“There’s not much on my desk aside from things that I have to sign,” according to Nathalie Bausch, who is CEO and COO of DWS Investment in Luxembourg and its head of HR in the Emea region.
DWS is an investment firm with €902bn in assets under management globally. It was spun out of Deutsche Bank via an IPO in 2018, with the bank remaining a major shareholder. Bausch started with Deutsche Bank in Luxembourg in 2008, and moved to DWS when it became a separate company five years ago.
When asked what was important in her office, “my first thought was the people,” Bausch told Delano. “I would not be able to my job without the people” in her company. Being together in the office is “important for us to work as a team.”
Here is some of what Delano saw during a visit, in early May, to her workspace, which is located inside the Deutsche Bank building in Kirchberg.
Videoconference screen
Nathalie Bausch of DWS said this videoconference monitor is the “most important” professional object in her office. Photo: Romain Gamba / Maison Moderne
Videoconferencing has become indispensable in recent times, Bausch said. It is vital for “staying in touch with people and seeing if they’re doing good.” Having video calls is “more confidential than phone conversations” because she can see exactly who she’s speaking with.
Fernand Roda painting
Nathalie Bausch said that this Fernand Roda piece “means a lot to me”. Photo: Romain Gamba
This large work by Fernand Roda, a Luxembourg artist, “belonged to the former Deutsche Bank CEO when I joined the company 16 years ago.” It hung behind his desk during her job interview. Bausch has had it in her office since he retired.
Framed pictures
A picture of management team members taken during a DWS holiday party in December 2021. Photo: Romain Gamba
She has several small framed pictures in her office, including one taken at a holiday event last year with three colleagues. They had entered an ugly sweater competition, but sadly they did not win the contest. “Other people had uglier sweaters.”
Incense holder
The wood in this incense stand is meant to evoke nature and ESG. Picture taken on 4 May 2022. Photo: Romain Gamba
This freestanding incense holder was a gift from DWS headquarters in Germany to mark the firm’s new corporate design. It is actually meant for a larger space, so Bausch said she does not add too much incense oil at a time, otherwise the scent would be too strong for the confines of her office.
Project awards
Bausch keeps several awards “for projects I participated in” on display. They are good reminders of the teamwork involved. She is particularly proud of the citation for “Project Lion”, which was a “huge reorganisation of all five” of Deutsche Bank’s legal entities in Luxembourg.
Bull and bear
No surprise that an investment fund executive would have bear and bull figurines on their desk. Photo: Romain Gamba
She bought these small statuettes at a Deutsche Bank gift shop in Munich some years ago. “They’ve been on my desk over 10 years.”
Custom Coke bottle
This souvenir marks “my last project at Deutsche Bank”. It is an authentic Coke bottle with the Deutsche Bank logo added to the label. “It’s real Coke inside, but it’s five years old now!”
Diversity lanyard
Nathalie Bausch said diversity is “not just a gender” issue. This is her security badge lanyard. Photo: Romain Gamba
Bausch is DWS diversity chair and says “the whole sector can do better” in terms of gender, generations, ethnicity, health and wellbeing (which includes disabilities), and LGBTI+. Companies need diverse teams in order to be successful, she reckons. “I think it’s really important.”