Our Culture & our Mindset

What it's like to work here

We are a family business for over 150 years. All these years we have relied on our exceptional people in the global Hellmann FAMILY and their unmatched passion and energy to serve our customers.​ Our company culture, the Hellmann Promise, is the essence of who we are, driving us to achieve greatness and fostering a sense of belonging that empowers you to thrive! Our Promise does not only include a mission, our values and leadership principles, but also our vision "For the better. Together." It manifests our unique Hellmann culture as the foundation for all our actions and decisions. You will find a diverse and inclusive culture, where you are embraced and respected for who you are. We want you to feel valued, supported, and inspired.

Our Vision & Our Mission

team-meeting

Our Vision

For the better. Together. 

In our vision, we yearn and strive for a better world: A world where humankind takes care of the environment, quality of life is improved and social equity is reality. We can only realize this world together! Fostered by sustainable economic development and driven by creative minds and innovation. 

As the global Hellmann Family it is our greatest responsibility to create this future jointly – in worldwide logistics. 

Our Mission

We care passionately for people and economies everywhere. Delivering reliable integrated logistics solutions powered by technology, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit. Connecting the world every day. Sustainably.  

Living the Hellmann mindset

 

Our values define what we stand for and how we want to achieve our vision! They are the fundament that guides our work, how we spend our time and how we work together. We are all committed to bringing these values to life at work – each and every day! 

Relationship matters

We are in a people’s business and relationship truly matters to us. Our values contribute to that. 

What does that mean for you? 

Joining us means, that your career is not just about the tasks you perform – it’s about the people you connect with, share experiences with and learn from. We put our people at the heart of everything we do and are committed to providing you with opportunities to build lasting relationships! 

Caring

The spirit of caring is the backbone of our culture and clearly sets us apart. We deeply care about our environment, the wellbeing of our people and the needs of our customers. We strongly believe in diversity and empowerment and despise any form of discrimination.

What does that mean for you? 

Joining us means becoming part of a caring and supportive FAMILY. It means working in an environment where we genuinely care about your well-being, health and happiness. Together, let’s take responsibility for our environmental impact and strive to integrate sustainable practices into all aspects of our operations! 

Entrepreneurial

Every employee is seen as an entrepreneur who takes accountability for his or her own area. We are courageous to make decisions and we cherish a culture of thinking outside the box – always for the good of all. We love to create impact and we recognize and appreciate good performance. 

What does that mean for you? 

Joining us means embarking on a journey where your entrepreneurial spirit will be embraced, your courage will be celebrated, and your growth is supported. We empower you to unleash your full potential. Together, let’s foster a culture of autonomy and shared success! 

Forward-Thinking

Driving value for our customers by finding solutions, discovering new trends and exploring innovations is our motivator. We establish agile ways of working, foster collaboration in diverse teams across functional and geographic boundaries and promote a digital mindset. 

What does that mean for you? 

Joining us means embarking on a career where you have the opportunity to shape our company and drive value for our customers. We celebrate your perspectives, your backgrounds and experiences and your curiosity for new technologies and trends. Together, let’s push boundaries, shape the future and create exceptional experiences for our customers. 

Reliable

Customers, partners and our people can count on us, and we deliver as promised! We are transparent and honest in our actions and communication. We highly value loyalty and commitment. 

What does that mean for you? 

Joining us means entering a career where your integrity is cherished, your dedication is recognized, and your loyalty is valued. Together, let’s foster strong relationships and shape a future built on honesty, trust and the commitment to deliver on our promise!  

Our Promise - Our incredible journey

Since we kicked of the Hellmann Promise, the “Promise spark” has spread all over the world - to 54 countries, 241 branches and 13.494 people. But watch the film for yourself - because pictures say more than 1000 words. 

Please accept marketing cookies to view this content.

Accept now

Together, we shape the future!

Are you interested to see what we are actually doing to realize our values instead of just talking about them? Then click here to dive into the projects, that really matter to us! 

Learn more 

Leadership Quotes

As a leader, how important is feedback for you?

"Giving feedback is crucial for me because it helps us to guide and develop our team members, promoting their growth and improving overall performance. It strengthens communication, builds trust, and creates a culture of continuous learning and improvement within our organization. For me open feedback is one of the key elements of a successful company culture."

Jana Lahmann, Head of IT Business Unit Air&Sea

How do you empower your team to share their opinions and encourage ownership?

"It’s important to create an atmosphere of trust, where everybody feels save, and also value and appreciate opinions. Such an environment is a very important precondition for everybody to have the courage to say what they think. For us, this is crucial, because diversity of thought is what makes us strong. We need the input and the different views of all our FAMILY members to come to an optimal outcome." 

Christiane Brüning, Global Head of Corporate Communication

What does being a leader mean to you?  

"Being a leader means for me being a servant to your team and the biggest cheerleader. Having no ego and support the growth and development of your people and feel proud when they succeed. As a leader you have one mission: produce other leaders!"

Patrick Oestreich, Chief Commercial Officer

Why is a culture that honors humanity and diversity important for you?

"We are in a people's business all around: our partners, clients and colleagues are all human beings. The mix of all of us together will drive creativity and accepting that mix will allow us to generate a welcoming place to work which will undoubtedly transfer into first class customer satisfaction."

Laurens Schoningh, Director Fashion Logistics

What does being a leader mean to you?

"A leader is that one individual who not only possesses an extraordinary vision but also fosters an environment where new future leaders can grow."

Neetu Sharma, Head of Business Process Management Seafreight

How important is continuous learning for you and your team?

“It fosters a more collaborative environment if we are encouraged to adopt continuous learning in our workplace. With colleagues from different teams working together, our organization can run more efficiently, productively and successfully. Sharing existing knowledge and information, implement new ideas, thinking about new possibilities, create new innovations keep us young in mind nevertheless how old we are.” 

Zsuzsanna Fazekane Bencze, Finance Manager

What does being a leader mean to you?

"To me it means being supportive, encouraging, providing guidance and listening to your team. Taking Responsibility and Accountability.  Building relationships that matter." 

Deidre Fourie, Finance Manager

How we bring our principles to life

It is highly important for us to not only promise but also proof. To bring our principles to life we developed an international leadership program: “Let’s Lead – for the better”. Through this program, we are fostering a culture where we lead with purpose, passion and the commitment to make a lasting impact - from Executive Board to team leader. 

12.237

colleagues attended culture related workshops 

1.800

leaders worldwide committed via joining our Let's Lead trainings

multiple-man-woman-1

41

HR colleagues act as Let's Lead coaches

Three questions to our Chief People Officer, Friederike Prasuhn:

Do you still remember your first day at work at Hellmann? How was it for you? Were the values already reflected at the beginning?

Oh yes, I do! I started as an intern and of course, I was more than nervous. But my team welcomed me with open arms and warmth and they gave me an immediate feeling of belonging. Directly on my first day I recognized that hierarchy doesn’t matter and the personal strengths of the people are in the focus of action. This feeling has never changed over the last 13 years. 

What makes the culture at Hellmann special in your eyes?

With the “Hellmann Promise” we have just introduced our new corporate culture – something we can be really proud of. For me it is this perfect balance between freedom and responsibility on the one hand and support and strong collaboration on the other hand. Our culture stands for innovation and continuously improving, for discovering new things and thinking outside the box. And this together with the personal spirit and engagement from every single one of us, makes our culture so special for me. I always feel empowered, encouraged and supported for handling my daily business as well as tricky and new situations.

Is Hellmann really a bit of family for you? If so, why?

Indeed, Hellmann is really like a family to me. It is so amazing how many wonderful people we have in our organization, all over the world. Some of my closest friends, I met at Hellmann. Family values like caring and being reliable - I feel these at home and at work and I´m more than thankful for having this. 

You may also be interested in:

Job: Find your new job!

Together, we shape the future!