GROW participant brings digital lessons back with her to Germany after three months in Norway.
For Hellena Schroth, switching companies and countries for three months has meant getting to sink her teeth deep into projects in a way she doesn’t normally get to do.
A project manager for online marketing at children’s book publisher Carlsen Verlag in Germany, during her GROW time Schroth worked as a digital specialist at Bonnier Publications in Norway. There, she worked on three projects: an analysis of the company’s magazines for women, looking at the websites, newsletters, subscription sales and ads; research for a new e-commerce platform; and a business model and technical features of a yet-to-be launched online community.
“In Germany I work very closely with my other colleagues in the marketing department and the other departments and external contractors, operating the daily editorial day-to-day business as well as long-term projects,” says Schroth. “In Norway I had the time to look deeply into the projects I participated in, analyzing all the associated criteria.”
Being in a different, faster moving industry has given her some knowledge that she will be taking back with her when she goes back to Germany. “In times of a changing book market in Germany and Europe, I think I can use this experience to help Carlsen on its way towards an even more digital future,” says Schroth about what she’s learned.
She misses her Norwegian colleagues now that she's back home, she says. But she has plenty of memories of the Norwegian way of doing things – like early lunches. “Where we usually take a longer lunchtime around 12: 30 or 1 p.m. in Germany, in Norway the lunch break lasts only half an hour – starting at 11 am.,” she says. “But, motivated by the excellent canteen, I adapted quickly to eating a warm meal that was breakfast for me. Brunch every day, who wouldn’t love that!"