Interview with Maria Schmidt
At TAUW the employees are the company
Maria Schmidt has grown from Junior Consultant Soil and Groundwater to Team Leader of the TRIS team in Moers (Germany) in a seven- year time period. She notes that in transactions and investments, sustainability demands from shareholders, governments and other stakeholders continue to increase rapidly. Not only in Germany, but worldwide. With her team, she integrates sustainability aspects such as environmental, climate, health & safety, or governance aspects with added value in transaction and investment processes.

“The world is changing quickly in this working field. We have to stay on track. That makes my work challenging and never boring,” she says enthusiastically. “My work is extremely varied and international. It is a privilege to have a well-developed network at TAUW-Group level. TAUW is a diverse company with different cultures and strengths and talents making their contributions to a better world. The great thing about TAUW is that everyone has opportunities to grow according to their strengths, everyone has the opportunity to do what he or she finds interesting and fun. At TAUW I have had the opportunity to develop myself in a way that suits my qualities and personal goals. I like to travel, discover nature, learn about other cultures and experience the world. At the same time it is clear that nature is suffering. That’s why I’m happy to work in a company that’s doing its part – even it’s is a small part – to make the world a little bit better and a little bit more sustainable.”
These personal goals match closely with those of TAUW. “Moreover, TAUW not only focuses on business and finance, but above all on its employees. You feel that and that’s nice. I love working with those people.” Since 2021, Maria has represented the employees in the board of participation. “The participation scheme represents the nature of TAUW. We are not a company which hires employees, but the employees are the company! So in that philosophy it’s logical that the employees own the company. For me as a board member it’s my aim to represent the interests of all participants!”