Meet Stephanie Westerweele

In the 'People of Stahl' series, we talk to colleagues from around the world about what they do, what makes them tick, and what our purpose – Touching lives, for a better world – means to them. Here, we meet Stephanie Westerweele from the Performance Coatings division, who loves to travel the world and look at the bigger picture. 

How long have you been with Stahl? What first attracted you to the company? 

I joined Stahl right after I graduated in Business Administration, in mid 2017. During my studies I held internships at Rabobank and Cargill, and I was drawn to a production environment. I must admit that I was not so familiar with the world of speciality coatings and didn’t know Stahl beforehand, but I have been able to build a career here. 

What is your role? Can you share an interesting fact about the work you do? 

I’m the Global Demand Manager for Performance Coatings. I am responsible for gathering all the data and input from the business and converting it into a forecast. This forecast will be handed over to our supply team, so they can check and prepare for the demand we expect to lie ahead. The most interesting thing about my job is that it’s very dynamic: macroeconomic factors like war or the COVID-19 pandemic can make it difficult to predict demand. My role also involves collaboration with various departments like sales, marketing and procurement. 

What is your favourite thing about working at Stahl, and what are the biggest challenges? 

My favourite thing about working for Stahl is definitely our flat organisation with short reporting lines. This means that even though Stahl is operating globally, I still feel like I know a lot of people across different locations, departments and levels. It gives me the feeling of working for a smaller company where we’re really people-oriented, not just spending our time on bureaucratic procedures.  

I also enjoy a sense of freedom and empowerment in what I do, because I am not only seen through the lens of my specific role. Of course, we have our own responsibilities and need to have certain boundaries, but there is some room for entrepreneurship, which I really appreciate.  

My biggest challenge is to keep all stakeholders satisfied. Given the nature of what we do, the demand team collaborates with many different departments and sometimes we have to balance their needs. In those cases, I try to find solutions that are acceptable for all parties, but it can be tricky.  

How does your work support Stahl’s purpose: Touching lives, for a better world? 

I think that by improving the quality of our forecasting we can help to reduce chemical waste. For example, if we forecast too much of a certain product, the supply team is buying too much raw material and/or producing too much of the product, which is not all sold. A good forecast will help improve our waste footprint, in line with our ESG Roadmap to 2030. 

If you were CEO of Stahl for the day, what would you do? 

That's a tough question: there’s only so much you can do in one day! I would start with listening to both our customers and employees. It would provide us with invaluable information about what we do well and what we can do better. 

How do you spend your free time outside of work? 

I love to explore the world: I’m always amazed by the diversity of nature and cultures. We have different terrains like deserts, jungles, cliffs and mountains, as well as different climates, food, you name it. My most recent trip was to India and my next will be to Peru, so if you have any tips, please let me know! 

Thanks for sharing your story, Stephanie! We are proud of our people who make a difference every day and strive for excellence together. Stay tuned for more 'People of Stahl' features!