“Starting out is all about learning” – our new Chief Human Resources Officer looks back on her first 100 days in the company
Anyone who meets Inga Dransfeld-Haase in the corridor, in the company restaurant or in a video meeting will immediately be struck by how approachable, attentive and interested she is. The new Board Member for Human Resources and Labour Director has now been working in TÜV NORD GROUP for one hundred days: “For me, starting out is all about learning and being curious,” she says.
She attends a lot of staff meetings, as well, of course, as serving on HR committees; other meetings have included the virtual Future Dialogue event which was hosted by the Board of Management. She was also on hand to cheer on the teams at the TÜV NORD football tournament and presented the trophies: She is particularly impressed by how diverse the company is, staffed as it is by people with a wide variety of backgrounds, skills, life paths and passions. “I’m interested in people, so as far as I’m concerned, HR is simply the most exciting thing about companies,” she told her colleagues from Germany during her presentation at the Future Dialogue event.
In conversation, it becomes immediately obvious that diversity is more than just an abstract concept for her. “I’m thrilled by how diverse everyone is,” she says with a laugh. “And I’m not just saying that because this edition of internord is dedicated to our employees’ extraordinary hobbies. What with ice bathing, underwater photography, Latin pop, ballooning and so much more, it’s just amazing what people get up to!”
For me, starting out is all about learning and being curious.
Football tournament in Hanover: CHRO Inga Dransfeld-Haase with the winning team from ALTER Technology in Spain.
The 2nd virtual future dialogue took place in September. With (from left) moderator Rebekka Bracht-Kühl (Corporate Communications), CHRO Inga Dransfeld-Haase, CEO Dr Dirk Stenkamp and Meike Reuter, Head of Human Resources at TÜV NORD AG and Head of HR Governances & Services.
And why is it important to find counterbalances to work in your private life? “Because performing well takes energy – and work isn’t the only place where energy is generated,” says Inga Dransfeld-Haase. “Hobbies connect us with what makes us human. They give us strength and perspective – and, often, humility. And, what’s more, they make teams that work together more creative.”
Voluntary work from the heart
Inga Dransfeld-Haase lives with her husband and twelve-year-old daughter in the Ruhr area, but Hanover is now her second home. She is active on LinkedIn and Instagram and, alongside her professional duties, is involved in social initiatives that are close to her heart.
At the Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports movement for people with learning difficulties or multiple disabilities, she is committed with a laser-like focus to inclusion. Helping disabled people to develop their sporting abilities and be seen by society is a matter close to her heart. “Sport brings people together. And bringing people together creates understanding. That’s exactly what we need.” How fitting, then, that TÜV NORD has just taken on the sponsorship of the ongoing inclusion basketball league in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Young people show us every day what can be done when you think courageously, seize your opportunities and take responsibility.
Equally important to her is her involvement in “Startup Teens”, an initiative that inspires young people to become entrepreneurs and which she worked hard to promote in her previous job as Chief Human Resources and Social Affairs Officer at BP. “Young people show us every day what can be done when you think courageously, seize your opportunities and take responsibility. This entrepreneurial attitude is a spur to good performance, which will make us more competitive in Germany and Europe,” she says with conviction. This is why she encourages young people to realise their good ideas by starting companies and getting involved in them.
In 2024, Inga Dransfeld-Haase was invited to write down her thoughts on the future of Germany for the bestselling book “Zukunft im Widerspruch”, which addresses the apparently contradictory issues with which humanity is confronted. In her contribution, she calls for a rethinking of education and a clear focus on investing in people’s potential. Only then will Germany be able to “master its own transformation and look with confidence into a bright future.”
Taking responsibility in society – and in companies
Civic engagement is something she cares deeply about, as was evident when she attended the Democracy Dinner in Berlin in September along with TÜV NORD’s entire Board of Management. The event was initiated by the Group Representative Office and organised in collaboration with the ZEIT media group and other companies. During the evening, smaller associations and institutions that are committed to democracy and diversity were honoured by a jury. The message was clear: social cohesion arises where different perspectives not only exist side by side but also get into dialogue with each other. Alongside Dirk Stenkamp, Jürgen Himmelsbach and Ringo Schmelzer, she took a public stance that also defines her view of change: transformation will only go well if we dare to ask questions, openly name risks and discuss problems transparently. Only this will give rise to the openness we need to go forward together. This is also a core part of her HR work at the TÜV NORD GROUP.
Important commitment: TÜV NORD GROUP was initiative partner for the Democracy Dinner in Berlin: from left to right: Daniel Müller (Group Representative Office), Jürgen Himmelsbach (Chief Financial Officer), Ringo Schmelzer (Chief Operating Officer), Tuesday Porter (Head of Group Representative Office), Ruth Moschner (moderator), Dr Dirk Stenkamp (Chairman of the Board of Management), Inga Dransfeld-Haase (Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director). Pictures: Phil Dera for Holtzbrinck Berlin
Finding out where value is created in the TÜV NORD GROUP
Since she started on 1 September, she has made every effort to get to know TÜV NORD’s business: her desire to know how the company works has led her to observe lift inspections and engage in international dialogue, as well as holding discussions with colleagues from a wide variety of fields. And she wants to know who ultimately bears responsibility for the whole thing: needless to say, it’s the employees, experts, examiners and assessors, educators, doctors and many others. She has recently shadowed David Werner from TÜV NORD Systems at a lift inspection in Hanover, and an appointment at a TÜV NORD station has already been made for January. A first trip to TÜV Hellas is coming up soon, and she was at TÜV NORD Nederland in November, with further international visits gradually to follow.
And finally, let’s talk about sport: When asked which German football club her heart beats for, her answer is immediate: “The ‘Ruhrpotthelden’ (a team of former professional footballers) who are committed to the wellbeing of children and, of course, the TÜV NORD teams in our football tournament.”
Exchange with lift inspector David Werner from TÜV NORD Systems, whom Inga Dransfeld-Haase accompanied during a lift inspection in Hanover.
