Chairman of the Executive Board & CEO, Drägerwerk
Wir verabschieden Stefan Dräger nach 18 Jahren im DGFP-Vorstand!
Stefan Dräger, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, verlässt nach 18 Jahren den DGFP-Vorstand.
About Stefan Dräger
Stefan Dräger, CEO of Drägerwerk, stepped down from the board of the German Association for Human Resource Management (DGFP) in 2023 after 18 years of service. In an interview marking his departure, Dräger stated that work is becoming an increasingly integral part of life, turning many topics previously handled by HR into CEO-level issues. He attributed his company’s focus on personnel to his great-grandfather, a traveling tradesman who understood that the company’s growth depended on its employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dräger noted that the company rapidly increased production of ventilators, with much of the output initially going to China. He said he personally lost five kilograms during that period due to eating home-baked bread instead of attending business dinners. Dräger has also spoken about the company’s long-standing relationship with the mining industry, which began after a mine disaster in North America inspired his great-grandfather to develop a rescue apparatus. He described Dräger as a dynamic company that reinvests over eight percent of net revenue into research and development.
Transcript (20 segments)
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Interviewer0:00
Mr. Dräger, thank you for meeting us here today in Lübeck. You were a member of the DGFP board for 18 years. Now you are passing on your office, which is an opportunity for us to take stock and look back. Let's start with a few personal questions: When do you get up? When I'm awake? What do you eat for breakfast? Mountains or sea? More? You have two hours of free time, what do you do? Work through your email backlog? Which three things would you take to a deserted island? Girlfriend, book, Riesling? Dog or cat? Going out or couch? Book or film? Thank you for these insights. Then we start with the interview.
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Stefan Dräger0:23
A soft-boiled egg, meaning the yolk soft and the white hard. Cat. Going out, but not to the nightlife, to nature. Book.
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Interviewer0:57
Esteemed Mr. Dräger, almost two decades on the board of the DGFP. Before you, your father Dr. Christian Dräger was also a long-standing board member. Thus, the history of your family company is inextricably linked with the German Society for Personnel Management. What do you remember most fondly?
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Stefan Dräger1:15
The exchange in the DGFP board around the meetings. It always gave me new insights into the world of work and was often a good early indicator for the economy. We also always made sure that, despite all changes, the DGFP board remains a body where such good, trusting exchange is possible.
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Interviewer1:38
Great. Both you and your father were involved in the DGFP not as a catio, as is typical for the DGFP board, but as the CEO of your company. Why does HR work have such a high priority for you?
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Stefan Dräger1:55
My great-grandfather was a traveling merchant when the company was founded. He had practically nothing. That's why it was always clear to him that the entire growth and prosperity of the company is only possible through the employees. And that is everything, nothing.
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Interviewer2:14
According to its own account, Dräger's products are about life. Is that also reflected in HR work?
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Stefan Dräger2:22
Absolutely. Our work has a great, deep meaning. Everyone here is aware of that, and it is becoming ever more important. Emotions are consciously a part of our work. We are wholeheartedly committed and don't leave that at the factory gate with the janitor in the morning.
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Interviewer2:41
That sounds really future-oriented and contemporary. You have accompanied and observed the DGFP and thus the HR sector over many years on its journey. What do you think is the most important development of the last 20 years?
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Stefan Dräger2:55
I believe work is increasingly becoming an integral part of life. As a result, many topics that were previously dumped on the HR manager are now CEO topics. The entire development in ESG is indicative of that.
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Interviewer3:11
What do we still need to work on?
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Stefan Dräger3:13
Naturally, digitalization. But I think the word is stupid. It's better to simply say progress. The success now is strongly in this direction, also with artificial intelligence, whose stupidity we should take advantage of. Additionally, communication is becoming more important, and that is not a native strength of HR.
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Interviewer3:36
Speaking of HR. How do you see the role of HR management in the future?
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Stefan Dräger3:42
The somewhat throttled term 'business partner' describes that very well, I think. For that, HR management must understand business models and be interested in the company, not just in the people within the company.
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Interviewer3:59
Thank you. You are leaving the DGFP board this year after 18 years. What did you plan for this time, and did you achieve it? And what are you taking away personally?
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Stefan Dräger4:12
First of all, I had planned that the DGFP would still exist when I left. That was not always certain. That required a development of the DGFP that has lately borne very gratifying fruit. My experience with the DGFP is like with the company: better to accept nothing as given than to take things for granted, and never turn off common sense.
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Interviewer4:42
Is the Dräger era in the DGFP over, or is there a successor?
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Stefan Dräger4:46
Fortunately, after a longer interruption, Dräger again has a proper HR director who will represent Dräger very well in the DGFP in the future and contribute new ideas. We are looking forward to that.
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Interviewer5:01
What advice would you give to the new DGFP board?
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Stefan Dräger5:06
Use the network. Great. Thank you for the interview.