Anyone familiar with the company’s history knows that its founder Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser was a passionate gardener. He could often be found in the neighboring garden center in Wedemark, where Sonja de Vries’ mother worked. One day as she was serving Fritz Sennheiser, she told him that her daughter Sonja had been working with him as a project manager in the finance department for a few weeks.
With a reputation for suddenly appearing in the office almost without a sound, Professor Fritz, as the Sennheiser team still respectfully calls him, surprised Sonja at her workplace. He wanted to say hello and meet the new employee he had heard so much about at the garden center. He listened with interest as Sonja told him about her career to date. After 10 years in auditing and tax consulting, she had joined Sennheiser as a business graduate. Even more impressive, she had just passed the exam to become an international accountant—a qualification that required tax law knowledge of international business and the accounting standards of different countries. For a brand that was expanding worldwide, like Sennheiser, Sonja’s training and expertise were of course worth their weight in gold, and Professor Fritz clearly recognized her achievement too. “I am proud to have such a competent and well-trained new employee in my company,” he said as he was leaving to continue his tour of the company.
“It was a really special moment where I felt truly appreciated,” Sonja recalls fondly. Moments like these when the company founder takes an interest in you, remembers you and spends a few minutes getting to know you, are what make the Sennheiser culture extra special—and also one of the reasons why Sonja loves coming to work every day even after 16 years.