Game Changers: Women in Leadership at Delivery Hero

Game Changers is a content series that focuses on women in leadership at Delivery Hero and the non-conventional routes and risks taken in their career. In this article we look at why we kick started the series and the different viewpoints raised by our Game Changing interviewees. 

Gender representation

It’s no secret, women are underrepresented in senior leadership, regardless of the industry or company. Reports confirm that in recent years there has been significant progress made around the world. However, the proportion of women in management roles is still unbalanced in comparison to their male counterparts.

Championing diversity in all its forms - gender, age, race, culture - brings together different perspectives, inspires new ideas and drives better business outcomes. Creating a diverse and welcoming environment is key to our success at Delivery Hero, which means we take gender equality very seriously. It is an area we are continuously working to improve, especially at the top levels of the organization.

Shining a light on talented women

Game Changers was created to shine a light on the talented women across the organization who are driving their own departments, teams and initiatives, whilst boosting results for the business in the process. In addition, we not only wanted to inspire others within Delivery Hero to develop into leadership positions, but to also attract senior women from outside the company to open roles.

With that, we planned a content series with an overarching theme of challenges, unique stories and approaches. We invited each leader to openly share their career journey and speak about the sometimes difficult situations they have had to navigate in the workplace, and the growth that it has brought them. This not only showcases the open and supportive environment at Delivery Hero, but also a refreshing element of integrity and empathy that we feel is vital to leading teams successfully. 

Women from across the business

As of August, we now have 9 Game Changers interviews created in collaboration with senior women from across the business. From Tech and Product to Quick-Commerce, Marketing, Finance and Legal  - the collection features women working at all angles of the business to create a holistic view of life at Delivery Hero and the opportunities a career here can bring, and with more interviews planned before the end of the year - it is a story we plan to keep telling. 

Support to grow

Anna Halmer, Vice President of Corporate, M&A, and Employment Law shared:  “I never felt scared of making mistakes… It's a great part of our culture here. We are aware that mistakes are part of the journey. You can try out things and people will not point fingers at your very first failure."

This element of understanding and encouragement is also showcased when it comes to growing, making career moves and taking on new responsibilities.

Anna added, “ Whenever you feel, I would love to learn something else apart from my core area, I would love to bring up an  idea, I would love to initiate a nice project - this is still possible, nothing is set in stone, and you have a lot of room to navigate through this company and to really develop into the direction you want to develop into.” 

This sentiment was also shared by Melda Tsang, Senior Director of International Marketing, who said that: “Delivery Hero is very supportive of internally moving around different functions, different teams… So it’s really up to you to carve your path.” 

Diversity

We pride ourselves on cultivating an open, accepting and enthusiastic environment, where we welcome everyone, regardless of your cultural background, gender expression, and religion.

This topic was raised by many of our Game Changer interviewees, including Marie-Anne Popp, Interim Chief Financial Officer who said that: “What I really value in my team is the diversity... Diversity in all sorts of different dimensions, people of different nationalities, education backgrounds, cultural background, different ages, people that have had different experiences at Delivery Hero or before Delivery Hero.” 

In addition, Azucena Barron, Director of Product noted that:  “Diversity and inclusion as a female was very important to me and I really loved that Delivery Hero was definitely pioneering in that aspect."

Coaching & Mentoring

There are many programs on offer at Delivery Hero to support employees to develop. Whether you are focused on achieving specific goals and tasks, or after a more holistic, long-term relationship where someone can share their knowledge and guide you through personal growth. 

Some of our interviewees touched on these topics including Diana Gaftea, Vice President FinTech Strategy and Global Payment Operations who said: “I was lucky to be part of a Women Leaders Program, there were many valuable components of that program. 

The one that benefited me the most was access to professional one on one coaching… I was also lucky enough to be part of a mentoring program as a mentee. My mentor was our Chief Operating Officer, and he provided very valuable advice.”

Aleksandra Kovachev, Senior Data Science Manager discussed how mentoring played a pivotal role in her promotion: “I was part of the mentoring program… This gave me the chance and the opportunity to move and take the lead from being an individual contributor to being a people manager… My whole mentoring program was focused on that - how to transition from being responsible to your own task, to leading a team and guiding others.”

Now watch the interviews for yourself!

Take a look, and hear from the women themselves about their career journeys and how they’ve got to where they are today.

 You can watch the full Game Changers series on Delivery Hero’s official Youtube channel. The channel is continuously being updated with the latest interviews, plus much, much more!