Dear Séverine,
You work 80% at Adnovum as Head of People & Organizational Development, have an 8-year-old daughter and have been self-employed for 8 months.
How can you successfully balance employment, self-employment, and family life?
At Adnovum, I enjoy great flexibility: I can organize my work myself as long as I meet deadlines. Many of my topics need room for inspiration – which often comes from other areas of my life, such as my self-employment.
My professional career has always been important to me. For a long time, I therefore thought that motherhood was not an option for me. But then my husband and I found a viable 80/80% solution and made a conscious decision to start a family. And it showed me that work-life balance can be achieved when responsibilities are deliberately shared.
What is your role at Adnovum and what relevance does it have in the context of equality?
As the topic lead, my focus is on everything to do with work culture:
performance and change management, learning and development, soft and leadership skills. I often write concepts, design and moderate workshops, or act as a coach for internal programs.
Many of my tasks touch on the question of how we can create framework conditions that allow everyone to develop their potential, regardless of gender or life situation.
That sounds wonderfully diverse! Tell us about your self-employment.
I have been working in the learning and development environment for 15 years and repeatedly observe that women lose career momentum after having a child. This is usually not because the women lack ambition, but because they do not take a strategic enough approach during this phase.
That's why, as part of my self-employment, I developed a structured program that addresses exactly this reason: the lack of strategic planning for visibility, positioning, and advocacy during motherhood.
Personally, I presented a company-wide project to my last employer shortly before the birth of my daughter, although it wasn't quite ready for roll-out yet. By doing so, I made myself visible and ensured that someone else didn't take the credit while I was away.
Have you ever experienced discrimination at work as a woman or a working mother?
Not in the traditional sense. But I have clearly experienced different expectations, in particular with regard to my 80% workload.
People react to a working mother with: «Oh wow, that's quite a lot! Do you have enough time for your children?». With men, including my husband, on the other hand, it's: «Oh, very cool! Hats off for taking so much time for your family!»
This shows how deeply rooted role models still are and that we still have a lot of work to do in Switzerland to raise awareness.
Have you ever hit the glass ceiling during your career?
Yes. For me, it was the reason why I quit my previous job. And I'm not alone in this. Time and again, I hear stories from women in my social circle who are denied jobs, opportunities, or promotions due to implicit assumptions. For me, it is clear that equality is not a «women's issue», but an organizational and leadership issue.
How can we women break through the glass ceiling?
We need to rethink things! For a long time, we have tried to bring women into line with existing systems through workshops and programs. This has an effect, but falls short.
It is crucial that organizations and managers learn to recognize different career paths and attendance models as equally important.
We believe that at Adnovum everyone, regardless of gender, religion, etc., receives the necessary support to achieve goals and celebrate successes. Can you give us a few examples of how you have felt supported by Adnovum on your career path?
Last year, when we reorganized performance management, I put together a team. One person in the team noticed early on that the situation was putting a lot of strain on me and proactively offered to take on tasks and relieve me. When my daughter fell ill shortly afterwards and then I got sick myself, the team managed to redistribute responsibility within half a day.
Where can we as Adnovum improve despite such positive experiences?
We tend to look at things from a highly technical perspective. Of course, this is also where our strength lies. But sometimes we completely ignore market trends. We have to learn to think from different perspectives and make the things we are good at visible. For example, our culture of openness promotes the development of sustainable relationships.
What makes Adnovum special for you?
Having breakfast with my daughter when working from home and being responsible for complex issues at the same time – that's a real work-life balance for me.
This trust is pure motivation. It shows: Equality arises where competence is valued over attendance.
Do you have one or more role models that inspire you? And if so, why them?
I have always been very lucky in my career and have found various mentors, some of whom have also become sponsors.
Karin Bühler, our CPO, is a role model for me because she combines two qualities that are often seen as opposites: uncompromising clarity in business and genuine warmth in dealing with people.
Thank you very much for the inspiring conversation and for your valuable time, Séverine. We wish you continued success on your journey!
