Two days of exchange at the So'SPIE Ladies meeting

Düsseldorf, 2026-11-11 – The So’SPIE Ladies bring together women from different business units and SPIE locations. The network advocates for equal opportunities, professional equality, and targeted support for women. The aim is to improve career opportunities for women, break down barriers, and make it easier for more women to move into leadership roles. Everyone who wants to champion greater diversity at SPIE is welcome—regardless of gender. Jennifer Schneble from Accounting at the Pfullendorf site also attended the meeting in Düsseldorf. For her, the two days were an opportunity to look beyond her own area of work. Alongside a talk on empathy, the agenda included discussions about the role of women at SPIE and the company’s future development.

A shared evening to kick things off
Things got underway on Monday evening with a welcome and a shared buffet. After a short address, including from Rainer Hollang, CEO of SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria, the first evening came to a close in a relaxed atmosphere.

It quickly became clear to Jennifer how much they have in common despite different roles and locations. Many participants face similar challenges in their day-to-day work.

Empathy: Understanding others better
The next day began with a talk by Sabine Hübner. She spoke about women in companies and the role empathy plays in how we interact with one another. Among other things, it was about noticing other people more consciously, understanding their perspectives, and questioning one’s own assumptions.

The participants discussed particularly intensively whether empathy can be learned. An accompanying book on the topic covered further aspects: attentive listening, body language, feelings, and needs. One message from the talk especially stuck with Jennifer: she doesn’t need to be ashamed of her opinion or her personality. Instead, it’s about standing by yourself—regardless of what others think or say. She wants to take this mindset into her day-to-day work as well.

Women in everyday working life
In addition to empathy, the focus was on how women experience their place in professional life. The participants shared their experiences from the different business units and also talked about situations that are not always openly addressed in everyday work.

They also looked ahead: How can women strengthen one another? What does it take for respectful collaboration? And what changes could improve day-to-day work?