Passionate about Ethics & Compliance, Culture, Technology, Africa – and, of course, Diversity and Inclusion.
After earning my degree in Information Engineering from the University of Konstanz, I commenced my career in IT project management. In 2005, I transitioned to working in ICT recruitment with Experis (the IT professional resourcing and managed services subsidiary of ManpowerGroup). Initially hired as a recruiter, I was promoted several times and eventually led Experis operations within the Basel and North-West Switzerland region, as well as Austria. During this time, I also oversaw many pan-European resource delivery projects for leading clients in the pharmaceutical/healthcare, ICT, and banking/finance industries.
In 2012, I moved to South Africa where I started working for Ericsson in Johannesburg as Head of Talent Acquisition, looking after sub-Saharan Africa, which was later extended to cover the Middle East & Africa. In this role, I was responsible for recruitment across 70 countries and all levels, from interns to executive positions, including various recruitment projects, such as graduate programs, localization initiatives, and employer branding initiatives.
Throughout my career at Ericsson, I have always been involved in Diversity & Inclusion work, including serving as part of the D&I Committee. In 2021, I was asked to also lead Diversity & Inclusion for the market area, a role I was thrilled to take on.
One year later, in 2022, I was selected to join the global compliance organization, where I currently serve as a Compliance Officer. The E&C program has always been close to my heart, and I am thrilled to be able to support it in my new role.
Meanwhile, I continue to be deeply passionate about Diversity & Inclusion work, regularly speaking at national and international conferences and moderating international panels. Additionally, I support local and global D&I activities both inside and outside of Ericsson, and, for the past nine years, maintain a weekly blog on the topic.
You can have a look at my blog here http://difridayread.wordpress.com or https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/contributors/a-d/caroline-berns, updated weekly.
(Or read about my 250th edition here
https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/7/one-article-at-a-time)