
The People Factor
Welcome to "The People Factor," where we explore the role of the people function in driving business success.
We dive into the strategies, tactics, learnings & failures from top organizations to drive strategic objectives impacted by the people function.
Weekly, Thomas chats with industry experts and thought leaders about news, the latest trends and best practices related to develop an organization.
Tune in to "The People Factor" to learn how to unlock the full potential of your team and organization.
Latest episodes

Jun 16, 2024 • 36min
#75 - Dr. Yasmin Kurzhals | Vice President People & Culture
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/

Jun 12, 2024 • 31min
#74 - Lynn Schäfer | Head of People & Culture at homee & stromee
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/

Jun 5, 2024 • 29min
#73 - Romy von Roeder | Managing Director @ Procon Capital GmbH
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/

May 29, 2024 • 35min
#72 - Yasmin Ahmed | VP People @ simpleclub, Freelance HR Consultant & Coach
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/

May 22, 2024 • 45min
#71 - Björn Kastl | Chief People Officer at Mytheresa - MBA, Strategic HR Leadership
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/

May 15, 2024 • 32min
#70 - Sergej Zimpel | Teamleiter Recruiting at Autobahn GmbH, Host@ »HR Messed You Up, Kids
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/

May 8, 2024 • 40min
#69 - Maria Kamischke | VP People & Culture ® Lingoda GmbH, HRC Ambassador
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/

May 1, 2024 • 34min
#68 - Sabrina Kosse | Chief People & Organization Office @Bridgemaker
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/

Apr 24, 2024 • 34min
#67 - Marta Bisisi - VP, People @Superside
Marta Bisisi is VP of People at Superside, a fully remote company that provides creative services for the marketing and advertising world.Starting her career at Bain & Company as a management consultant, Marta eventually shifted gears towards what she loves most: working with people. At Superside, she works to make people strategy a factor of long-term competitive advantage and prove how the fully remote model is the way to go for the future of work.Shownotes00:00 - Intro & Context07:49 - Radical prioritization10:49 - Fully remote talent pool clusters18:23 - Compensation Framework in a fully remote company24:01 - Compensation Framework maintenanceMarta Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martabisisi/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/

Apr 17, 2024 • 41min
#66 - Elliot Suiter | Head of Talent Acquisition, Delivery - EMEA @ Uber
Elliot is leading the EMEA TAlent Acquisition team at Uber Eats, Uber Direct, Grocery and Ads delivering 350+ hires per year. Previously he lead Executive Recruiting at Uber EMEA and did Executive Search at Egon Zehnder. Elliot has a passion for suits and technology, especially AI.Shownotes00:00 - intro & context08:47 - AI in talent acquisition19:00 - Predictive AnalysisLinksElliot - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotsuiter/Thomas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kohler-pplwise/Thomas e-mail: thomas@pplwise.compplwise: https://pplwise.com/