CEO takes herself out of the picture for three months
Vaude chief executive, Antje von Dewitz, has spoken of her gratitude to her team and for the “strong culture of trust” that she says exists at the German outdoor brand.
Ms von Dewitz took three months off recently to celebrate a milestone birthday by walking the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA) a long-distance hiking trail.
She started off in Switzerland and walked across Piemonte’s Lepontine, Graian and Cottian Alps, through the Maritime Alps and finally reached the Ligurian Sea. On this route, which runs through numerous transverse valleys and lonely, challenging terrain, she covered a total of 1,100 kilometres and chalked up 66,000 meters in climbs. On some sections, Antje von Dewitz was accompanied by her family and friends, but she also chose to travel alone for long stretches. She has said the experience had allowed her to “fall in love with the mountains all over again”.
She added that she had no hesitation in taking time away from work. “If I always felt like everything was going to fall apart without me, that would be very stressful,” she explained. “I believe it’s important to make sure that you have a good balance at work and that you don’t end up in dire need of time off in the first place. This includes the ability to take yourself out of the picture, even as a CEO.”
