“This is where I belong. No matter what it takes.”
That was Cecilie Callesen’s immediate thought after her first – and highly successful – interview at Würth’s Danish headquarters in northern Kolding. At the time, she was looking for an internship as part of her studies in Entrepreneurship and Design at the IBA International Business Academy in Kolding.
And yes – everything went exactly to plan.
Cecilie secured the internship and joined the Executive Office, working alongside the Chief Executive Officer. Following her graduation, the internship led directly to a permanent position with the company. And Cecilie has never doubted that she is exactly where she wants to be.
“I see Würth as one big family. Everyone is willing to give their time to help you learn and develop,” she says.
The story, however, begins elsewhere. Cecilie previously worked professionally with horses, but at one point in her career she decided to pursue a completely different path. She was looking for greater responsibility and, as she puts it, wanted to “challenge the more creative and analytical part of my brain”.
Her first step was enrolling in the Entrepreneurship and Design programme at the IBA. The programme covers areas such as idea generation, prototyping, marketing, finance and communication, all centred around the principles of Design Thinking.
“We’re generalists who know a little about everything. We approach tasks creatively, but we also understand how a business functions as a whole. The programme gives you a broad foundation of knowledge, which you then learn to apply in the company where you work,” explains Cecilie.
An internship is an integrated part of the programme, and Cecilie quickly set her sights on Würth, Denmark’s largest B2B sales organisation and a leading supplier of fastening products, tools, chemicals, safety equipment and much more for professional customers.
“My father worked as a sales representative for Würth, and my mother helped establish the Würth branch in Aabenraa. In that sense, the company has always been part of my life,” she says with a smile.
As an intern, she was involved in a wide variety of tasks, which suited her educational background perfectly. She brought structure, initiative and an ability to approach challenges from different perspectives. As a result, she was soon invited to join the team responsible for planning the company’s major 60th anniversary celebration.
“I worked on the anniversary event from beginning to end. It was a huge project that gave me some incredibly exciting responsibilities and helped create a strong sense of teamwork within the group,” she says.
Cecilie also chose Würth as the focus of her internship project. Her assignment examined the human aspects of digital transformation, a process currently taking place within Würth Denmark. The project explored topics such as organisational learning culture, behavioural design, nudging, motivation and psychological safety. Her current department manager acted as her sparring partner throughout the project.
That brings us to the present day – and for Cecilie, the present is still very much about Würth.
After graduating, she was offered a position as a Process Consultant. In this role, she works to improve and connect processes across the organisation, with a focus on creating better workflow, higher quality and greater value for both employees and customers.
“My role is about ensuring that our internal processes support an efficient and integrated value chain, where collaboration and continuous improvement are a natural part of everyday work,” says Cecilie.
The position requires structure, insight and the ability to identify new opportunities within familiar processes. Cecilie does not hesitate to describe it as her dream job.
“When you decide to change careers, as I did, it’s incredibly rewarding to find a place where you can see yourself staying for many years and where there are so many opportunities for development. That’s why this truly is a dream job for me.”
