Let's Get-Together: Scholarship holder meeting of the Dr Jost Henkel Foundation 2024
On 23 September 2024, the annual get-together of the Dr. Jost Henkel Foundation took place at Henkel's headquarters in Düsseldorf. The meeting serves as a mutual exchange between the scholarship holders and is a highlight for everyone involved every year.
By establishing the Dr Jost Henkel Foundation in 1958, Dr Jost Henkel fulfilled a long-cherished dream. His aim was to give less well-off young people the chance of a first-class education. Since then, the foundation has awarded scholarships every year and supported numerous young adults on their educational path.
The get-together honoured the foundation's scholarship holders. In addition to various presentations, the agenda also included factory tours.
Dr Alexander Frey, Dr Jost Henkel Foundation, kicked off the event. In his welcoming address, he encouraged the young talents to always try something new and to follow the career path they are most passionate about.
Kourosh Bahrami, Global Business Head Industrial Loctite for Henkel Adhesive Technologies, then gave a presentation on strategies for sustainable water use. He addressed the global water shortage and presented technologies from Henkel that counteract this problem - for example digital plant maintenance.
The question of whether Perwoll is magic or science was answered by Jan Kruse, Global Director Fabric Care, and Thomas Döring, Senior Manager Special Detergents at Henkel Consumer Brands, in their presentation on the effectiveness of detergents. The audience was immersed in the success story of Perwoll and learnt about the triple-renew technology in a demonstration experiment. The result: fibres, colours and fragrance appear as good as new.
After a short break, Laura Müller, Global Centre of Excellence UX/UI, gave an insight into artificial intelligence and its implications for the world of work. For the Henkel employee, AI is an extension of human creativity. Humans and AI must complement each other in order to achieve the best possible efficiency. Just as AI is subject to continuous change, we humans are also challenged to develop further.
Sylvie Nicol, Chief Human Resources Officer at Henkel and member of the Management Board of the Dr Jost Henkel Foundation, then gave insights into her professional career - which career steps were the most important for her, what significance feedback has for her and how she organises her personal work-life balance.
During the lunch break that followed, the scholarship holders had the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange ideas. There was also the opportunity to talk to experts at information stands. In the afternoon, the guests were able to choose between various factory tours, including a tour of the detergent production facility and the Inspiration Centre of Henkel Adhesive Technologies.
The day drew to a close with many exciting impressions, and the Dr Jost Henkel Foundation is already looking forward to next year's meeting.