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‘Innovation and creativity’: German army in need of startup founders

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen addressed the need for startup founders in the German armed forces on Thursday - the eve of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Published: 16 February 2018 15:50 CET

'Innovation and creativity': German army in need of startup founders

A soldier in Brandenburg. Photo: DPA

When von der Leyen opened up “MSC Innovation Night” at the Komödie im Bayerischen Hof private theatre in Munich on Thursday evening, she described the scenario of a fighter jet – which is run mainly by computers – potentially crashing due to enemies succeeding in hacking it.

German soldiers should not just be physically and mentally fit, but also fit in the sense that they’re able to fight potential threats from cyberspace, according to the Defence Minister.

“The German army must become an entrepreneur for innovation. It must create room for creativity and experimentation. We need the courage to try and make mistakes,” she said.

The military in the minds of Germans have so far not stood for this, but rather for strict hierarchies, insufficient equipment, and often outdated IT, von der Leyen added, stressing the need for startup founders to join the Bundeswehr. She told her audience that she had been aggressively pursuing such new hires in recent months.

The ministry’s first startup founder was recruited last March, according to Handesblatt. Marcel Otto Yon now holds the title of “Head of the Cyber Innovation Hub of the German Ministry of Defence.”

Yon was an investment banker and founded several IT companies in 1999, which he sold on the stock exchange. His main task now is to find startups whose technology could be useful to the Bundeswehr and to convince them of the benefits of working with the army.

After kicking off on Friday, more than 500 politicians and experts will be discussing the world's crises at the MSC – including some 20 heads of state and government – until Sunday.

SEE ALSO: Germany building new army of 13,500 'cyber soldiers'

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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