A joint event organized by the ZukunftsRegion Westpfalz e.V. association and the Palatinate Chamber of Industry and Commerce!

And this time, in particular, it was also a joint event with the city of Kaiserslautern and Kaiserslautern's twin city, Brandenburg an der Havel.

A special format – a hybrid event – at special locations: in Kaiserslautern, in the Great Council Chamber of the City of Kaiserslautern, and in Brandenburg, in the "Gotisches Haus". The panel consisted of three women from Kaiserslautern and three women from Brandenburg an der Havel. We heard exciting ideas from the fields of healthcare, business, art, and culture.

The event was moderated in Brandenburg by the Equal Opportunities Officer, Jeannette Horn, and in Kaiserslautern by the initiator of the Network of Women Leaders in Western Palatinate (IHK Pfalz|ZRW), Jutta Metzler.

We took away some wonderful key messages (quotes) from our panel guests.

Healthcare:

Dr. Janina Geib, Chief Physician at the Westpfalz Clinic for Psychosomatics, Kaiserslautern

“I was fortunate to have strong women as role models in my family—they showed me that competence knows no gender. Today, I want to be a role model myself and show that leadership is a conscious decision. It requires the right conditions, as well as the courage to demand and shape them.”

Ilse Promnitz, physical therapist and certified medical educator, Brandenburg

"From the very beginning, my leadership style was closely aligned with the interests of my employees. My previous 10 years of training prospective physical therapists as a medical educator made it very easy for me to act in a leadership role and treat others with respect as equals.

I myself became self-employed with a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son at the time, and I fully understood my employees in their roles as women in the workplace and as mothers."

Business/economics:

Dr. Anne Friebel – Founder of IPS, Kaiserslautern – Entrepreneur in the technical field, start-up, Kaiserslautern

"The economic situation is particularly challenging for start-ups and young companies. Creative sales channels and a great deal of personal commitment are required to gain trust and build long-term partnerships. In my experience, diverse teams that communicate a lot with each other are particularly resilient and can make good decisions quickly. For the future, I would like to see a drastic change in the understanding of women's roles and for all lifestyles – with children, without children, with a job, with a part-time job, alone or as a couple – to be politically supported and made possible."

Sabine Schönfuss, Managing Director, Sonnenschutztechnik GmbH, Brandenburg

“As head of production, I combine many years of technical experience with organizational skills and a strong customer focus. My standards are quality, precision, and reliability made in Brandenburg an der Havel.”

Art and culture:

Ina Bartenschlager – Founder of Belleville Wortwerkstadt, author, and educator at Rittersberg Gymnasium, Kaiserslautern

"Shaping the city and keeping it alive – the independent art and culture scene in Kaiserslautern also makes a significant contribution to this. Appreciation and financial support are needed from the city, the business community, and even the healthcare sector can be a cooperation partner. So, let's strive for more exchange, cooperation, and mutual inspiration – working together for a livable city."

Dr. Katharina Burges – Certified opera singer, pianist, composer, producer, music therapist, owner of a singing studio, Brandenburg

"I was socialized in a gender-neutral way. That is very much alive in me. That's how I live and work.

It was only after completing my studies that I became aware of the existence of traditional gender roles. In the workplace and in my private life, I am still confronted with prejudices relating to gender-specific roles. Discussions and conversations about this are important, but the bottom line is that it takes generations to change mindsets. And that applies to both genders."

The input and questions from the group of women leaders were also exciting and valuable. It was a thoroughly entertaining and exciting event. There were interesting contributions from Brandenburg and Kaiserslautern from the participants and also from the group of attendees.

Conclusion: The exchange was not only exciting, but also incredibly valuable. We realized that even though our paths and approaches differ, we all have the same goals in mind—greater visibility and recognition for women in leadership positions and better cooperation across different sectors.

We would like to thank Sabine Michels from the Kaiserslautern Education Office for the idea of working together with the city of Brandenburg an der Havel and organizing this event in cooperation with the FührungsFrauen network.

Thank you to all the participants in Brandenburg an der Havel and Kaiserslautern!