by Elvira Serra
Germany’s heiress is 29 years old: “Sometimes I was cold and hard, I’m a freelancer.” In the past, she had been criticized for her use of forced labor amid the Nazi madness: “Bahlsen was not guilty of anything.”
“Sad news. I am leaving the Bahlsen Group. I am doing this for personal reasons and I am sure that Alexander Kuehnen will now be a great captain for our ship. I would like to say one thing to my current and former colleagues (…) ». This is how the message published three days ago on LinkedIn by Verena Bahlsen, 29, the fourth generation of the German butter biscuit dynasty, who laid the foundation for their success in 1893 with a biscuit named after the philosopher Leibniz: It would have fed entire regiments. Verena Bahlsen is leaving the company with 2,750 employees and a turnover of 540 million because the pressure was too great. “I was rude at times, impatient, I cut people off when I should have listened to them, and I was cold and hard when I should have been gentler,” she wrote in her lengthy farewell to the 5,450 followers who follow her on social follow network. And it’s now impossible not to think of some of his most unfortunate outings, like when he told Bild in 2019 that his company “treated well” Polish workers deported from Poland and Ukraine amid the Nazi madness on cattle cars. . . . “It happened before me, and anyway we paid the forced laborers the same as the Germans and treated them well. Bahlsen is not guilty of anything,” he even admitted a little piqued, forcing the company to make a sudden apology.
The desire to earn
But that wasn’t the only rash statement this year: At a marketing conference, he said how lucky he was to own a quarter of the family business and have a future goal of making that much to buy money. Today his dreams are reduced. Blame the panic attacks, the crying fits, that feeling of inadequacy and embarrassment for moments of fear and uncertainty. With a bachelor’s degree in communication from New York University and a master’s degree in business management from King’s College London, Verena Bahlsen is now preparing to break new ground. «I love brands and the way they become a vehicle for people to connect. I would like to take some time to learn how people come up with stories that then inspire others. I would really like to learn to write. Do an internship on a film set. I think I want to work freelance in the field of brand creation and positioning ». Eventually she asks to let them know if anyone is looking for someone like her. However, he specifies that he still needs a few weeks “to surf, to sit on the beach, to be scandalously unproductive”. The appeal is accompanied by a close-up of her in black and white, with her smile only hinted at and her right hand covering her chin. “This photo was taken by my psychiatrist – he explained –. It seemed to me that it worked. ‘
Pride in the supermarket
Dozens of loving messages commented on his greeting, certificates of appreciation for the courage to part. But there was no lack of critical voices, who, for example, did not like the fact that LinkedIn, a platform created in 2002 for maintaining professional contacts, is becoming a stage for self-discovery. Especially since many other professionals with the same problem do not have the same opportunity as Verena to stop and start again. “Now when I go to the supermarket, I stop in front of the biscuit shelves and think about how much work is behind them. I’m proud and happy about such a nice result,” he said. “Working with you has changed me.” Maybe for the better. We will see.
November 2, 2022 (change November 2, 2022 | 23:51)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED