Lea Kullmann – Manager Sustainable Projects, dormakaba DACH

When it comes to sustainability, how does dormakaba set itself apart from the rest? Lea is here to explain. She built her career with dormakaba from the beginning, earning her bachelor's degree through a dormakaba work-study program. While continuing to work full-time with us, she also completed her master's degree. Now she's laser-focused on making our entire supply chain sustainable. Read all about her daily work life and all the doors that have opened for her right here.

"Sustainability is my mission"

Sustainability often starts with small changes until it permeates everything. This was the case with dormakaba. Today, sustainability is the foundation of our actions within all areas of the company.

I did a dual study program at dormakaba and was offered a job after I got my degree. Sustainability in the building sector became more and more important at that time, for example topics such as product declarations or environmentally friendly materials. What sets our company apart is that dormakaba recognized these developments early on, and sustainability has become the foundation of dormakaba’s strategy. It was exciting that I helped shape the sustainability strategy of dormakaba.

Teamwork helps to achieve goals

I started and keep on building my career here. Over the years, I have been able to gather expert knowledge in the field of sustainability and therefore I received more and more responsibility. I work mainly project-related which means that my range of tasks is always changing and it never gets monotonous. Working on projects also means I can regularly celebrate successes when we achieved our goal. A big advantage is that I rarely work alone, as I cooperate with many different, often international, stakeholders across the company. Those change from project to project. Working in different teams helps to change perspectives and to learn new things. This has deepened my knowledge about project management, to just give one example.

If I have the project lead for the development of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), my job is to set up meetings, organize project responsibilities, and to draw up the EPD report. By providing EPDs based on international standards, dormakaba shares comprehensive information on the environmental impact of its products with regard to the entire product life cycle. Thus, dormakaba offers experts from the construction industry, such as planners, architects, and building owners, detailed ecological information with reliable facts and figures on the environmental impact of building products. To measure our successes and to ensure lasting changes and constant progress, we have regular follow-up meetings.

Sustainability ambassador

Being an ambassador of sustainability is another important part of my work. I give presentations about the topic and publish articles on the intranet as well as on our website. With this, I try to make sustainability a decision criterion in the daily work of everyone at dormakaba and even beyond. If you want to read one of my articles, click here! It makes me proud that we aim for our entire supply chain to be sustainable. I am deeply convinced that sustainability is crucial for future success. It is motivating to be a part of this organizational change and to see the impact of my contribution.

The commitment to sustainability at dormakaba is also recognized outside. dormakaba has recently been awarded a Gold Medal for its sustainability management by the assessment firm EcoVadis, placing the company in the top 5% of all assessed companies worldwide. Sustainability is my mission – and much more than a job. I try to live this in my private life as well. I experienced at work that each small step can have a lasting impact.

Get to know Lea Kullmann

What is the best thing you learned from a coworker?

How office pranks can improve the team spirit and lead to a creative environment.

What is your proudest achievement?

I was working full-time while getting my master’s degree when I was doing my dual study at dormakaba.

What was your best dormakaba moment?

It was wonderful to experience the diversity at our company when meeting the faces of dormakaba.

What did you learn at dormakaba that had a big impact on you professionally?

Teams with different backgrounds, experiences and views are producing the best results.