The People Factor

Barbara Imm leads the People & Culture department of Roadsurfer and has +10 years of experience in scaling and leading a people function that operates globally.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context07:03 - Roadsurfer's growth12:19 - Hiring challenges17:16 - Blue-collar hiring process20:33 - Ashby ATS25:56 - Defining company cultureLinksBarbara Imm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-imm-4a35a49b/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Steve is the Founder & CEO of Gem. Gem is the leading all-in-one recruiting platform powered by AI: ATS + CRM + Sourcing + Analytics + Scheduling + Talent Marketing & Events + Career Site. talent marketing, and career site management. Before Gem, he was an early engineer at Dropbox, where he quickly rose to lead several engineering teams, focusing heavily on recruiting and scaling the company's talent acquisition strategy.As Dropbox grew from 25 to 1,500 employees, Steve observed a paradigm shift in recruiting: companies started proactively seeking top talent, similar to how sales and marketing teams don't just wait for customers to come to them. This approach required a unified system to track and manage pre-application recruiting efforts, which didn't exist at the time, so he built Gem.Shownotes02:40 - Introduction to Gem04:23 - The Lightbulb Moment for Gem07:05 - A Breakthrough for the Company10:54 - From Sourcing to an All-in-One Platform20:01 - The Role of AI in RecruitmentLinksGuest Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-bartel/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Dr. Yasmin Kurzhals verfügt über mehr als 20 Jahre Expertise und sie war in unterschiedlichsten People & Culture Funktionen tätig, davon 15 Jahre in Führungspositionen. Die promovierte Diplom-Psychologin ist ausgebildete systemische Business Coach und systemische Organisationsberaterin. Ihre Leidenschaft gilt den Themen Leadership, Mental Health sowie Kultur- und Organisationsentwicklung, insbesondere im Kontext von New work.Shownotes04:23 - Einführung und Kontext08:23 - Generationenunterschiede und Trends13:23 - Führungskultur und psychologische Sicherheit18:23 - Individualisierung und Mitarbeiterbindung23:23 - Arbeitsglück und Selbstverwirklichung28:23 - Arbeitsumgebung und psychische GesundheitLinksGuest Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-yasmin-kurzhals-bb6986104/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Dr. Lynn Schäfer, Head of People & Culture at homee & stromee (Berlin based smart home and renewable energy provider), TM enthusiast – more than 20 years working experience in the HR/TM area at McKinsey & company, Bertelsmann, start-up and also led a European Institute on TM at ESCP Business School.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context04:19 - A meaningful workplace06:10 - Working under budget constraints17:40 - Talent Pools and Referrals27:16 - Hiring a senior hr person at 15 employeesGuest Linkedin:Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Romy is a seasoned HR professional with over a decade of experience in both corporate and startup environments. She believes that the key to success lies in the perfect balance between structure and agility.Romy’s passion is to help people and organizations grow both strategically and operationally.With a strong focus on HR development, she has expanded her expertise to include all aspects of HR management and is a skilled networker who loves to connect with people.Shownotes00:00 - intro & context05:20 - Applying AI in HR14:20 - Future-proof organization24:20 - Hypecycle of technology in HR TechLinksSebastian:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/flysebsch/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Yasmin is on a mission to change the perception of HR and inspire HR professionals and business leaders alike to be and empower the HR team that employees and businesses really need.With a unique blend of business acumen and empathetic leadership, she strives to create an inclusive and supportive work environment that fosters growth and development for everyone involved. Yasmina believes that HR has the power to be a true driver of business success and employee well-being, and is passionate about leading the change in that direction.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context07:47 - Culture nurturing10:47 - Culture and Compensation14:32 - Cultural recruiting23:07 - Internal moves25:47 - Terminations, employer and employee perspectiveGuest Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmin-ahmed-a60ba021/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

With 20 years of experience in human resources, Björn is currently the Chief People Officer at Mytheresa, a global luxury e-commerce platform. In this role, he leads the HR strategy and operations for over 2,000 employees across numerous countries, supporting the company's rapid growth and expansion. He is responsible for developing and implementing HR programs that foster a diverse, inclusive, and high-performance culture, as well as attracting, retaining, and developing top talent.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context11:04 - Competition vs collaboration18:04 - Letting go of responsibility26:04 - Macroeconomic impact on HRLinksThomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Sergej Zimpel is a seasoned HR leader with over a decade of experience spanning startups to large corporations. As co-founder of the Purple Squirrel Society and TA Crunch Berlin, he fosters vibrant HR communities. Sergej is also the host of the podcast "HR Messed You Up, Kid" and a speaker and panelist. Currently, he leads talent acquisition at "Die Autobahn," driving innovation through strategic recruitment efforts.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context05:45 - Fucking up things with data08:35 - Data quality11:00 - Why data-driven work is not micro managing16:45 - Difficult hiring managersSergej Zimpel Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergej-zimpel-a3a19a66/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Maria is VP People & Culture at Lingoda, the leading online language learning company in Europe. She did an MBA in Leadership People & Organization and is an HR strategist and expert with more than ten years of experience in strategic HR roles in companies of various industries and sizes.Shownotes00:00 - intro & context08:17 How to get approval from the c-level16:57 Benefits that worked and did not18:07 Psychological safety24:27 Mental health challenges28:57 Mental health challenges29:27 - Comparing and rating results of assessmentsMaria - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-kamischke-514112ab/Book recommendation: Surrounded by idiots https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Thomas-Erikson/dp/1250179947Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Sabrina has swiftly advanced her career since September 2023, when she became the Chief People & Organization Officer at Bridgemaker, previously serving as Vice President. Her journey includes a significant tenure at heycar holding, where she rose from Senior to Chief People & Culture Officer over four years, showcasing her leadership and strategic thinking in organizational culture. Before her accomplishments at heycar and Bridgemaker, Sabrina honed her expertise in HR and legal matters at Mister Spex, progressing from a Mid-level position to Lead and then to Expert HR Legal over 7.5 years, and initially started her career with two years as a Consultant at Randstad, laying a solid foundation for her remarkable career trajectory.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context07:05 - C-Level seat with the people function10:05 - Use case of AI in HR20:05 - Change management & executivesSabrina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-kosse-b99954187/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/