As a member of the Supervisory Board, Petra Kronen is a force to be reckoned with. The Chairwoman of Covestro's General Works Council can look back on 24 years on the Supervisory Board. Covestro has only been around since 2015 and Kronen, who celebrates 44 years of service on August 1, has been there from the very beginning. But she was already a member of the Bayer Supervisory Board between July 2000 and September 2017. „When I left the Supervisory Board of Bayer, I was actually the longest-serving Supervisory Board member of all,“ says Kronen (born in 1964) in an interview. She passed the baton on to Paul Achleitner at the time. He is still a member of the Supervisory Board.

Today, Kronen is Deputy Chairwoman of the Covestro Supervisory Board. However, she began her professional career at Bayer in Krefeld-Uerdingen. „I was actually still 15 years old in the first month of my training as a junior chemical laboratory technician,“ she cheerfully recalls. Anyone who wanted to learn a chemical profession at Bayer in the early 1980s first had to undergo a two year apprenticeship and, if they were lucky, were allowed to saddle up for another year to become a chemical laboratory assistant. Around 70 trainees started in her year, but only four or five young people hit the jackpot.

Their male colleagues, on the other hand, were offered further training to become chemical technicians. There was far more demand for this occupational group. „I realized early on that it wasn't quite so easy for women in the chemical industry,“ says Kronen. The reason for the gender based selection was simple. Skilled chemical workers work in production and therefore in shifts. At that time, however, women were still prohibited from working at night. This unequal treatment sowed the seeds for Kronen's union involvement.

„My desire to work together with others on improvements led me to union work,“ says Krefeld born Kronen. She has never regretted it. At least that's the impression she gives when talking about her work.

Today, the issues are different, because the German chemical industry is in a tight spot. Not only is the economic downturn slowing things down, but the energy intensive industry also has structural concerns about its competitiveness. „I believe there is good reason to be worried,“ Kronen openly admits.

The current earnings situation at Covestro is also not good. To make matters worse, Adnoc, the state-owned oil company from Abu Dhabi, has put out feelers for Covestro. This is worrying many employees, especially as a possible takeover has been on the table for almost a year. Covestro opened up talks with Adnoc in the fall. Since then, little has happened.

CEO Markus Steilemann recently explained at the Annual General Meeting that there may ultimately be no agreement with Adnoc because the interests of all stakeholders could not be adequately taken into account. Kronen is not allowed to comment further, but she does say that "in the end we have to do what is best for all stakeholders, and it is clear which stakeholders we as employee representatives have a particular focus on.“

Steilemann was recently a guest at the works council meeting. „We conveyed to him what our employees are telling us", she said. The CEO might not have been aware of this, especially being busy with negotiations. The takeover talk is a distraction from the actual work of the company. “When people ask whether it still makes sense for their own child to do an apprenticeship at Covestro, it's a kind of mood barometer for us,“ says Kronen, describing the wary attitude of many employees.

Her father, she says, would never have thought of the question in 1980. On the contrary, there were family reasons why Kronen ended up at Bayer. Despite other interests, her father, who worked as a master locksmith at the chemical park, advised her to apply for a job at Bayer. „What I couldn't even imagine was an office job – and now I have one and have had one for quite a long time,“ smiles the works council member, who has been released from her duties since 1991.

It all started with the union's youth work. She was elected to the Bayer Works Council in 1987 and was first appointed as a confidential advisor in central research. Anyone who knows Kronen immediately understands why. The through and through trade unionist not only proves to be an eloquent conversationalist, but also knows how to take the other person's point of view.

Kronen is convinced that without the union, neither her work on the works council nor her work as deputy chairwoman of the supervisory board would be possible. „A works council is not an apprenticeship, you have to undergo further training,“ she says. In addition to courses and seminars organised by the trade union, she has rounded off her knowledge by studying to become a change manager alongside her job. „Over time, you learn better and better how to separate your role as a works council member from your role as a supervisory board member. That's important, especially as I'm not sporty enough to be able to do the splits,“ says Kronen.