"Determined, emotionally intelligent and a true team player" is how describes herself after a moment's reflection. But it is this last quality that the Fischer CEO claims most fervently. "I can't function without my team. If they weren't there, I wouldn't be taking on all these responsibilities", confides the woman who, since 2014, has been managing a network of 65 bakeries and supervising more than 400 employees.
Her responsibilities, far from being limited to running a business, also extend to making significant contributions. Chairing the Luxembourg Confederation and a holding seat on the Luxconnect board of directors form a significant part of his daily routine. Added to this is her role as mother of two children. A marathon timetable, which the entrepreneur approaches with boundless energy: “I wouldn't be doing all this if I couldn't manage it.”
"Stress is unavoidable, you have to accept it," she confided. Rather than seeing it as a hindrance, this pressure becomes a real driving force: “It gives me extra energy.” And she regularly reminds her team that this dynamic is an integral part of the game. But the watchword remains clear: find a sustainable balance, without ever sacrificing physical or mental health.
An outstanding negotiator, Carole Muller is capable of drawing the right conclusions in everyone's interests.
To achieve this, the businesswoman has her rituals. Three times a week, a pair of trainers and an hour run are enough to 'clear her head', whatever the weather. “It's the ideal sport: I go away for an hour, recharge my batteries and come back ready to get on with the day.” Sewing, which is quieter, sometimes becomes another refuge, another way of decompressing.
Muller also transposes her quest for balance between personal and professional life to her commitments. “The legal framework in Luxembourg is still too rigid, too 'one size fits all'. If we want to integrate the younger generations and meet their expectations, we need to relax some of the rules.”
Another challenge facing the country, she said, is recruitment and the labour supply. "No sector is spared by this shortage, and it's not unique to Luxembourg." It was precisely to defend these issues that she decided to stand as a candidate for the head of the Luxembourg Confederation employers' organisation, which brings together 1,800 companies from the services, trade and transport sectors. "I like defending ideas, I do politics, but in a different way".
Muller has fought sexism all her life. “I want every little girl and boy to be able to say to themselves that you can achieve anything if you give yourself the means.” Gender should no longer be a determining factor in choosing a job: only skills, motivation and the ability to do a good job should take precedence. Her inclusion, for the second year running, in the ranking of the ten most influential business figures in Luxembourg - after coming seventh in 2022 - is not simply recognition of her career. Above all, Muller sees it as an opportunity to position herself as a role model.
Although honoured, she admits that she does not fully understand the reason for her presence in this ranking. "I suspect it's not as CEO of Fischer that I'm here. But there are people who are influential, people who are never mentioned in this ranking. Just because you're not on the list doesn't mean you're not influential.” For Muller, the most important thing is still to "make your voice heard and defend your interests".
And her dreams? At just 44, she doesn't have many. “I'm very happy where I am.” In an interview prior to the award ceremony, she was asked about potentially succeeding Julie Becker at the top of Top 100 and Muller replied: “Honestly, I'd be speechless. I'd probably thank all the people who have supported me and helped me get this far.”
This article was originally published in the print edition of , published on 11 December 2024.
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