Hello Julia Lehmann! Tell us what you do at ELEMENT.

I connect businesses – from either the same or completely different worlds. Starting from the Sales Phase to the Product Launch, I do the internal and external communication and manage, drive and thrive projects together with a team of experts in the Insurance Industry as well as developers. On a daily basis, I communicate with different stakeholders in order to align on timelines, prioritization of the company and create innovative and state-of-the-art products according to our Partners needs.

What attracted you to ELEMENT?

When I joined ELEMENT it was still in stealth mode, and we were only a team of 9 members, which has grown to over 130 people. Working in such an environment was new, inspiring, and we knew what we wanted to do was disruptive. I worked with everybody and grew with the company day by day in order to change the market and get into an industry which requires transformation. The culture is very open, dynamic and start up minded even though it's a little over 5 years. We have an agile way of working with each other and respect everybody. The culture is unique as the team we build is full of energetic, driven, smart and entrepreneurial people, who reach for the same goal. All the teams standup for one another and are 100% supportive. I, for one, had the amazing opportunity from living in Berlin and now enjoy the remote working conditions ELEMENT offers.

What skills/traits have helped you succeed in your personal and professional life?

My background in business development has definitely helped me with a profound thinking, right mindset and the knowledge of how to build a business. These skills helped me determine how to go forward in my career, but working at ELEMENT is a lot more than just skills. It's about being hands-on and being creative in always finding new ways to come up with modern and innovative solutions, especially in my position now. Within this environment, you grow on a daily basis with your colleagues and each new partner. I always say communication is key, so being open, listening to the needs of partners and forwarding the message to the right stakeholders to drive the projects is of the utmost importance. I am very empathic in my personal life, which helps me motivate colleagues when it really matters. In my professional life, I must be very structured and well organized, as doing internal and external project management with sometimes up to four different parties involved needs at least one person who has everything under control.

What are three things that many people don’t know about you?

I am married and as my husband is Muslim, I am currently living in a Muslim environment. I would consider myself an avid lover of boxing, with an impressive passion for singing. If you plan on having karaoke or sing along session, you should definitely call me and I will be there.

How has remote /flexible work at ELEMENT improved your work-life balance?

I enjoy working remotely to the fullest. It gives me the time and freedom to work fully flexible. This is especially important in the setup of having a family, as it takes a lot of stress, driving around and sometimes managing the“wildlife” in the office away. I can focus 100% on my work during given hours and get everything done and more, whereas the office of course takes the pressure of socializing to another level– a coffee here, a proper 1-hourlunch break there. My degree of effectivity in home office has increased massively and this helps me achieve a great work-life-balance. I learned how to switch-off when I am done with work, but also know how to get back on it at home as compared to before when working from home always felt weird.

What is one piece of advice you’d share with a future ELEMENT employee?

Meet with anybody from all different departments in the first week to understand the culture, the expectations, and the people you are working with better. Insurance is a very complex topic, and it's always good to know who are the people behind.

Like I said before, working at ELEMENT is complex but thrilling, and it literally never gets boring. Each project is a new adventure You hardly come across the same projects twice, which makes the work itself so interesting, but the best part obviously are the people. I have never worked in such a high professional environment of motivated people who are very supportive. My colleagues at ELEMENT are always looking for something innovative or new ways of finding solutions to our challenge and satisfying our partner needs. The colleagues are the company's greatest asset.

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