The more diverse the teams, the more successful each individual.

Viessmann stands for diversity – that’s why WIN isn’t just for women, men are also very welcome. The aim of the network is to positively influence cultural change within the Viessmann Group, so that both women and men are perceived more in terms of their specific strengths.

The idea arose during a visit by two WIN cofounders to our partner university in Oshkosh. At the beginning, they were in contact with two women who had built up corresponding networks in local companies. The sharing of experiences that followed gave rise to initial ideas for the direction that a women’s network at Viessmann could take.

The two initiators set out to find other women who wanted to initiate and promote such a project. The idea quickly became reality: WIN was founded at the end of 2016 by twelve women. The network now has around 100 committed members.

From idea to reality

Some colleagues have asked: “Where does an idea like this come from ...?”. The founding team spent a long time thinking about the self-image of a women’s network at Viessmann. After many hours in meeting rooms, on video conferences, but also on the group chat set up specially for WIN, the decision was made to create a network to promote the global sharing of experiences and to support personal/professional development. “We are convinced: the more diverse the teams, the more successful each individual will be – as will the results for Viessmann,” the members say with confidence.

Successful year 2018

Many new initiatives and projects have been launched – from a Group-wide mentoring program and a guide for mothers and fathers (to be), to participation in “European Women in Technology” in Amsterdam, an event all about women in technical professions. In the area of activities, the mentoring program and childcare during the summer holidays and the Advent season have been launched.

In addition to activities, there were also special training courses and events for staff. These included two series of seminars and a panel discussion on the topic “Diversity & Inclusion”. By sharing ideas and experiences with other organizations, current topics and projects are discussed and suggestions for the future are gathered. For example, a visit was paid to the company B. Braun in Melsungen, which has a network of its own. These and many other points were initiated and implemented by WIN in 2018.