company’s size, culture, and dynamic working environment captured her imagination and planted ideas in her mind about a future career.

She had not been in her new job long before – completely by coincidence – she met an �鶹ԭ�� employee who was also from Kyrgyzstan and who motivated her to study in Germany. “She inspired me. She had a similar background to mine. She’d started out working as an au pair in Germany and went on to study here. She was amazing and she told me, ‘I did it, so can you!’”

After this chance encounter, Kyzy’s mind was made up: she wanted to follow a work-study degree program in IT in Germany. But she had to learn German first. Little did she know what obstacles lay ahead.

The Pandemic Strikes

When her work-and-travel visa ended, Kyzy returned home to Kyrgyzstan to continue her studies. But as she observed, “Corruption is a problem in higher education in Kyrgyzstan, and it seemed to me that grades were not necessarily awarded on merit,” she said. She had always dreamed of studying abroad – even as a child. “I’d given up on that idea long ago, to be honest, but my experiences in Germany and at �鶹ԭ�� suddenly made me reconsider. I decided to give it a go!”

She arrived back in Germany as an au pair in 2020. But no sooner had she taken that vital step closer to her goal than reports of the country’s first case of coronavirus came through. Everything changed in an instant. Lockdowns, masks, and social distancing followed. No one could have predicted that the pandemic would drag on for three whole years.

It was a tough time for Kyzy. Her voice tailed off for a moment as she thought back, though her determined tones soon returned: “No matter how hard it was, I was not going to give up. The most difficult part was being stuck at home. But I wanted to protect my host family and myself.”

The Power of a Clear Goal

The German course she was supposed to attend was canceled. Undeterred, she told herself that if she wanted to study here, she needed to speak, read, and understand the language well. So, she began teaching herself. With the help of language Web sites and YouTube videos, she learned the basics, getting up at 8:00 a.m. every day to spend three or four hours studying.

She was often troubled by doubts and the fear of failure. “Will I get a visa?” she wondered. “Will I really manage to learn German? Will I pass the German language test?”

How then – despite all the difficulties – did Kyzy stay motivated, day after day, to pursue her dream? “I told myself that if the worst came to the worst I would return to Kyrgyzstan and pick up my life there again,” she said. That thought helped relieve the pressure and allowed her to focus on her goal.

During this time she also started learning the Java programming language at an IT academy. Slowly but surely, she was making progress. In 2021, as part of the German government’s volunteer service program, she worked at the country’s central agency for continuing vocational education and training in the skilled crafts. There, she learned about the Drupal content management system and developed a Web site with a colleague. This experience fired her enthusiasm for the IT industry and gave her the confidence she needed.

Today – just like the colleague who encouraged her – Kyzy does all she can to motivate young people to realize their dreams. “Lots of people are scared of failure. But you have to take things step by step. You have to be brave and do what you need to do. Follow your passions. Follow your dreams!”

All the effort and sacrifices paid off. In 2021, Kyzy achieved her goal and embarked on a work-study degree program in IT at �鶹ԭ��. René Wohllebe is a vocational training manager and Kyzy’s supervisor. “Malbina is a fantastic example of a young woman who is passionate about IT and proud to work for �鶹ԭ��,” he said. “We are very lucky that she – and many other young women like her – want to train with us and shape the company’s future.”

But even now, in 2023, there are still too few women in IT. The industry needs them desperately – yet traditional gender-role stereotypes persist. Campaigns such as Girls’ Day or cooperation with schools are some of the ways in which �鶹ԭ�� is trying to get women interested in technology at an early age.

The work-study degree program is structured to allow students to rotate through as many as six different practical phases. This means that they get to work on a wide variety of projects and try their hand at a range of different tasks. Kyzy is currently working in the �鶹ԭ�� Enterprise Cloud Services organization, which supports companies migrating to the cloud. Here, she has carried out a requirements analysis for the introduction of a new tool. “�鶹ԭ�� is a great place to work. It allows me to try new things and grow professionally,” she said. She’s already looking forward to the next stop on her learning journey: consulting.

�鶹ԭ�� Success Stories: Empathy Bridges a Path to Safety

Jacqueline Prause — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 12:15:04 +0000

Smartly dressed in her British school uniform, the small girl bounds contentedly through the door of her roomy new home in the Somerset countryside. Two cheerful little dogs named Muffin and Biscuit are the first to greet her. Later, there will be ballet class and time to play in the house’s idyllic English garden.

But one year ago, things were very different. Only six years old, Ksusha, her mother Nadiia, and older sister Yaroslava were displaced and living as refugees in Poland after fleeing their home in , Ukraine, to escape the escalating war. Now safe as a result of the UK government’s visa sponsorship program, their lives have begun to stabilize with new friendships, language lessons, and cultural support as they integrate into British daily life.

Gilly Smith, the woman who compassionately opened her home for Nadiia and her daughters, says she is grateful to have the space available to be able to host the family, who in turn have added a new dimension to her life. “It’s lovely when the girls come home,” says Smith, who works for �鶹ԭ�� as a partner delivery manager for solutions from . “They see immediately if I’ve got my headset on as to whether or not they can be noisy or come in and give me a big hug and tell me about their day.”

“I had a really quiet life before,” says Smith, thinking back to when it was just her, her husband, and the two dogs at home. “Now there’s a lot of activity.” She pauses to lean in, tilts her head, and shares a gem of insight gleaned from her experience: “In the same way that working within a team you need diversity and different ideas, it’s the same in a home life. It’s great having different ages in the same house. It’s energizing.”

“We Need to Do This”

In her �鶹ԭ�� role, Smith works with �鶹ԭ�� partners in many countries to deliver success to customers. In her global team, where she is the regional lead for Europe, colleagues work from locations as varied as Australia, Ireland, and Fair Isle in Shetland. She values the open, direct communication that she has with �鶹ԭ�� partners, which she says makes her work very enriching. “This is the best job at �鶹ԭ��. It’s a fabulous job because I’m working with partners.”

Born in New Zealand, Smith says her intercultural experiences have mostly centered on Western Europe. So, it was a feeling of profound empathy that prompted her to help displaced families from Ukraine. “What motivated me was hearing on the news about this, particularly women and children fleeing, and I just thought if I had a daughter, I would want somebody to look after them, to at least house them and make sure they had food.”

Her husband felt the same. During the pandemic, the couple had made the decision to move to the countryside in preparation for eventual retirement. A tax incentive from the government sweetened the deal and they felt very fortunate to find a spacious, bright house in rural Somerset – which they now wanted to share with a displaced family. “There was really no discussion about it. We just looked at each other and said, ‘We need to do this. We’ve got the space.’”

Bureaucracy and Hugs

The initial step to enroll as a sponsor in Homes for Ukraine was as easy as ticking a box. But Smith and her husband almost abandoned the process many times due to cumbersome bureaucratic forms with no support. For example, Smith had to find someone from Ukraine to sponsor, which meant combing endless social media profiles for a faint connection. “You’re reading these absolutely tragic stories. It was really depressing,” recalls Smith. She finally found a young woman named Nadiia with two daughters, ages five and eleven, who wanted to be near Yeovil, a town near Smith. “I think I’ve found somebody,” Smith told her husband.

However, government forms that required documents in Ukrainian nearly jeopardized the match. “It was just the most terrible form I’ve ever tried to fill in. It was so stressful, I burst into tears.” On March 27, 2022, they submitted the required information.

And then they waited…and waited. There were no updates from the authorities for three months. She and her husband began to lose hope of bringing Nadiia and her daughters to the UK. “In early June, we were saying, ‘It’s not happening. She’s not going to come,’ because this process was just so painful.”

When the UK government finally issued their visas, the family hastily boarded a cheap flight to the UK, arriving on June 9.

Smith recalls the joy of greeting the family in person when they arrived at her home. “The eldest girl ran out and just came and gave me a great big bear hug, which was lovely. The little girl was hiding behind her mother. She was very shy.” Muffin and Biscuit came to the rescue with love and affection. “The little girls absolutely adore the dogs. We were like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a family.’”

Ballet, Birthdays, and Rainbows

Smith enrolled the girls in local schools and helped them with school uniforms. “The little one, I especially felt sorry for her because she didn’t know anybody and initially had no English. She just stood in the middle of the playground and would say, ‘Hello, I’m Ksusha.’” To help her integrate with local children, Smith helped Nadiia enroll Ksusha in ballet class and Rainbows, part of . “Now she comes home and I ask, ‘How was your day at school?’ And she says, ‘It was very good, thank you.’”

As Yaroslava’s twelfth birthday neared, the adults were unsure how to celebrate. She was making new friends, but the thought of her birthday without her long-time friends from Ukraine made Yaroslava not want to celebrate. Eventually, she was persuaded to invite her new friends and her birthday party was a memorable success.

Building Independence

Aside from the challenges of the application process, Smith is very positive about how the UK government has supported the integration of Ukrainian families into communities and schools. Nadiia is studying English and has made tremendous progress. She re-established contact with a friend from the Ukraine who is now in the UK. A long-time family friend, Oleksii, joined her in December and together they are trying to build a new life with jobs and independent housing.

“I really want to see them both get jobs because that will enable them in due course to have their own place for their lives,” says Smith, who in her spare time enjoys helping them learn English. “We get on very well, but it’s never quite the same as having your own place.”

Saving Lives in the Turkish Earthquake Zone

Bettina Wunderle — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 13:15:17 +0000

In the early hours of February 6, 2023, two massive earthquakes and multiple aftershocks struck southeast Türkiye and northern Syria. Less than a day later, �鶹ԭ�� employee Sebastian Hodapp and others from the volunteer search and rescue organization were on the ground in the disaster zone to help locate and rescue victims trapped under rubble.

“We’re a private organization, so we’re flexible and can deploy to wherever we’re needed fast. Every minute is precious in the search for earthquake victims,” says Hodapp, who has served as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown for more than 20 years and joined @fire 12 years ago to use his skills to help save lives abroad, too.

After just a few hours’ preparation, the first @fire team – 17 emergency responders and two search dogs – flew from Germany via Istanbul to Adana in southern Türkiye. As one of the first international response teams to arrive, they began by helping install the UN reception and departure counter at the airport for rescuers flying in from around the world. After that, they set off on a six-hour drive across the mountains to the city of Kahramanmaraş (or Maraş) in southern Anatolia. The Turkish authorities provided them with vans and drivers for the journey.

The Hazardous Search for Survivors

On arrival in Maraş, part of the team began setting up a base camp for the rescuers, while others immediately joined the search for survivors beneath the rubble. They spoke with local residents and with other rescue teams to assess where there might be hope of finding people alive. Because the earthquake hit during the night, most of the victims were trapped in the ruins of apartment buildings.

Once the team had established where to begin looking, the dog handlers moved in with their specially trained rescue dogs, which can search large areas of debris relatively quickly. “The dogs have learned to bark only when they pick up the scent of people who are still alive,” explains Hodapp. When the dog gives a bark alert, the rescuers bring in audio equipment to listen for shouts and tapping sounds. They also use tiny telescope cameras that they can push through holes and cracks to find victims.

When the rescuers locate a survivor, their stress levels rise as they feel the burden of responsibility to do everything they can to get the person out alive. They use a variety of tools, including concrete breakers and drills, to break through areas of damaged buildings that have become inaccessible – often putting their own lives at risk. “We have structural engineers on our team who can tell us whether collapsed buildings are at risk of collapsing further,” says Hodapp. And throughout the rescue mission, specially trained team members provide as much medical care for trapped victims as they can in these difficult conditions.

Hodapp tells us of one very lengthy operation to reach two people who had been on the first floor of an apartment building when the earthquake struck. The rescuers used an excavator and other equipment to access the building through the basement and then worked their way up bit by bit to the trapped victims.

Grueling Rescue Efforts

The team pulled five people from the rubble over the seven days it was in action. One particular rescue was especially emotional for Hodapp, who has a two-year-old daughter himself. “We were trying to free a mother and her six-year-old daughter. And finally, after 20 hours, we got them out,” he explains. “No words can describe the relief and joy we felt in that moment. But there’s little time for these emotions because we have to move on to the next rescue. And that’s why this work is so grueling.” In the first evening they were there, the team members rescued four people. Two days later, they managed to free a 15-year-old girl.

Hodapp and the team spent one week in Maraş: “The chances of finding someone alive seven days after an earthquake is very small – especially in such bitterly cold temperatures, which are partly below freezing, especially at night,” he says. Hodapp is reassured by the fact that several international teams have stayed behind to complete the final search and rescue operations. Having liaised with the United Nations Disaster and Coordination (UNDAC) organization, @fire stood down on Saturday evening.

The team headed back to Germany on Sunday morning. Hodapp says: “Dramatic situations like these remind us of how fortunate we are. I’m humbled and grateful to be able to return to my family and to a house that is safe. The people affected by the earthquake face months or perhaps even years of adversity.”

Life Lessons from Relief Work

At �鶹ԭ��, Hodapp manages the local IT organization for �鶹ԭ��’s regional offices in Germany and the IT Event Services unit for EMEA. “I’m lucky to have a team that is willing to cover for me at short notice and a manager who lets me take time off so I can join disaster relief missions,” he says.

He explains how his training as a rescuer and the deployments he has been on have changed his outlook on life and his approach to his job: “Relief work has taught me to keep calm under pressure – and to first decide how best to deal with a situation and then to act decisively. These are skills that help me at �鶹ԭ��, too.”

Hodapp also relates how teaming up with rescuers from across the world has helped him improve his ability to communicate and work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It has taught him that success takes teamwork, cooperation, and flexibility. Understanding this helps him perform better as a leader at �鶹ԭ��.

As one of @fire’s directors, Hodapp devotes much of his spare time and energy to the organization. Doing so also gives him so much back in return. To anyone who is wondering whether to become a volunteer for an organization, he says: “It is such a great feeling to do something for the community and make a difference. Just try it – I’m sure you’ll find it as rewarding as I do.”

Top photo courtesy of @fire

�鶹ԭ�� Success Stories: Teeing Up with Tracy Martin, Golfer and HXM Ace

Jacqueline Prause — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 12:15:19 +0000

A hurricane could not stop Tracy Martin from achieving her dream to compete in the esteemed . As Martin shot her first round at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, Hurricane Ian* was little more than a Caribbean breeze. There was no foretelling of the dangerous Category 4 storm that would bring an 18-foot storm surge to Southwest Florida just 10 days later.

Martin however had more than a dream to compete. She had a mindset.

Focus on Outcomes

One shot at a time: This is the mindset that has enabled Martin to maintain resilience and stamina during the most demanding moments on the golf course and in her career. She says the key is “focusing in on what you want that next shot to be.” It’s a technique she learned from legendary sports psychologist , who explained how to channel adrenaline to stay focused in the present and not get distracted by missed shots.

“It all comes down to knowing what you can control,” Martin says. “And really focusing in on what you want that outcome to be. Then ultimately getting to that end result or that goal you want to achieve.”

Martin carries this mindset over to her career as an account executive at �鶹ԭ��, where she is responsible for managing customer relationships. “I really enjoy talking with customers to understand their needs and how we can help provide the best solution,” says Martin, who joined �鶹ԭ�� in March 2020 as a presales solution advisor. “I love working with my manager and the team to solve complex business problems. Ultimately, it’s just a great company.”

That Ping Golf Ball

Growing up in New Hampshire, Martin regularly joined her father, an avid golfer and retired manufacturer’s representative, for rounds on the golf course. While she enjoyed many other sports, something about golf really inspired her. “It’s just a great environment,” she says. “It’s a great thing to do. It keeps me active. It keeps me social and, yeah, it’s a lot fun.”

To this day, she carries the first golf ball ever given to her: a yellow and orange Ping golf ball. Though the company long ago ceased production of its popular golf balls, Martin says, “That’s always in my golf bag, just as a reminder of when I started.”

You Only Get One Shot

In high school, Martin earned the distinction of becoming the first female player on the school’s varsity golf team. “I wanted to be a member of a team in high school,” she recalls. “I loved being able to lead the path to be the first.”

Though she acknowledges that there can be a stigma attached to female golfers, she says she was fortunate in having the support of the other team members. “Again, I think it goes back to what you can control. I really focused in on being able to play well and show that I belonged there. I think the guys on my team rallied around that. It was a lot of fun,” she says. During her junior and senior years, she was chosen as team captain. “They knew I could represent and really focus in on what we needed to do to perform and be that piece of the puzzle to help the team overall.” With her leadership, they won the New Hampshire state high school championship for boys, girls, and team in 2007.

Martin was recruited to play on the golf team at the , where she maintained the lowest-scoring for the women’s golf team until 2022. The highlight of her senior year was playing in the Wendy’s Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina, in October 2012. Arriving a few days early for the tournament, she played on the iconic Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, ranked #4 among U.S. public golf courses and known for its stunning ocean views and unsparing wind conditions.

“I always wanted to play the Ocean Course. Everybody knew it was something I wanted to do.” She was grateful for that extraordinary opportunity. Her team went on to win the tournament and Martin won the individual competition. “It was a very special few days,” she says.

In college, Martin refined her warm-up routine to get into a focused “you only get one shot” mindset for tournament play. She still applies these methods. She hits the same irons for 20-30 minutes, then a few with a fairway wood, and ends with the driver. She then wraps up her preparation on the putting green. Her secret: “I typically only use one ball when practicing putting,” she says. “My college coach said, you only get one shot on the golf course. So, why would you bring three different golf balls to practice with on the putting green?”

Firing a 68 for Women’s Sports

As a professional with a full-time job at �鶹ԭ��, Martin makes it to the golf course three to four times a week, whether for nine holes, 18 holes, or practice. She optimizes the short New England golf season by playing 60-75 rounds a year, including off-season trips to sunnier locations. In the 2020 season, she set a new women’s course record at the , where she is a member, from the red tees.

She says she’s excited about the technologies that are gaining popularity in the sport, like yardage range finders and GPS. “The control that you can get over the ball has really changed exponentially,” she says, citing new analytics software programs that are vastly helping players improve their play in ways that were not possible in the past. “That’s really changed the game.”

In July 2021, Martin won the , in Lowell, Massachusetts. The annual charity event raises money for women’s sports and high school girls to receive scholarships for college. As announced on , Martin “fired a smooth 68” with 3-under to win the event on her first attempt. In her , she thanks the crowd’s enthusiasm and excellent course conditions, saying, “It was an awesome experience!”

�鶹ԭ��’s Support for Bringing Her Whole Self to Work

Many golf events and tournaments take place during the week, which is a challenge for Martin, who says she needs to be very selective about which events she will dedicate time to as a player. The annual USGA Mid-Amateur Championship topped her list. “This was something I set as a goal with my manager at the beginning of the year: to make the Mid-Amateur. I wanted to get back into that highest level of competition, which I hadn’t been able to really do since college,” Martin says.

Her manager, Billy Baker, �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors vice president, East, understood that Martin’s passion for golf is an important part of her whole self as an �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors employee. To require her to suppress that part of herself on the job would result in unhappiness and frustration for Martin – and a likely loss of valuable productivity for �鶹ԭ��. Martin is very grateful for Baker’s encouragement. “He was extremely supportive and very adamant that we need to follow our passions so that we can succeed not only at work but also in our personal lives.”

“Tracy’s passion for competitive golf is an important part of her life,” says Baker. “It is beneficial for employees to have outlets outside of the workplace to provide additional fulfillment and happiness. Tracy applies the energy and mindset she gains on the course to her work life. I believe that fulfilled employees will bring their best selves to work.”

Support for Martin’s dream to play in the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship did not end with Baker. Greg Healy, �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors regional vice president, East, also extended his backing for Martin to achieve her personal goal while managing her �鶹ԭ�� career. In fact, Martin’s entire team has been enthusiastically following the developments of her tournament play and qualification matches.

“Bringing one’s whole self to work is not just a tag line for our team. It is something we embrace and encourage,” says Healy. “Tracy’s leadership, execution, and attention to detail help her excel in her job and create raving fans with her customers. These traits also allow her to execute at a high level in one of the world’s most difficult sports. To say I am proud of Tracy is an understatement and we are lucky to have her as a part of our team.”

“I have an amazing support system from family, work, and friends and they just really inspire me to make sure I can play the best golf I can,” Martin says. “I feel like I can be myself at work and on the golf course. It’s been an amazing couple of years being at �鶹ԭ�� and just receiving that support throughout the entire time I’ve been here.”

One Shot at a Time

As Martin leans in to 2023, she looks forward to helping �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors customers achieve their business goals with the right support and resources. “I love the part of my job that allows me to really help people and identifying what their needs are. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with my customers,” she says.

Martin says that golf has taught her a great deal about human potential and resilience. “Golf is very difficult because you never know what you’re going to get on any given day,” she says, noting that you never really have the same shot twice. “You have to have the tenacity and the ability to put a round behind you and come out the next day and really just focus on that round. I think it’s something that people who play golf can understand.”

Having relished the honor to compete this year at the USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Martin was through her rounds and returned safely back home to New England well before the arrival of Hurricane Ian. Next year, she will attempt to qualify again. True to form, she’ll take it one shot at a time.

*Editor’s note: Hurricane Ian was an historic storm that impacted Florida and Southeast U.S. �鶹ԭ�� responded by ensuring the safety of its employees in the region and making a donation to the Red Cross to support relief efforts.

The Sky Is Not the Limit

Paul Baur — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:15:20 +0000

The untrained eye can’t see it, but Uwe Wahlig’s competition glider is obsolete. Forty-plus years, three generations of wing profile refinements, and other design changes separate Wahlig’s plane from the latest gliders. But the in the Club Class remains true to his trusty LS-3 sailplane built in 1977.

To be perfectly clear, as a senior developer at �鶹ԭ��, Wahlig doesn’t oppose technological advances. But when he sees value in something, he holds onto it and improves it. He applies this principle to many things in his life, but it’s perhaps most evident in his vintage glider. Together, Wahlig and his LS-3 “November Sierra” glider consistently finish ahead when competing against the best pilots and planes in the world.

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If he weren’t so successful, the German pilot with long hair could conjure memories of Björn Borg’s attempted tennis comeback with a wooden racket against carbon in 1991. But Wahlig pulls it off without a trace of bravado. In June, he in the Racing Class competition at the German National Championships in Zwickau, Germany, also placing first on the fastest day of racing.

For Wahlig, the joy of flying is the ultimate goal. Pilots at the German nationals applauded his gliding mastery. Because, in addition to his flying skills, he is revered among the gliding community for his quiet nature, sportsmanship, and calmness under pressure.

Optimizing Everything

Wahlig’s calm demeanor belies a burning passion for the sport of competitive gliding and an unabating lifelong drive to optimize everything about himself and his plane. He leaves nothing to chance in preparing for competitions, meticulously studying the geography and climatic conditions wherever he flies. There is a myriad of variables in the course of a flight that a pilot needs to consider, and he knows them all. “You always keep an eye on the clouds and the ground to have an idea where the thermals come from, and you need to be optimizing everything during the competition,” Wahlig says.

His passion to optimize everything stems from his experiences building and flying model airplanes as a boy. What began with launching paper airplanes from the second story window of his grandmother’s house into the neighbor’s yard continued with the construction of his first model gliders of balsa wood. “My father wasn’t impressed with my initial models, but with time they got better and better,” he says today.

Soon, Wahlig was testing and refining his model planes with his friends at the in Bensheim, Germany. At 17 he earned his glider pilot rating and at 19 he already won his first national youth gliding competition. He was always finding new ways to improve his flying skills with the club’s planes, which at the time were made mostly of wood. All along his path to becoming world champion, he was intuitively applying “,” a widely recognized software development approach whereby incremental changes are made that add immediate value for end-users.

As a software engineer at �鶹ԭ��, Wahlig is detail-oriented and accustomed to applying the latest technology to test and optimize the operation of business software for hundreds of thousands of business customers worldwide. “I apply the same focus I have during gliding competitions to my work improving software solutions,” he says. By taking advantage of �鶹ԭ��’s flexible working policy, the glider pilot has been able to hone his skills and compete at competitions across Europe and beyond.

The Sky Is Not the Limit

Wahlig is constantly pushing the limits of himself and his LS-3. Improvements he has made to the plane’s flight characteristics and instrumentation have helped him achieve the maximum possible performance for the vintage glider. For example, he added winglets and installed bug wipers to reduce drag and maximize the gliding ratio, and he recently installed the latest instrumentation for navigating and locating the maximum lift in thermals. “A good plane and good pilot are important, but to reach the last two percent of performance, you need good instruments,” says Wahlig.

At the German nationals in Zwickau, Wahlig knew he wouldn’t stand much of a chance against modern gliders on days with very strong thermals. But competitions are conducted under varying weather conditions, so a day with weak thermals or changing conditions could benefit a lighter plane like his LS-3.

Several challenging flying days played into the gliding champion’s strategy, and by keeping a cool head and waiting for the best opportunities he was able to maintain consistently good results throughout. Flights can be up to five hours long in the same position – half sitting and half lying, so he practices yoga to relax between flights. “This brings you back to the ground when you are in the air so long,” Wahlig says. The added flexibility in his neck and shoulders also affords him a nearly 360-degree view from the cockpit.

“Preparation, consistency, and simply the avoidance of stupid mistakes are often more important than the plane you are flying,” he says. He’s convinced that recent competitions have helped him better understand the limits and strengths of his 45-year-old glider. “I have a lot of new ideas and have recently made a lot of improvements in the way I fly,” says Wahlig without mentioning any trade secrets.

Wahlig is now preparing for the next competitions to help him defend his No. 1 ranking at the in Australia. There, you can be sure that he will be flying his trusty LS-3 along the fastest route from thermal to thermal. Because for Wahlig, the sky is not the limit.

How One �鶹ԭ�� Employee Is Helping Save the U.S. Coastline

Tim Yannopoulos — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 13:15:48 +0000

A collective conscious effort is needed to preserve the world’s coastlines and their ecosystem. Understanding the difficult challenges coastal wildlife faces, �鶹ԭ�� Ariba Communications Lead Jennifer Zarcone has channeled her desire to give back and preserve coastal wildlife by starting the non-profit , dedicated to education, research, and preservation of coastal wildlife.

Growing up by the beach on Long Island, New York, Zarcone has loved wildlife and the coast from an early age. Seven years ago, she bought her first home and moved to the New Jersey shore. Hurricane Sandy then tore through the state and left almost 8 million people without power, sent communities into states of emergency, and, for the first time since 1888, forced the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to remain closed for several consecutive days due to weather.

After a storm like that, Zarcone says, “You are very aware of the power of the ocean and the vulnerability of the coastal region.”

Long before the hurricane, she had made volunteering an integral part of her life, with a firm belief in the saying, “You make a living by what you do but you make a life by what you give.” Her experience growing up by the coast and with Hurricane Sandy made it clear that volunteering for the health of the coastline would be a fantastic fit – a natural way to give back even more.

Zarcone originally moved to the New Jersey shore with the dream of becoming an oyster farmer and got her shellfish husbandry certification. She found organizations in her area that did oyster restoration research and started connecting. In 2015, Zarcone saw a Facebook post from Joe Reynolds, chair of the Bayshore Watershed Council, who was looking for a seining partner for its annual Seine the Bay event. After reaching out and spending the day going up and down the Raritan Bay seining, they became fast friends. Zarcone agreed to join him for horseshoe crab monitoring and started going to council meetings.

Zarcone and a core group from the council then decided they would start a non-profit organization to do more, and formed the board of directors for Save Coastal Wildlife last March. They saw a need for a non-profit that could, as she puts it, “Speak for the actual wildlife and educate people along the coast about how to fish with respect and gratitude for the environment.”

Research and education regarding the coastline are needed because, as Zarcone points out, “For thousands of years people have fished to eat, but there is a balance that’s needed. We have tipped the scale in the wrong direction and this is affecting the wildlife, the entire ecosystem, our waterways, and all of us.”

Horseshoe crabs provide a shocking example of the situation, thanks to research by Save Coastal Wildlife. Eel fisherman use the crabs as bait, and since females are fattier, larger animals, fishermen target them excessively. As one of the oldest animals on the planet – traced back through geologic record to around 445 million years ago, 200 million years before dinosaurs existed – stark changes in the horseshoe crab population will have consequences on other organisms that have grown dependent on the crabs and their eggs over millions of years.

On these stark changes, Zarcone shares, “On a single night we’ll pull hundreds of horseshoe crabs out of the water and there will be one female for every 50 males.” Although she notices the negative environmental changes and uses it as motivation for her non-profit’s initiatives, she also takes time to enjoy her experiences and draw inspiration from the beauty of the nature around her. “When you live inside a laptop, being able to unplug and pluck something right out of the water and say, ‘Look at this!’ is incredibly satisfying. It’s so important to be in touch with wildlife.”

When asked about how �鶹ԭ�� measures up as far as enabling and supporting her, Zarcone feels extraordinarily fortunate. “At another company, I might not feel comfortable starting a non-profit because they might view it as distracting me from my work. But at �鶹ԭ��, I felt empowered and supported to volunteer and start Save Coastal Wildlife. Knowing it’s something I can openly do is awesome, because �鶹ԭ�� knows it makes me a happier and more productive employee.”

When you have a passion for volunteering, the positive side effects are numerous as Zarcone finds her work with Save Coastal Wildlife and �鶹ԭ�� benefit from each other. After plucking horseshoe crabs out of the bay, “I come back to work refreshed, knowing I have a full life giving back to something I’m passionate about. It gives me a better perspective every day.” Since she is also the only communications-oriented person on her non-profit team, she draws on her professional experience when writing grants, press releases, and social media content for Save Coastal Wildlife as its communications lead and secretary.

With more than a year under their belt, Save Coastal Wildlife and Zarcone are committed to continuing the interesting and impactful education and research on coastal wildlife. If you ever look out onto the New York Harbor or Jersey Shore under a full moon and see someone plucking horseshoe crabs out of the water, tagging them while they are trying to mate – which they don’t always appreciate – relax. It’s just Zarcone having a blast saving our coasts, one horseshoe crab at a time.