“Diversity is incredibly important to me.”
Insights from Caroline Weingrill
Caroline Weingrill began her professional career in the banking services sector in 2009 in the area of fleet management after graduating from the college of Tourism Management and alongside her bachelor’s degree in International Development. During her master’s program in Latin American Studies, Caroline was working in the field of corporate management and was assigned to various projects and activities, in which she had the responsibility for participation management.
After a break including personal development during a stay abroad for several months in Central America, Caroline worked as an office manager at an NGO for digital data protection.
In 2019, she started in the Sparkassen Service department at the former sIT before taking over as Head of Workplace Experience in the Workplace & Branch Infrastructure division in 2021. Caroline is a bonus mother to a daughter and a son.
Dear Caroline, where do you come from?
That's a good question! I think that the life I have right now is the sum of my experiences. Professionally, I started in catering and then quickly moved to banking.
Personally, I have gone through an immense development. You could say from being a bit of a “wallflower” to the woman I am today and a manager in IT.
In a way, with this position, I've gone back to my roots and my school days at a computer science secondary school.
© Caroline Weingrill
Here's one of my Christmas cards for my team. Self-designed (with inspiration from Pinterest), of course! © Caroline Weingrill
What is important to you?
Diversity. I am an incredibly diverse and also creative person.
I like to get a lot done, but I also like to handcraft and do graphics.
On the other hand, business and the company are also incredibly important to me. Even as a child I played office administrator.
It's always been my aim to combine my various interests in a way that is mutually enriching.
What is important to you?
Diversity. I am an incredibly diverse and also creative person.
I like to get a lot done, but I also like to handcraft and do graphics.
On the other hand, business and the company are also incredibly important to me. Even as a child I played office administrator.
It's always been my aim to combine my various interests in a way that is mutually enriching.
Here's one of my Christmas cards for my team. Self-designed (with inspiration from Pinterest), of course! © Caroline Weingrill
How do you use your different talents at work?
I love drawing in my private time and try to visualise a lot at work. I like to use whiteboards or other ways of graphically displaying complex things. At work, I also take notes and visualise what happens in meetings in my notebook. This helps me to keep things in mind and continue learning. And my employees receive a handmade Christmas card from me every year.
What is it like for you to be a manager?
Not only diversity is an important topic for me, but also people. I got to know many people and different lifestyles during my year of travelling and these encounters are important to me and have shaped me. There is not just one way to go through life, but many different ones and I think that's great.
As a manager, I really appreciate the fact that I can integrate my empathy and interest in people into my day-to-day work.
It makes me proud - not at all for myself - but for society as a whole, to be able to work as a woman in a management role and also in IT.
Even when I think about my stepchildren and their future, I think it's great to be in this role and perhaps be a bit of a role model. My stepdaughter thinks it's great and asks me about my work and often asks if she can come with me :-)
What are your values as a manager?
I've always struggled with not feeling appreciated myself. That's very important to me with my team.
I've reached a point where I don't want to pretend to be anyone but me anymore and also, can't because it would take up far too much energy.
How important are challenges to you?
When I look back on my life, I realise that I have always looked for challenges or that challenges have come into my life. This was also due to the fact that other people entrusted me with projects.
I was entrusted with working on a project at Erste Digital and without this trust and confidence, I wouldn't be where I am now.
Diversity and variety are incredibly important to me. You learn a lot in challenging situations, and I think that's also what appeals to me. But a work-life balance and a private life are still very important to me.
Sometimes I think to myself: ‘I could make it so easy for myself’ and ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’ But I don't think I would be true to myself if I sat back and rested. It wouldn't make me happy.
Personally, I have to find the middle ground between a little stress, which is simply part of me, and still having time for my family, my friends and myself.
What is your connection to Erste Women's Hub?
I had a personal connection through my colleague. But also, my interest in gender equality and the advancement of women.
These are topics that were already important to me during my studies and still are, especially since I was allowed to be a bonus mum for my stepdaughter. I want to make the world a little bit better for her. That's why I think the Erste Women's Hub is an incredibly important institution in the company and it's impossible to imagine it without it.
What advice can you give others?
The proof of the pudding is in the eating! That's also a motto I try to follow myself. Sometimes it's not good to think too much about things, you have to try them out to know what they're like. Sometimes you have to jump over your own shadow.
You have to stay true to yourself. I don't have to play a role and I can be myself and stand up for myself. I would pass that on to others.
Get support for yourself. If you're stuck, get support and don't wait too long.
Where are you heading to?
Where my heart takes me. I've never had a master plan in my life but have always achieved the important things in my job and in my life through a combination of hard work and luck.
In 2017, I bought a one-way ticket and travelled through the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. If I had thought too much about it at the time, I probably wouldn't have done it. But the opportunity came into my life, and I learnt a lot of new things. I'm keeping this openness for my future.
Thank you, dear Caroline, for the interview!