Siegwerk celebrates International Women's Day

 Can you introduce yourself and your role at Siegwerk? 

I am Stefanie Lorey and I am with Siegwerk Druckfarben since April 2018. I am employed as a Maintenance Planner for the electrical and supply engineering departments. I also manage the test management for the systems at Siegwerk.

What have you done before? How did you get to the job you have today?

Before Siegwerk, I was employed as an Electronics Technician in the skilled trades area working on construction sites and customer service. Then I was employed here as an Electronics Technician for automation. Parallel to my job, I did my Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at night school. And with my qualification as a master craftswoman, I switched to planning. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in the printing industry?

In fact, I actively chose to work in this industry simply to learn and see new things. The focus was less on the chemical industry. It was more about the opportunity to find an employer in the immediate vicinity.

What’s one leadership lesson you wish you had learned earlier?
Lateral leadership - the knowledge that such a thing exists. I am not in a leadership role. 

Who has been your biggest mentor or role model in your career?

My mother was and is my role model - as she also works in a technical field, I was born with this in mind. My role model for getting into electrical engineering was my technology and math teacher - himself an engineer in electrical engineering. My biggest mentors so far are Elke Holin from Female Resources Cross Mentoring and the Head of Maintenance at Siegwerk, Hans Biermann. I regularly get input from both of them for my future career and life paths. 

If you had to describe your leadership style in three words, what would they be?

Leadership style for lateral leadership in my area: the willingness to fight and compromise.

How do you balance leadership and your personal life (like parenthood, friends and family, hobbies, self-care, etc.)?

The balance for my job is exercise. 

What do you hope future generations of women in your industry won’t have to experience?

First of all, I hope that more women will realize that they are also in good hands in technology and that they have opportunities and a future here at Siegwerk. We don't need to hide. Quite the opposite. women are urgently needed. What do I hope other women don't have to experience? Exclusion and the classic prejudices - that women and technology don't go together. Or that we are too emotional to make important decisions.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice as a woman, what would that be?
Do exactly what you want to do – there is no one stopping you! And another very important point: don't hide. You can do everything and some things even better than your male colleagues 😉

Anything else you would like to add, especially in light of International Women’s Day?

In general on International Women's Day:
I would like us to focus much more on the fact that there are no “typical” female or male characteristics, that we stop thinking in pigeonholes. 
That we don't reduce things to gender - anyone can do anything if they want to. And otherwise you can learn it.