Stuttgart. Three women from different walks of life give insights into how they see themselves and their perspectives. The author and entrepreneur Aya Jaff, the head chef and restaurant owner Dalad Kambhu and the manager Alexandra Straßburger feature in a new Mercedes-Benz brand campaign for International Women’s Day. It shows how they have made their own ways in supposedly “male professions” with their skills and personalities. The campaign visualises the main message as inspiration: traditional role models should finally be a thing of the past so that women can realise their dreams and follow their own calling on an equal footing.
“With the continuation of the ‘Be one of many’ campaign for International Women’s Day, we’re promoting diversity and equal opportunities. We seek to encourage women to confidently claim their places in life. As a brand with global relevance, we want to inspire people to see things in new ways and use our social media reach for positive change, beyond today’s International Women’s Day.”
Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Communications & Marketing, Mercedes‐Benz AG
Mercedes-Benz is therefore continuing the story of the 2023 International Women’s Day brand campaign in a new chapter. “Be one of many” opens with three female protagonists from different walks of life who have realised their personal dreams with courage, determination and perseverance. The women and their lives are presented in short film portraits.
“Promoting women is an investment in the future. Female role models are needed to get more women and girls interested in traditionally male-dominated professions. At Mercedes-Benz, we’ve been consistently increasing the proportion of women in senior management positions for many years. In doing so, we’re not only harnessing the potential of highly qualified female specialists and managers, we’re also precisely promoting these important role models in our industry – because we want to become even more diverse.”
Sabine Kohleisen, Human Relations & Labour Director, Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Mercedes-Benz itself has been promoting equal opportunities and an inclusive corporate culture for many years. The advancement of women is an important focus topic in this regard. The company takes a holistic approach starting with recruitment, through development and qualification to attractive working-time arrangements. By 2030, the company seeks to have 30% of women in senior management positions worldwide. Currently this share is at almost 26%. The Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz is 37.5% female; three of the eight members of the Board of Management are women. Representing the many successful women in the company, the “Be one of many” campaign portrays Alexandra Straßburger, Director Global Sales Operations at Mercedes-Benz. Within the company, the campaign is being taken up with a series of dialogues in which other inspiring women at Mercedes-Benz provide insights into their careers and share their experiences.
“Be one of many” – Three women with different paths in life that give the feeling of courage
The brand’s social media campaign for International Women’s Day 2024 presents these three personalities:
Aya Jaff: “Who benefits from support can automatically set higher goals”
The 28-year-old is a founder and a bestselling author. Before, she has caused a sensation in the tech scene as a programmer. In 2019, the business magazine Forbes listed her among the top “30 under 30” in the “Leadership” category. This makes her one of the most influential young female entrepreneurs in the world. Aya Jaff was born in Iraq and came to Nuremberg at the age of three. She was already a technology enthusiast as a child and was interested in the stock market. She later founded a programming club and took part in the development of an online stock market game. Jaff studied at Draper University for startup founders in Silicon Valley. Back in Germany, Jaff founded her first startup. Her book “Moneymakers: How you can discover the stock market for yourself” was published in 2020. This year, she organised the largest AI conference in Germany, called data:unplugged.
Dalad Kambhu: “Keep going and don’t be deterred”
The 38-year-old is the owner and head chef of the “Kin Dee” Thai restaurant in Berlin. Even without traditional training, she has taken her passion for cooking all the way to top gastronomy. Dalad Kambhu is a woman who never gives up – she loves experimenting and always learning new things. Born in Austin, Texas, she grew up in Bangkok. At the age of 20, she went back to the U.S. to study and successfully modelled on the side. After graduating with cum laude honours, Kambhu decided to turn her passion for cooking – which she had already nurtured in her private life – into a career and in 2015, moved to Berlin to fulfil her dream of opening her own top restaurant.
Alexandra Straßburger: “Follow your heart and do what inspires you”
As Director Global Sales Operations, the 45-year-old is responsible for the central customer order process and its digitalisation at Mercedes-Benz, having started at the company as a trainee in 2002. With a degree in business administration, she has held numerous positions during her career including Head of Product Management in China. This assignment abroad became a key experience for her, during which she was able to develop both professionally and personally. After holding further management positions, Alexandra Straßburger returned to Germany in 2017. She currently heads an international team. For her, diversity and different perspectives have a tremendous power to generate new ideas and solutions.
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