Team Lead People Operations Julia Thiele

Syde is such an innovative environment with nice colleagues. I am looking forward to positively influencing the processes and structures with my ideas and my technical input.

In this article, we want to introduce Julia Thiele. When Julia joined our team in February 2022, we asked her a few questions to get to know her a little bit better.

This is Julia Thiele

Julia lives nearby Hamburg, Germany.

How would you describe yourself?

I’m a creative person, and  always look for things to let off steam creatively. I especially like nature  macro photography. It is  just fascinating to look at everything from a very close angle. Every beetle or leaf suddenly looks completely different, and you discover subtleties that previously – from a distance – were hidden.

In addition to photography, I also do other creative things. For example, I like to sew,paint ceramics, or  dedicate myself to furniture upcycling. The main thing is that I can create something with my hands and see results right away.

Also, it’s always very meditative and satisfying to get totally immersed in creative work and directly see what has come out at the end of the process.

How do you spend your spare time?

Traveling is also a great passion of mine. I have toured Europe in a camper and enjoyed the freedom. Just drive or stay, as you like. This way you get to know a lot of people, cultures, and landscapes, which I really like. Since I always have my camera with me, it’s great to discover exciting motifs in a different natural environment and photograph them.

What is important to you?

My family, animals, and nature, in general, are very important to me. I have a cat, but I can get used to the idea of ​​having a dog one day. At the moment, the project is still failing because I would like to use my remote work to travel more again. Then, of course, I want to take care of my animals but at the same time I don’t want to give them away, especially if I might be traveling for a longer period of time.

In addition, it is important for me to develop and explore new things constantly. Standing still is out of the question for me.

Can you tell a little story that best describes who you are?

In 2014, I spent three weeks traveling with my mother on the North Island of New Zealand in a rented camper van. We went from north to south and back again. Luckily we only had a few rainy days, hiked through nature, looked at the cities and natural phenomena. But what we liked best was the mentality and openness of the people. Everything was challenging but it was the best time of my life in the end!

Julia’s way to Syde

Before joining Syde, I worked for a large, fast-growing fashion online platform and developed myself for 4.5 years. This was a very exciting journey for me and my career. When I started there, we were just about 200 employees. During my time there, the company grew to around 1,200 employees. There were, of course, some changes within the company structure, but also in my own department, where we grew from 5 to 50 colleagues.

Then the Covid pandemic came along and affected the working environment around the world – but especially in Germany. I was able to experience working completely remotely. This opportunity changed my life, so I decided to take on new challenges at Syde with 100% remote work.

Unfortunately, it is not yet common to work completely from home in our working world. But I got a taste for it thanks to Covid and would never want to change it again. It is simply a freer and more self-determined way of working!

Syde allows me to work proactively and contribute my ideas. Thanks to my professional experience, I can contribute very well to the definition and design of processes and structures. Because Syde has grown quickly and continues to grow, it’s a great fit. 

I also like that Syde has a family corporate culture and people are valued. In addition, there are very motivated employees working here.

I can identify with Syde because it is a tech company. After all, I previously worked at an online fashion retailer that was also quite technical.

Questions to Syder Julia

We asked Julia a few personal questions to learn more about her:

What was the last book you read?

Marie Curie by Eve Curie

What do you like most about your city?

Since I live near Hamburg, I have the Alster and the harbor right on my doorstep. They are always worth a trip. Especially at the port of Hamburg, you can smell the North Sea, and it draws your mind to faraway places. The sea with its beaches is also only a stone’s throw away.

What is your favorite smartphone app?

WhatsApp, Calendar+ and My Shopping List. Calendar+ is a calendar app for my private appointments and reminders; My Shopping List is an app for recipes and for creating a shopping list that you can even share with your partner, so it digitizes and simplifies shopping at the supermarket.

What is the best meal you can cook on your own?

Lasagne and Tzatziki

You get stuck in the elevator for many hours and there’s a song playing in a continuous loop. What song would that be?

Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede and Björn Skifs

By the way: The Syde Team is 100% remote

This enables us to bring together the best minds in the world in one team. You want to learn more about our way of working and the Syders? Take a look inside Syde!