Anna Schmidt has worked for IMK Ltd. for 15 years. We asked her about her positions in the company, personal highlights and how the Institute and its environment has changed.
On 1 February, you celebrated 15 years of working here - congratulations! Tell us about how you came to work at IMK Ltd..
I trained as an executive secretary and then worked for various companies in different roles. When my job with my last employer became too monotonous and I wanted to start looking for new opportunities, I happened to meet a former boss of mine. He told me to apply to IMK Ltd.. The company was looking for new employees. I sent in my application and was invited for an interview. On 1 February 2006, I started work in the administration and accounting department. In September of the same year, I changed positions within the company and worked for the THERAplus foundation, which we managed. I held this role, in which I worked closely with Executive Owner Harald Grossmann, until the foundation was dissolved in 2011.
And after that?
I then took on administrative tasks and projects again, and occasionally worked in the congress department. At that point, IMK Ltd. was increasingly responsible for the management of national professional societies and the organisation of medical specialisation exams in various disciplines - and I found my way into that are of responsibility.
Hardly anyone knows certification processes as well as you. How did that come about?
The company was looking for someone in-house who could deal with the newly established certification process for Stroke Centres and Units and the relevant commissions. I thought it sounded exciting. So I put my name forward and was given responsibility for the project.
How has IMK Ltd. and its environment changed since you started working here in 2006?
As healthcare has changed considerably in recent years, our clients’ need for professional management has increased at a rapid pace. At IMK Ltd., it has always been our objective to not only keep up with modern developments, but also to anticipate them to some extent. So IMK Ltd. has grown significantly, in both client numbers and the range of activities we cover. Today, we are able to offer our clients much better consulting than before and have certainly played a part in ensuring that the organisations we manage are now more efficient and, I would even say, more successful, than they were in the past.
What have been your personal highlights from the past 15 years?
I love that I have already been able to occupy so many different posts within IMK Ltd., and continue to expand the scope of my activities. So the party for the company’s 25th anniversary in 2018, which I was able to organise with our management, was particularly rewarding. At IMK Ltd., things never get boring and work remains exciting, especially if you are receptive to the new challenges and opportunities that arise. The individual strengths of employees are used to best effect, which surely goes some way to explaining IMK Ltd.’s continued success.
Another important highlight for me is the solidarity in our team and the friendship I have developed over the years with Harald Grossmann. We are a highly motivated team that works in unison. We look out for each other and help each other in times of need.
