NCP Talk with Beate Dietrich - Managing Director

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello, I’m Beate Dietrich. I am a managing director at NCP, responsible for human resources and corporate finance. I started my career at NCP as an accountant 35 years ago. In 2005, I took on the role of CFO and I have now been a board member for nine years. As CFO, my work focuses on dealing with figures such as monthly financial statements, balance sheets and corporate accounting. In HR, I work with a lot of people as I am responsible for recruiting, onboarding, salaries, employee retention and development. Working in areas that require different skills and approaches suits me well, and I still enjoy the depth and variety of my role, even after 35 years. 

We celebrated your 35th anniversary at NCP last month. Are there any special moments at NCP that you would like to share with us?

When I look back on my career at NCP, most of my experiences have been very positive. Even when times were more challenging, it was always a learning experience. 

Over the years, we have had much to celebrate. In 2005, Peter Söll, the founder of NCP, bought his stocks back and joined Andreas Baehre in managing the company without the influence of external shareholders. We organized a memorable party to mark our NCP “Independence Day”. We also had an unforgettable weekend when the entire team flew to Palma to commemorate 30 years of NCP. We enjoyed three days of a very special programs and on the Saturday night, the evening of NCP’s anniversary, we put on a fantastic beach party. 

What can you tell us about applying to NCP?

Applying to NCP is a simple process. Applications submitted to our management system are quickly forwarded to the appropriate team for review. Qualified candidates will be invited for an initial interview with the department manager on Microsoft Teams. If successful, they'll move on to a second interview with the manager and managing director. Recently, we hired a candidate in just five days!

How would you like people to engage with NCP as an employer?

I want people to see NCP as an attractive employer with many opportunities for a secure and successful career. Our employer branding must be authentic to attract the best candidates by showing what it is really like working for the company. Employees should also resonate with our strategy. We aim to start a conversation and share a story about working at NCP to connect with potential candidates. Through storytelling, we can demonstrate our appeal as an employer and stay competitive in the job market.

How would you describe your management style? 

I consider my management style to be cooperative. Over the past five years, NCP has grown from 40 to nearly 100 employees, changing my role as managing director. I now meet more with team managers to discuss human resources and strategy. Despite our growth, I prioritize gathering employee feedback on important decisions and welcome their suggestions. We also encourage employees to take responsibility for their roles.

We know that you are a big soccer and ice hockey fan, supporting your local teams in Nuremberg (FC Nuremberg, our local soccer team and the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, our local hockey team). Can you compare managing a sports team to managing a company and why? 

Managing a sports team and a company involves similar principles. Both require clear roles and responsibilities, including leadership positions like coaches and managers, as well as team members. Achieving goals depends on teamwork, where each member contributes their strengths for the benefit of the group. Effective leaders unite their teams by setting objectives, motivating members, and fostering an environment for peak performance. Many strategies that contribute to a winning sports team can be directly applied in a company.