People in Lighting: Constanze von Mühlenfels

Companies are defined by the people who work for them: for over a century, Schréder has been at the forefront of lighting thanks to its employees worldwide. Throughout 2021 we’ll be focusing on the people who make Schréder what it is, including their career path, landmark projects and their thoughts on where lighting is headed next.

Constanze von Mühlenfels is Managing Director at Schréder GmbH, based in Stuttgart, Germany (although, like many colleagues, she’s mainly working from home at the moment, close to Hamburg). Constanze joined the internal sales department at Schréder in 2014 before becoming MD of the German business in 2016, making her one of the first female country directors, as well as the youngest in the Schréder Group. She’s overseen projects across Germany, as well as leading a change in the corporate culture.

The electrical industry is a fantastic industry...

I have a background in economics and communication, and started working in a company that did outdoor furniture, including lighting. Then I switched to a company that did electrical engineering, which was also in line with my interests. We were dealing with smart home projects. Then I got a call from Schréder, and lighting really did bring all of my interests together. I find the electrical industry fantastic. Product cycles get shorter and shorter, technological inventions come faster and faster. There is so much dynamic in it. It’s just great.

I had the opportunity to experience different roles at Schréder…

I started as Head of Internal Sales, then became Regional Sales Director and finally Managing Director of the German entity. Over the last 7 ½ years, I gained a profound understanding of the products and the lighting business, which is the key to being successful in this industry. I stepped into a steep learning curve. Due to the different roles and various projects that I was involved in over the years, I was able to build a strong network within the Schréder Group as well as in the market. This is of course helpful but also important. No matter how great the job is, if you don't work with the right people, it won't last. I am thankful Schréder had confidence in me. 

We brought to life a Can-Do culture...

When I took over as Managing Director, it was about managing a company in very disruptive commercial times. We were undergoing some big internal changes and faced a dynamic market environment. 
There were a lot of issues that we had to tackle. In addition to increasing market share, developing new products and implementing optimised procedures and streamlined workflows, we brought to life a new mentality that puts a common goal, an effective team spirit and a can-do culture at the heart of what we do. This takes some time and is an everyday project. Looking back, I can say that the right culture with the right team is a real game-changer. That got us through successfully!
 

I don’t believe in micro-managing...

My leadership style focuses on three key expectations for my team: First, trust. Second, integrity. And third, ownership and personal responsibility for what he/she does. This gives everyone a lot of freedom to manage their own work. It motivates them and in parallel it makes us faster and more agile. 
 

We’re proud to be a part of the Mittelstand...

Here in Germany, we’re perceived as a strong part of the Mittelstand with the background of a strong international headquarters and production sites. We have the flexibility of a small company, with the strength of an international company on economies of scale, R&D and production. It’s a strong set-up.  
Besides that, we do a lot to make Schréder an attractive place to work. Our German headquarters is located in Stuttgart. As you can imagine, there is a lot of competition for the so called “war of talent”. With big attractive companies in our neighbourhood, we need to make efforts to keep up with them. Looking at our latest employee satisfaction survey, I am confident that we are going in the right direction. Employee retention is an important topic for the Mittelstand. 

German cities are great customers....

Germans are highly demanding but also very loyal customers once they have trust in a brand. Environmental awareness is common among German customers. They expect quality, longevity and great customer service. 
Customer care and integrity are part of our core values. We go the extra mile to satisfy our customer’s expectations and requests. It is great to see how we can support cities and municipalities in making their urban environments more sustainable, more attractive and more future proof for their inhabitants with our solutions. Together with our customers we create cities people love to live in. This is my little contribution to making our world a better place.