ESMT Open Lecture with Nicole Gerhardt, Chief Organizational Development & People Officer and Member of the Management Board, Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG
November 26, 2024, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
ESMT Berlin, Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin and via livestream
This event will take place on campus and online. To attend the event online, please register using the form below. To attend the event in person, please click here.
In 2023, nearly 43 million people were employed in Germany. This is an all-time high and simultaneously a huge opportunity for companies to co-shape technological and societal changes. Companies are not only places where people work, but places where they learn, get in touch with new technologies, and a set of diverse people. Whether it's AI, demographic shifts, or even preserving democratic values: being aware that organizations can responsibly support people during these times of change is a chance for us as society.
In this ESMT Open Lecture, Nicole Gerhardt, chief organizational development & people officer at o2 Telefónica, will explore how companies can fulfill this evolving and underestimated role. She will address the challenges they face and share insights from her own experiences in shaping the organization of tomorrow. The discussion will be moderated by Gianluca Carnabuci, professor of organizational behavior, director of research, and holder of the Ingrid and Manfred Gentz Chair in Business and Society at ESMT.
"Artificial intelligence and all kinds of technological advancements, skill shortages and the need for continuous learning are only some challenges placing unprecedented pressures on each individual, our society and economy. As a result, companies have a crucial role in preparing people for the challenges ahead. Now is the time to recognize that organizations are not only places where people earn their living but where learning and social interaction outside personal bubbles are happening. Responsibly done this could be a crucial contribution for the transformation we are in."
About the speaker
Nicole Gerhardt has been chief organizational development & people officer and member of the management board of Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG since August 2017. In this role, she takes a holistic view of organizational development, focusing on enhancing performance while ensuring the company’s ability to adapt and renew itself for the future.
Her key areas of focus include organizational strategy and design, leadership, workforce transformation, and innovation. This includes building the foundations for a data-driven organizational management, alignment with technological advancements, developing future-oriented capabilities, and fostering a comprehensive approach to innovation. She leads these efforts with a diverse team of mathematicians, data experts, psychologists, philosophers, and economists. Prior to joining Telefónica, she held various leadership roles at Vodafone, Pro7/Sat1, the E-Plus Group, and within the start-up sector. A fully qualified lawyer, she brings a wealth of experience across multiple industries.
About the moderator
Gianluca Carnabuci is the director of research and holder of the Ingrid and Manfred Gentz Chair in Business and Society at ESMT. He joined ESMT as a professor of organizational behavior in 2016. Previously he was an associate professor of organization and management at the University of Lugano and an assistant professor at Bocconi University. He holds a PhD in social and behavioral sciences from the University of Amsterdam.
Gianluca’s research interests revolve around the analysis of inter- and intra-organizational networks, with particular regard to the generation and recombination of technological knowledge.