From intern to account manager

Gesine Meitler, currently a Key Account Manager at DEPT®, started off as an intern almost seven years ago. She followed her passion for e-commerce and digital marketing and worked her way up by learning from her colleagues.

Having recently graduated with a degree in Textile Design and Technology, Gesine moved to Hamburg for an internship in Textile Quality Development at a large corporation. This was an important crossroad in her life during which Gesine choose to pursue a more digital and e-commerce focused path as this was her passion. Soon after, she became a Project Management intern at superReal, which is now DEPT®. ‘This may sound like an unusual career change, but there were many similarities. My technical knowledge, as well as my passion for design and fashion perfectly matched with the client portfolio and the design standards of superReal.’

‘I decided to join superReal because of their design vision, the positive work environment. It just felt right.’

Learning experience

When Gesine started as an intern at superReal, it was a small office of only 35 people and their customer base was mainly mid-sized German companies in the fashion and lifestyle industry. During her first years, there was always something new to learn and Gesine absorbed everything like a sponge. And there still is since the digital industry is fast-paced and between the ever-changing technology, the rise of new trends in design, as well as new approaches and methodologies it calls for educating one’s self constantly.

Above all, she learned a lot from the people who surround her: ‘from their experiences, skills and knowledge to the varying team set-ups and projects. Working in great teams, with the same goals and on an equal level alongside my colleagues, is what motivates me every day.’ Being proactive, talking about topics that challenge her and making an effort to pursue her passions and interests were fundamental to Gesine’s progress.

Gesine and her team focus on interface design and user experience which entails transferring brand values into digital content and developing complete design systems. The work they do is diverse, ranging from building/enhancing online shops, mobile apps, and other digital touchpoints. She finds projects most rewarding when both her team and the client are open to innovation and can engage in a very collaborative way whilst striving for excellent results whether it be technological change, the introduction of new digital products or the best way to spread and establish a new brand message.

The growth

After a few months, Gesine was given more responsibilities, she became a Junior Project Manager and she also directed her first e-commerce project which was the launch of a new fashion online shop. As the number of projects she handled increased and the requirements became more complex, she developed her own expertise whilst growing from a Junior to later a Senior Project Manager.

As business increased for superReal and Gesine had more clients, her team grew and evolved to keep up with the requests and workload. The position of Key Account Manager came naturally with the growth of the company and was offered to Gesine.

‘My team focuses primarily on Interface Design, User Experience Design and Content Creation for our clients which involves digital branding, the transfer of brand values into the digital world and the development of design systems.’

OneDEPT®

When superReal became apart of DEPT® in 2018, Gesine was excited. New colleagues, new input, new expertise and new projects to pursue and work on. The merger felt right and so many new opportunities presented themselves. These changes have left her feeling inspired about the future: ‘I firmly believe that there will be numerous opportunities to come for me to continue developing and allow me to break new ground within the company, that is right for me.’