4-6 November 2025 in Poznan, Poland
Directions EMEA 2025
Join us for Directions EMEA 2025 - experience the latest updates from Microsoft and the ecosystem while connecting with the entire Business Central community, including resellers, add-on providers, Microsoft, CSPs, MVPs, developers, consultants, sales and marketing professionals, and business leaders. Fuel your motivation, inspiration, and success through sharing and collaboration.
Leading by Choice: How We Let Employees Choose Their Leaders
In times of organizational transformation, leadership must evolve. At knk, the shift to self-organized teams challenged traditional leadership models—and sparked bold experimentation. Initially, we considered eliminating formal leadership roles entirely. That approach failed. But from failure came insight.
After two leaders left, we piloted a new model: choose your own leader—regardless of department or hierarchy. This radical idea gave employees the autonomy to select someone they trust and align with, whether from their own team or another. The goal? Foster ownership, acceptance trust, and cross-functional collaboration.
In this session, we'll share how we designed and implemented this model, the options we considered, and what we learned along the way. You'll hear directly from Dorothee Werner (CEO), who spearheaded the change, and Julia Redner, who participated as a chosen leader in the matchmaking process. We'll explore what's working, where we're still learning, and how this approach reshapes leadership in a modern, agile organization.
Speakers:
Dorothee Werner
CEO
Dorothee Werner ist seit April 2022 CEO der knkAG, wo sie zuvor die Rolle der Chief Change Officerin in der Geschäftsleitung inne hatte, nach Stationen beim Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels wo sie unter anderem den Bereich Innovation verantwortete und einem Studium der Philosophie sowie Ausbildung zur Sortimentsbuchhändlerin.
Dorothee Werner
CEO
Dorothee Werner ist seit April 2022 CEO der knkAG, wo sie zuvor die Rolle der Chief Change Officerin in der Geschäftsleitung inne hatte, nach Stationen beim Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels wo sie unter anderem den Bereich Innovation verantwortete und einem Studium der Philosophie sowie Ausbildung zur Sortimentsbuchhändlerin.
Julia Redner
Head of Marketing, knk Group
Julia Redner has been a member of the Microsoft community for more than 15 years. She started her career at knk with a dual study of business administration (Bachelor of Science) at the FH Nordakademie. After graduating, she took over the development of the current marketing department of the internationally operation knk Group.
Together with her team, she is responsible for marketing and communication for all product lines of the knk Group: knkPublishing based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, knk365 for Media Sales based on Dynamics 365 for Sales, knk365 Marketing Automation based on Dynamics 365 for Marketing, and VM Media Manager. In addition to product marketing, she and her team are also responsible for the employer branding of the knk Group.
Julia Redner
Head of Marketing, knk Group
Julia Redner has been a member of the Microsoft community for more than 15 years. She started her career at knk with a dual study of business administration (Bachelor of Science) at the FH Nordakademie. After graduating, she took over the development of the current marketing department of the internationally operation knk Group.
Together with her team, she is responsible for marketing and communication for all product lines of the knk Group: knkPublishing based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, knk365 for Media Sales based on Dynamics 365 for Sales, knk365 Marketing Automation based on Dynamics 365 for Marketing, and VM Media Manager. In addition to product marketing, she and her team are also responsible for the employer branding of the knk Group.
Lisa Sönnichsen
knk
Project Manager for ERP implementation projects. Team leader. Key Customer contact. Planner. Motivator. Lifelong Learner.
Building on experiences from the International Federation of Sport Climbing, a Master in International Affairs from UCL and an international upbringing.
Lisa Sönnichsen
knk
Project Manager for ERP implementation projects. Team leader. Key Customer contact. Planner. Motivator. Lifelong Learner.
Building on experiences from the International Federation of Sport Climbing, a Master in International Affairs from UCL and an international upbringing.