Information unaudited Information ungeprüft Diversity brings success: Group CFO Division sets standards

In terms of diversity, the Group CFO Division is the undisputed leader at the LLB. The current figures show an impressive presence of women in management positions and in the part-time ratio. More than one in three people with specialist and management responsibility is a woman. This is significantly more than in the LLB Group as a whole. Group CFO Christoph Reich explains why diversity is a recipe for success for him.

Christoph Reich, how would you define a diverse team?

Christoph Reich: In a diverse team various team members contribute different experiences, backgrounds and attributes. In my opinion diversity is more than the classical characteristics such as gender, age and origin. Factors such as differences in technical knowledge, personality and working style also play an important role.

What do you most appreciate in a diverse team?

Christoph Reich: I want to find the best possible solutions for our tasks in the Group CFO Division in relation to the corporate objectives. A diverse team makes a major contribution to this goal by bringing various perspectives, ways of thinking and approaches to the work process. This enables us to consider completely new questions from various perspectives and find specific solutions. I very much appreciate the flexibility and assertiveness which this generates.

What can managers do to promote diversity? How do you personally promote diversity?

Christoph Reich: One canʼt order diversity. It comes from an inner attitude and many micro-decisions. For me itʼs a case of reconciling the individual needs of employees, depending on their personality or phase of life, with the requirements of LLB. Finding a solution here is also a question of our attitudes as LLB executives. Flexible working times and working locations, as well as part-time working are important tools here in order to take advantage of a diverse talent pool.
In the Group CFO Division we actively live up to these values, by supporting women in the family phase in the work process, by offering fathers part-time working possibilities so they can fulfil family commitments and by dealing with professional tasks in an equal manner. We promote the development of our employees not just in a hierarchical sense, but also in a substantive context to expand their perspectives and possibilites.

How is diversity practised in the Group CFO Division?

Christoph Reich: Iʼm convinced that top quality work and commitment can also be performed well in a part-time job, when working from home, or when working flexible hours. Leadership and management tasks are, of course, more demanding when employees are not simply physically present from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Part-time working models and generous working-from-home rulings represent a give and take situation. They require acceptance and flexibilty in the teams as well as good organisation.
We are happy to accept these challenges in the Group CFO Division. For many years, therefore, we have been seeking win-win solutions with our employees when their life circumstances change, and we often go in new directions. As the statistics for our division show this work has bourne fruit. That makes me very pleased.

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, there are many long-held beliefs. Which ones should we urgently say goodbye to?

Christoph Reich: Many years ago, my first female boss raised two children while doing her management job and at times she also worked part time. I always admired her for the ease with which she reconciled her job with her personal obligations – she had a real talent for organisation. At the time I realised just how demanding it is to reconcile family and professional obligations. I have great respect for women, who even in this phase, continue to develop professionally. For me, women returning to work or changing careers represent great potential for a more diverse work world.
Of course, I would like to see more women in management positions. Our attractive working time models and part-time working options, as well as the possibility of working from home make an important contribution here. They enable women and men to remain at their jobs while raising children. In the final analysis, depending on a personʼs personal circumstances, it might require a man to be willling to work part time so that he can support his partner in realising her professional ambitions and looking after the family.
So therefore, dear men and women, trust yourselves! The days when wanting to work part time was misinterpreted as a lack of career drive are long over.