By Alexandre Grellier & Jan Hoffmeister
As an organisation that values its people and acknowledges and appreciates that the foundation of its success is built upon the commitment of its employees, we want to personally congratulate Meike Thai who leads the People & Culture Department at Drooms and who, this November, celebrates a whopping 15 years at the firm. We take a moment to reflect upon her past accomplishments.
From working student to Senior Vice President of People & Culture
Drooms had only 10 employees when Meike Thai joined the company full time in November 2005, right out of university. Despite always wanting to work for a big organisation she duly accepted a position as a management assistant with a focus on marketing and sales. She was quite literally thrown in the deep end, preparing pitches for prospective clients and joining delegations where, much to her horror, some of the most influential businessmen in Germany would be known to fall asleep during presentations. In June 2007, she became a marketing manager.
We are all a product of our environment
Since Drooms’ inception, it has always been our strong belief that our people must come first, particularly if we are to be successful and productive in the years to come. For this reason, we often look for the right person and design a role for them. It was clear that Meike, who was driven and trusted not just by us but by everyone else at the firm, would be ideal for human resources. After returning from maternity leave in 2011, Meike began nurturing a strategy that over the years has built an environment of trust and a culture of openness between Drooms staff and their place of work.
Establishing a fully-fledged human resources department
As a small company at the time, this mammoth task did not come without its challenges. The goal was not just about finding new talent, but about retaining key resources and achieving the company’s main objectives. The job covered everything from job design and analysis, to workforce training and development, to ensuring diversity and inclusion at Drooms. Our decision to impart such a huge level of responsibility was one of the best decisions we ever made.
Now SVP of People and Culture, Meike works part time continuing to shape and live the DNA, mission and vision of the company. Responsible for a team of six, she has recently developed processes relating to fair and ethical feedback assessments, payroll and digital absence management. She is known for her approachability, professionalism, kindness and patience putting the needs and well-being of the company above all else. For this we are forever grateful.
