Professional Women Power: We've never done it like this before? Great, then let's try it out!

published on 2 November 2022

In the context of our career blog “professional women power”, female colleagues introduce themselves,
talk about their career paths and day to day work at Rödl & Partner.

In this way, we would like to raise awareness of women as well as motivate female applicants and colleagues
to bravely pursue their individual career paths at Rödl & Partner.

“We've never done it like this before? Great, then let's try it out!”

VERENA KORDICK

Verena Kordick joined the Corporate Finance team in 2020 as a
Business Developer and works in the Munich office of Rödl & Partner.

Verena, what exactly does a Business Developer do?

Good question - because that varies from company to company and even from team to team! For the Corporate Finance team from Rödl & Partner, I manage, for example, the organization of events and webinars, our recruiting, social media marketing, new customer acquisition, as well as proposal management and the creation of pitches.

My role is very flexible and the range of tasks changes frequently. Many of my current activities were not foreseeable when I started at Rödl & Partner about 2 years ago. Our Corporate Finance team comprises experts in transaction advisory, business valuation, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and recovery services. Since 2020, we have grown from two to four locations and from about 35 to more than 75 people. No wonder that the focus of work has changed from time to time!

But as it is said: Nobody knows what he can do until he tries! And it's the ever-changing tasks and subject areas that make my work so exciting and varied.

And how did you come to Rödl & Partner?

As an absolute career changer! I was previously an editor at a large publisher of advice books, and on Saturdays I still worked from time to time in my former student job at a well-known Munich department store.

One day, a gentleman came by there with his son to buy a suit ... What can I say: After an hour, the son had his new suit - and the customer handed me his business card with the words: “Give me a call, we really need someone like you in Business Development!”

After two interviews and getting to know the team, it was clear to me that I wanted to accept the challenge and take on this completely new task. The decision was absolutely right - and I am glad that Peter Längle, the head of our Corporate Finance team, also likes to take unconventional paths when recruiting.

At the beginning of my Rödl career, many colleagues from other teams also shared their business development experience and valuable tips with me, making it easier for me to get started. I still have fond memories of that - and I'm pleased that I've now also been able to support several new business developers across teams during their start at Rödl & Partner.

What is particularly important to you at work?

Definitely – the great colleagues make the job twice as much fun. I find it particularly enriching that we are so diverse: different backgrounds, nationalities, ages, professions, family statuses, etc. - a colorful mix where you can learn a lot from each other. And thanks to the nice contacts in the other offices, you can also just drop by to do a “desk swap” for a day or refresh yourself with a cool drink during a strenuous bike ride through Germany - as long as you bring sweets in return, of course 😊

to welcome Verena during her bike ride through Germany _

The colleagues at the Nuremberg headquarters were delighted _

For Business Development, it's important to always think one step ahead and try out new things. That suits me just fine, because too much routine is boring, isn't it? That's why my principle is: “We've never done it like this before? Great, then let's try it out!” At Rödl & Partner, I can contribute my ideas, implement them myself and also work on exciting cross-team projects. Since I really enjoy communication, acquisition and recruiting on LinkedIn, I developed a LinkedIn training course for colleagues to let them benefit from my experience. In the meantime, well over 100 participants from a wide range of teams in Germany and abroad have already taken part - it's a great feeling to use these workshops to achieve our common goals more quickly and to drive forward networking at Rödl & Partner!

Verena gladly shares her tips and tricks around LinkedIn with other colleagues in her workshop

And your personal tip at the end?

Find your “tribe”! At Rödl & Partner, you can find many colleagues across national and team boundaries with whom you can share your interests and tackle joint projects. For example, in addition to a very active LinkedIn group, we have a regular exchange on the topic of business development or a quick teams chat when we want to find the perfect position for an applicant in our field in recruiting across several locations.

Of course, the framework conditions are important - but I can shape a large part of my work myself and I would like to encourage others to do the same and thus have more fun and fulfillment in their professional lives in the long run!

Thank you, Verena, for your personal insights and for encouraging others to pursue their individual career paths and to shape them themselves!