On today's #GermanUnityDay our CEO Ilse Henne reflects on the importance of unity, freedom and democracy in the face of rising social and geopolitical challenges. #TagderDeutschenEinheit
Member of the Executive Board at thyssenkrupp AG, CEO at thyssenkrupp Materials Services & Non Executive Director of Arkema and Rockwool
Today is German Unity Day, and many may be thinking: What should Ilse, a Belgian, say about this? But not only does this day have a great significance for the country in which I have been working for many years – the #values that the reunification taught us on this day 34 years ago are also very close to my heart. And they are important beyond Germany! #Unity, #freedom and #democracy are of great value and should not be taken for granted. Yet the world is developing dynamically and becoming ever more complex. We are confronted with many social and geopolitical challenges like wars, rising populism and right-wing extremism. One might think that the signs point to isolation instead of unity. But that’s not true. There is still more that unites us than divides us. And we should reflect on that: History helps us to find our strengths and weaknesses, and to learn from our past mistakes. Nationalistic and autocratic ideas don't get us very far. Instead of working only for ourselves or even against each other, we must recognize that we need to work together – with empathy and understanding for each other. In times of uncertainty like these, it is especially important to lead with certainty, promote #diversity and drive collaboration. Global challenges can only be met together. And I can only appeal to everyone to take this day as an opportunity to reflect on this.