Yo Soy BASF - Yo Soy Katharina Anner

Yo Soy BASF - Yo Soy Katharina Anner

Our Digital Hub Madrid is made up of talented and hard-working individuals and there is no better way to get to know who we are, than by meeting them. For this reason, we have created a new series of articles called ´´𝗬𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝘆 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗙 - 𝗬𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝘆...´´ where we will be introducing some of our members, showing who they are, what they do, and how they think.

For our next article, we want to introduce you to  Katharina A. , Product Manager Controlling Digitalization of R&D and Data Science.

• Tell us a bit about yourself

I am originally from Austria, and I work as a financial controller for more than 12 years. During this time, I was able to gain experience in a variety of different business sectors as well as in different countries like the UK, China, and Spain. Some years ago, I shifted to IT controlling which led me to BASF and became Product Manager of Controlling Digitalization R&D and Data Science. During my spare time I love to meet up with friends for some dinner or drinks, I enjoy the outdoors with hiking and love to travel to new places.

• Can you tell us about why you decided to build your career at BASF?

When I was contacted about a position, I liked the atmosphere and vibe which was transmitted from the beginning. The Hub offers a young, flexible, and international environment within an extensive multinational company and a long history to back it up. Furthermore, the opportunities of personal development and career paths seemed very attractive to me.

• What are some of the challenges that you have faced, in your career, thus far?

I am convinced that communication and good teamwork is essential to feel comfortable in your daily work and deliver great results. In addition, the work life balance is important to recharge your batteries and with the rise of home office this has become important as the boundaries between work and home have become less clear.

• What are the three main advantages or opportunities that you see working at the Digital Hub Madrid?

In short, the people, the flexibility, and the learning.

The people: The multicultural, young, and encouraging atmosphere you experience in the Hub is motivating.

The flexibility and trust of BASF on the ways of working, combined with the focus on results allows to individualize one’s tasks and enhances the work life balance.

The learning: There are a lot of different offers and opportunities that drive personal development as well as many initiatives of knowledge sharing to facilitate continuous learning.

• What recommendation would you give to someone starting out in the IT industry?

I would recommend being curious to learn, be interested in new technology and a drive to connect with people and to learn from them, to not be afraid to develop your skills and knowledge through own initiatives and just trying.

• What is one fact the you refrain from adding to your resume, but would love to include?

Resumes are usually only providing a very limited, technical view of a person and I have gained so many experiences and life lessons while traveling or practicing sports. So, I believe to be able to show either in the resume or during the interview that other side is important so that people can have a complete picture of the person in front of them.

• Can you share with us what the future holds for you?

I am excited to continue my professional journey with BASF, to tackle next challenges with a great team and to keep learning and developing my skill set. On another note, hopefully to be able to travel again more and discover new places!