works for the holding company of the ZIMMERMANN Group in Gütersloh:
My name is Patrik Liermann and I have been working for the ZIMMERMANN Group for ten years now. I would like to give you a little insight into my experiences during this time.
My time at ZIMMERMANN began with my apprenticeship. I was allowed to start at the age of 16. During the three years of my apprenticeship, I was able to get to know many commercial processes and departments and also gained a few insights into our industrial activities. This made me realize that the services we provide as the ZIMMERMANN Group contribute to the conscious and responsible use of resources and have a positive impact on our ecosystem. Over time and as my knowledge of the company grew, I was able to identify more and more with the company's values and vision.
I particularly liked one area of my training: accounting. I already enjoyed topics such as financing, liquidity management, payments, taxes, accounting and posting business transactions at vocational school. After my apprenticeship, I also had the opportunity to gain practical experience in this area. I became part of the accounting team, which I am still a member of today. My initial focus was on accounts payable. I was able to settle in and familiarize myself quickly, mainly thanks to the great team. My colleagues helped me wherever they could to make joining the accounting team as easy as possible. My superiors always motivated, encouraged and challenged me - that was always very important to me.
After a year in which I familiarized myself with the accounting department, I started directly with the state-certified business economist in accounting and taxes to further develop my skills in this area.
During this time, I also acquired my training certificate. At the same time, the HR department at ZIMMERMANN was being restructured - the training was therefore also to be realigned and restructured from the ground up. I was able to support the HR department in this task and learn a lot about the training topics.
Since then, I have been responsible for supporting all trainees in our team, who are given an insight into the day-to-day work of an accountant. Explaining the topics that interest you every day to young people with joy and fun is one of the best parts of my job.
Over the years, my area of work within accounting has also developed. I look after some of the ZIMMERMANN companies from A to Z in terms of accounting. This includes accounts payable, accounts receivable, keeping general ledgers and subsidiary ledgers, asset accounting and helping to prepare the annual financial statements. Another area of my responsibilities is liquidity management, the aim of which is to ensure sufficient liquidity for the entire ZIMMERMANN Group and the optimal use and distribution of this liquidity.
I have been studying Digital Business at a university in Bielefeld for two years. Digitalization is becoming increasingly important and is gradually finding its way into almost all processes. I would like to be part of these changes and really enjoy working on digitalization projects - especially in the area of accounting. At ZIMMERMANN, I particularly like the fact that everyone is given room for ideas and suggestions for improvement. Everyone can contribute and the ideas are taken seriously, discussed and, in the best case, implemented. I really appreciate the opportunity to develop freely in my area of work, to contribute my ideas and to help shape change. It's not just valuable to me - it's the engine for personal growth and real enthusiasm in my job.
Last but not least, I would like to highlight my colleagues in the team, with whom I have had so much fun over the last few years. Some of my work colleagues have become really good friends with whom I also enjoy spending time in my private life - be it playing tennis, at the odd party or simply enjoying a nice cold beer after work.
