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From the world of KWS

165 years of KWS

We’re celebrating an anniversary

In 1856, Gustav Langenscheidt founded a dictionary publishing company, Sigmund Freud was born – and the farmer Matthias Christian Rabbethge laid the foundation for our company in the Magdeburger Börde plain. The historical photo shows the Klein Wanzleben sugar factory toward the end of the 19th century. KWS turns 165 in 2021. Find out more about our history. |

Wheat Challenge

KWS Berlin held the first Berlin Wheat Challenge with vigorous support from our Business Unit Cereals. For two months, colleagues in Berlin tended and cared for winter wheat (KWS MALIBU) on their windowsills and balconies. They competed in two categories – and here are the winners: Matthias Klemm achieved the longest wheat stalks (46 centimeters), while Toine Rombouts won the beauty prize with his wheat pot in the “Berlin style.” Both can look forward to prizes sponsored by KWS Cereals: a bottle of Lot 40 whisky made from KWS hybrid rye. |

5,700-piece puzzle

Very different colleagues from all over the world provide an insight into their job in our series “People of KWS: Putting the puzzle together.” The first three interviews give an impression of KWS’ diversity: CEO Hagen Duenbostel held them with finance and procurement strategist Fernando Grasso Trigo on the subject of the financial and tax aspects of acquisitions, with the molecular scientist Aurélie Jouanin about new breeding technologies, and with IP Manager Charlotte Kürten about the legal aspects of new technologies. Anyone who subscribes to the “People of KWS” channel on Microsoft Stream is notified about the latest interview in the series every two weeks. |

Contact:
Sina Barnkothe
sina.barnkothe@kws.com

Digital onboarding

29 participants from nine countries took part in the International Onboarding and Networking Summit (IONS) in Einbeck from January 26 to 28. The event, which was held in purely digital form due to the coronavirus, was aimed at managers and strategically important employees nominated by the Global Leadership Team. They all linked up from their home office via MS Teams for an authentic and exciting experience: The stage for the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting had been converted into a studio for the moderated meeting, with professional lighting and camera work adding that extra touch. The event gave participants varied insights into onboarding and networking. |

myKWS Agricultural Forums live

The traditional KWS Agricultural Forums became the “myKWS Agricultural Forums live” last year: For the first time in their more than ten-year history, the series of events was broadcast online, live and directly from the KWS studio in Einbeck.

Of course, that was due to the current situation, but it showed clearly that online formats also go over well with our customers. More than 1,200 participants followed the interesting talks on the subjects of arable farming, biogas, organic farming, and cattle and pig rearing over the six days. All the organizers and speakers were delighted about that.

“It’s naturally a completely different feeling as a speaker to stand only in front of a camera and not be able to look directly at the listeners – that took a little getting used to,” says Dirk Gerstenkorn, who moderated the series of events. “It was great to be able to reach our customers in this new way. But we’re all looking forward to when we’re able to nurture personal contacts again,” is his conclusion.

You can find the recordings of the Agricultural Forums here. |

Learning without limits

LinkedIn Learning is a leading provider of online training and, with its digital library of around 17,000 courses in various languages, offers a flexible and modern platform for personal and professional further development. Users can compile tailored learning paths from a broad variety of subjects, such as business, creativity, software or technology – and acquire new knowledge at home, in the office or on the road from offerings ranging from short video tutorials to certified courses. LinkedIn Learning is currently being rolled out at KWS and will gradually be available to all employees. We’ll keep you up-to-date with practical tips, information on exciting courses, and user reports. |