women@GaLaBau: Finding Your Own Path as a Daughter

In your presentation, you spoke about developing your own leadership style as a daughter. How do you preserve family-business traditions while introducing new ideas?

For me, tradition does not mean continuing everything exactly as it has always been done. What matters most is preserving the values that made a company successful in the first place. For us, those values include reliability, a family-oriented culture, and high quality standards.

At the same time, markets, employees, and customer expectations evolve. As a result, structures and processes must evolve as well. Over the past few years, we have modernized many workflows and further developed our organizational structure.

It is important to me to involve people in these changes rather than simply imposing them from above. I see myself as a bridge between generations. The experience and knowledge of my parents are incredibly valuable, while new ideas also need room to grow.

The green industry is becoming more diverse, yet women in leadership roles are still not the norm. What changes are you observing in the landscaping sector?

I see a lot of positive movement already happening. More young women are consciously choosing careers in landscaping, whether through apprenticeships, university studies, or professional development programs.

Visibility has also improved. Women have always been part of the industry, but they were often less visible in management positions and industry events. Today, networks and formats are being created specifically to encourage this exchange. I see that as a very positive development.

Even so, we have not reached our goal yet. I hope that women will eventually be viewed completely naturally as entrepreneurs, master craftswomen, site managers, and executives. At some point, nobody should be surprised when a construction site or a company is led by a woman.

You are driving digitalization and modern working processes within your company. What opportunities do you see for the next generation of professionals and leaders in landscaping?

For me, digitalization is not an end in itself. It should help us work better. In landscaping, there are many interfaces between construction sites, offices, planning, estimating, and machinery. When information becomes available more quickly and processes work together efficiently, we save time and avoid mistakes.

For the next generation, this creates significant opportunities. Modern leadership is no longer just about organizing construction sites. It is also about using data effectively, understanding processes, and connecting people.

At least as important, however, is exchange with others. Many challenges affect not just one company but the industry as a whole. This is why young entrepreneurs especially benefit from networks where they can openly discuss market developments, employee management, and business decisions. For me, digitalization and networking go hand in hand.

What advice would you give young women who want to take on leadership roles or succeed a family business?

My first piece of advice would be: don’t try to play a role. As a young woman in a leadership position, you sometimes feel pressure to be especially tough, loud, or perfect. I believe that is the wrong approach. You do not have to know everything immediately. But you should be willing to learn, ask questions, and take responsibility. You should also build a strong network. I have benefited enormously from having people with whom I can exchange ideas honestly and openly.

When it comes to business succession, my advice is this: respect what has been built, but do not be afraid to do things differently. You are not there to become a copy of the previous generation.

And perhaps most importantly: believe in yourself. There will always be people who tell you that you are too young, too inexperienced, or simply not the right type of person for a leadership role. You do not have to make every opinion your own.