Meet the P&G European Innovators Behind the Innovation

This quote by Albert Einstein perfectly reflects my view on learning: it is a continuous and self-driven journey that never stops. And this is why I love working at P&G, as I continuously learn, grow and explore.

P&G is one of the companies that represents innovation at its best. It revolutionized not only diapers, but also communications and marketing.

For a scientist like me, P&G offers the best of both worlds: being able to research, explore and try things; and ultimately design products that will help and have an impact on people’s everyday life.

Pampers is definitely one of my favorite P&G products. Being a mom myself and working in Pampers R&D Product Research probably gave me the best opportunity to learn even more about the brand — not only about the continuous innovation but also how at Pampers everything starts with the baby and their parents, and how the brand listens to consumers around the world making sure that everything about the product design is driven by parents' wishes and needs!

The latest innovation I worked on was the Stop & Protect pocket for our Pampers Protection diaper at our German Innovation Center. This innovation steps up our protection against leaks at the back, as the pocket physically helps contain the runny poo! As a researcher working on product development, my role is to understand what parents really want and need, and help make it happen.

Obviously, I am not doing this on my own: I am being surrounded by other inspiring scientists and experts with different backgrounds, cultures and level of experience creating a unique and inspiring environment to work in. This diversity of thoughts and ideas is what makes P&G so unique. It helps us discover new solutions and develop breakthrough innovations — and always learn, both professionally and personally.

I am very much convinced that, in life, you need to follow your heart. And with age, this feeling is getting even stronger. Do what you love; love what you do.

I followed my heart at a very young age: I had just signed a contract at another company when my boyfriend, who was already working at P&G, told me the company was looking for researchers. I applied, instantly had a very good feeling and decided to start here anyway. Twenty-five years later, I am still around.

I just love what I do and love the people I work with. I am a team player and find a lot of satisfaction in seeing the people you are coaching grow. Moreover, in our team, we all share a good sense of humor and a drive to get things done. Seeing a product you worked on in stores or commercials is a great recognition for me and my team.

One of the things I am most proud of is the introduction of Fairy Platinum Plus. It led to category growth and motivated consumers to stop pretreating their dishes. We are also educating consumers to change their habits and to start using the short cycle on their dishwasher. Fairy Platinum Plus has been specially designed for short cycles (pre-programmed cycles under 55 minutes) with a proprietary blend of technologies that start working faster and at lower temperatures.

In my free time, I relax by playing tennis, meeting and dining with friends, traveling and exploring new cultures. At the same time, I can just as much enjoy sitting in my garden in summer and being surrounded by my husband and two daughters. As an ultimate dream — I don’t dream big — I want to remain happy in life and hope my children will find the same level of happiness. I hope they will be able to do what they love and love what they do.

Learn more about this innovation in our Secret Science series.