Self-promotion is often crucial for leadership positions. This poses a problem to women, however, who are more likely to downplay their achievements. A 2017 study by LinkedIn found that even with similar experience levels, women on average include 11 percent less skills than men on their professional profiles.

This year’s spotlight goes to women from around the LSG Group world who share one thing they’re most proud of achieving. Some also include a special shout-out to colleagues, demonstrating the power and necessity of growing together.

Furthermore, the Sustainability & Diversity team at the LSG Group organized activities through the week that further the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day: Break the Bias. For instance, the team has brought #IamRemarkable, a Google-powered initiative, into the company. This falls in line with the LSG Group’s holistic approach to sustainability: “People. Planet. Prosperity.”  

Sinje Wojahn, Head of Global HR Management & People Development, said: “This is part of our efforts to develop all employees further. Through these initiatives, we hope to deepen the conversation surrounding diversity.”

More like this: Women in focus: How COVID-19 affected LSG Group employees worldwide

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In 2014, Wilken Bormann moved to Frankfurt, where he headed Controlling at Lufthansa Airline. From 2016, as Vice President Finance and CFO of Lufthansa Airline, he was also responsible for the airline’s Finance, Controlling and Purchasing. Between 2017 and 2020, Wilken Bormann headed the Munich hub as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In this role, his responsibilities included commercial management, station management, ground infrastructure and processes, and further development at Lufthansa’s southern hub. “With Wilken Bormann, we welcome an experienced manager to the LSG Group and I am looking forward to working with him,” said Erdmann Rauer.

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As the world continues to reel in and deal with the impacts of COVID-19, we wanted to take the time on International Women’s Day to recognize some of the many women who keep the LSG Group running.

Whether they have been with the company for years or they are just starting their career; whether based in Germany, Thailand, Brazil, the USA or South Africa; whether they are mothers or not, these are their individual struggles and successes over the past year. (Gallery below)

More findings from the “Women in Work Index”:

According to research by UN Women, women on average spent six more hours per week on unpaid childcare than men every week.

According to the OECS Short Term Labor Market Statistics, that number has increased significantly during COVID-19. Women now spend 7.7 more hours per week on unpaid childcare than men. This increase equates to 31.5 hours per week in total – almost as much an extra full-time job.

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“I am proud to have been a part of the list from the very beginning in 2018,” says Freund. “I see it as a recognition of my efforts. LGBTIQ leaders must be visible and accepted; I want to encourage people to come out and stand up for themselves in the workplace”.

Freund shares that goal with the initiators behind the TOP100 list, who aim to normalize the open dealing of one’s sexual orientation and gender identity among colleagues. “In contrast to other areas of society, there is still a lack of publicly LGBTIQ role models in the higher positions in business,” says Stuart Cameron, the initiator of the TOP100 list.

According to Axel Freund, the ranking is of particular importance these days. Regardless of whether it is based on skin color, race, religion, gender identity or sexual preference, otherness makes one a target. “After many years of progress in the various aspects of diversity, we are now experiencing burgeoning hatred and discrimination,” he warns. The statistics prove Freund right: the number of offences against sexual orientation recorded by the police in Germany has risen since the beginning of the millennium, culminating at a peak in 2019. There were around 39 percent more incidents than in the previous year, and the number of unreported cases is likely to be higher.

Axel Freund therefore calls for a joint show of strength – and by this he does not just refer to the members of the LGBTIQ community, but anyone who wants to stand up for a cosmopolitan and unprejudiced society. Choosing to come out about one’s sexual orientation is a step forward: “We must put a stop to the newly emerging discrimination. There is no going back,” said Freund.

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Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts have the power to change lives in the communities where we are present. A clear example of that power is the Broadening Horizons program in Brazil, which just marked another major milestone with the graduation of the students enrolled in its second cycle.

On December 3, 28 young individuals (between the ages of 17 and 22) gathered with their families, mentors, teachers and representatives from LSG Sky Chefs and other Lufthansa Group companies at the Natasha Franco Vieira partner professional school to receive their certificates of completion.

The Broadening Horizons program aims to offer knowledge and career opportunities in the culinary and catering industries to deserving youth living in socially vulnerable communities in the vicinity of Guarulhos (GRU), where the Sao Paulo International Airport and our LSG Sky Chefs facilities are located. The course takes about 100 days and 400 hours during which the students cover both basic-knowledge subjects (math, computer science, entrepreneurship and more) and the specifics of being a Garde Manger and working in a hot kitchen. Out of the total number of students that complete the course, 10 are offered positions at LSG. The top three get the opportunity to travel to Frankfurt and visit the company’s facilities.

“We are very proud to be able to transform the lives of these young people and offer them the opportunity to have a better future,” said Rodrigo Fernandes, General Manager of the LSG Sky Chefs unit in GRU. “We are happy to have various graduates from the first cycle still with us at the GRU facility. They will now be joined by 10 more from this most recent cycle, something that is very gratifying and that demonstrates that this program has a positive and sustained impact on every participant’s life.”

Broadening Horizons is conducted in collaboration with other Lufthansa companies operating in Brazil (Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Systems and the airline itself). In fact, in addition to the coursework, each student is assigned a volunteer mentor from LSG or one of the other Group companies. These mentors guide and encourage the students for the duration of the course. The program is also sponsored by Lufthansa’s help alliance aid organization.

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Cooking is a profession that requires dedication and a great deal of discipline. Five professional chefs from the LSG Group tell you why they love their job and what it takes to be a chef. You get a lot back for everything your profession demands, because one thing is clear: everyone loves good food.

But how do you know if this profession is the right fit for you? What makes a really good chef? We’ve asked professionals from various areas of the LSG Group exactly these questions. And while all five respondents share the same passion, each has their own answers.

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The last of the sun’s rays shine down over Charmey. With around 2000 inhabitants, the picture-postcard village located at the foot of the Alps is the largest municipality in the Swiss canton of Fribourg; where snow enthusiasts find satisfaction in winter, summer sees mountain bikers and hikers make the most of the panoramic views and lush meadows. It’s here that the cows graze whose milk lends the famous gruyère cheese its irresistible flavor.

Alexandra Ziörjen relaxes on the bench in front of Chalet Buvette Hautachia, an Alpine lodge at 1458 meters above sea level. It’s the end of the day for the trained chef, who runs the Romantik Hôtel de l’Étoile in the center of Charmey. The former LSG Group apprentice actually wanted to focus her attention solely on managing the hotel and restaurant and had already hung up her wooden spoon. But things turned out quite differently.

On the table in the chalet, a cheesy fondue extravaganza bubbles away the Swiss way: moitié-moitié, so half gruyere and half vacherin cheese. “Whoever loses their bread in the cheese has to buy a round,” says Ziörjen as she spears a piece of bread and dunks it into the creamy cheese mixture. Her bread sinks straight into the steaming pot. Ziörjen heartily laughs out loud. She does that a lot.

Reaching for the stars

Moments like this are a rare treat in the life of the 39-year-old. When the single mother isn’t looking after her two sons (aged six and nine), the Frankfurt native’s life revolves around her Alpine guesthouse. She has been running the Romantik Hôtel de l’Étoile for nine years, and since 2014 has done so entirely on her own. Could it be a wonderfully crazy coincidence that “étoile” translates as “star”? “We are a listed building with eight bedrooms and a family suite,” explains the Swiss resident, who mostly speaks French when at work. There are also two restaurants. “Our bistro offers local, seasonal cuisine. Then we have the jewel in our crown, Nova, for foodies and connoisseurs, which was awarded a Michelin star this year.” Ziörjen says this almost nonchalantly, but her eyes give away just how proud she is of this recognition.

Ziörjen is a trained chef, but she used to leave the cooking at L’Étoile to others so she could focus on her role as manager. Returning to her original passion as a head chef after many years in the Swiss hotel industry certainly wasn’t part of Ziörjen’s plan. “We had a small team of kitchen staff comprising a head chef, sous-chef and two assistants,” recalls Ziörjen. Then the head chef and sous-chef both left unexpectedly within a short space of time, and Ziörjen had to decide whether she should close the gourmet restaurant or pick up her wooden spoon again, 14 years after leaving the kitchen.

Proud of her craft

She opted for the latter and straightaway hit the jackpot. The Michelin Guide awarded Nova a star in February 2019. Ziörjen is proud of her craft, for which she has a clear definition: “For me, ‘craft’ is solid expertise, and something that you continually apply and improve over many years of experience.”

She learned her craft with the LSG Group in Neu-Isenburg, near Frankfurt am Main. She remembers her time there time fondly. “LSG in Neu-Isenburg was famous across all of Germany for its unique form of training. That laid the foundation for everything. In a pristine training kitchen, we cooked for the office staff that worked at the company’s headquarters.” Ziorjen again praises the quality of the training, which she believes is essential for any chef. “You shouldn’t open a restaurant without specialist knowledge.” Ziorjen learned her craft with the LSG Group in Neu-Isenburg. After a few detours, she made her way from the training kitchen all the way to a Michelin star in 2019.

It wasn’t always easy as a trainee. “We were very much whipped into shape, but in a good way. A lot was asked of us, but we benefited from that hugely.” One of her teachers was Karl-Heinz Philippi, who was responsible for LSG Group trainees until April 2017. When Ziorjen talks about him, the stories start pouring out. Philippi himself also still remembers his promising apprentice well, having entered her into numerous competitions. “Success only comes with hard work and dedication. You have to take people as they are, and there will always be the odd gem among them. Alexandra was one such gem. And it is your job as a teacher to make these gems shine.”

The Michelin star has certainly changed everyday life at the Romantik Hotel de l’Etoile. A new clientele has discovered Nova in the last few months, sending Alexandra Ziorjen skyrocketing to fame in the region. But her feet remain firmly on the ground: “I cook for my guests, with or without a star. I’m not just the head chef, I’m also the owner here. I have wages to pay, a family to feed and I have a reputation to maintain. I cook for the enjoyment of my guests. If the Michelin inspectors like it too, that’s even better. But it’s not my primary focus.”

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October 20 is International Chefs Day, a day where we celebrate cooking and educate people about the profession. LSG Sky Chefs is celebrating this day by capturing the congratulations of its culinary talents and sending them to colleagues around the globe. In the video you can see the most beautiful statements in English, Turkish, German, Thai, French, Spanish and Bavarian. Wishing all our chefs a wonderful International Chefs Day – and as always, bon appétit!

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