More Than the Next Step: How Learning and Development Shaped Volker’s Growth at Hilti

Written in collaboration with Volker Ewen, and the employer brand team

Learning and Development Made Real at Hilti

At Hilti, learning is not treated as something separate from work. It happens every day through experience, collaboration, feedback, and reflection.

For Volker Ewen as a Head of People & Leadership Development in Germany, that belief is both personal and professional. Today, he helps shape how learning and development come to life across the organization, connecting business priorities with individual growth and helping people take ownership of their careers.

His own journey shows what that can look like in practice.

More Than Just the Next Step

Volker's career didn't follow a straight, predictable path and that's exactly what made it meaningful.

After completing an apprenticeship as a bricklayer and studying civil engineering, he started his professional journey as a construction manager. The role gave him strong technical grounding and a deep understanding of practical realities in construction. Over time, however, he felt drawn toward something broader. "I enjoyed the technical side, but I felt a growing desire to make a broader impact," he recalls. "I was drawn to a role where I could work closely with people, succeed as part of a team, and take responsibility without losing touch with practical reality."

That combination led him to sales.

A newspaper advertisement became the turning point. Hilti was looking for a technically focused sales consultant, a role that combined technical depth, customer interaction, and space to grow. What stood out most during the application process was not only the role itself, but the culture.

I quickly sensed that at Hilti it’s not just about products or numbers, but about a lived culture of collaboration.

Learning through the Customer

Volker joined Hilti as a sales consultant in steel and metal construction. It became one of the most important learning phases of his career.

The role built on his technical background, but it also developed skills that continue to shape his leadership today like listening carefully, building trust, making clear decisions, and thinking entrepreneurially.

For Volker, learning did not happen only in formal training sessions. It happened through customer conversations, everyday decisions, and taking responsibility for outcomes. That experience changed how he understood development.

Growth was not just about gaining knowledge. It was about applying it, reflecting on experience, and developing through real situations.

Shaping Learning with Real Impact

Having grown across different roles himself, Volker now helps create the conditions for others to unlock their potential and continue developing.

His ambition is clear that development should not be theoretical. It should make a visible difference.

We create the framework and provide impulses. The actual learning happens in everyday work and through interaction with people.

His role is shaped by close collaboration with leaders, HR partners, and his own team. Together, they connect strategic business priorities with practical implementation, while leaving room for reflection and long-term thinking.

For Volker, this is what makes growth meaningful at Hilti. Development goes beyond functional skills. It also focuses on mindset, behavior, and how people think, lead, and work with others.

Feedback That Changes Perspective

Across his career, Volker has taken on different regional and global roles, including positions in sales and product management. These experiences broadened his view of the business and helped him understand development from different angles.

One moment, however, stands out as especially formative.

After receiving open and honest feedback from his manager, Volker had to reflect critically on his own mindset.

I realized that my development ultimately depends only on myself.

That insight continues to shape how he leads today. For Volker, development begins with ownership. It also requires reflection, honest feedback, and a healthy balance of challenge and support.

Mentoring played an important role in this learning as well. One leader made a lasting impression by consistently responding to his questions with counter questions. "It showed me that the answers were already within me," Volker said.

Learning Starts in Everyday Work

For new colleagues at Hilti, one thing often becomes clear early on is that learning is part of daily work. It happens in teams, through exchange with colleagues, in structured learning journeys, and through feedback, reflection, and real business challenges.

What can surprise people is the level of personal ownership involved. Growth is supported but not prescribed. People are encouraged to take an active role in shaping their own development.

This practical approach helps development stay tangible. It is not only about attending a program or preparing for the next role. It is about building skills, confidence, and perspective through the work itself.

 

Growth in More Than One Direction

For Volker, development at Hilti means much more than promotion. Growth can happen vertically through new roles, but also horizontally through broader responsibilities, new scopes, international exposure, or different business challenges.

Anyone who wants to develop will find many paths at Hilti, locally, regionally, or internationally.

What matters is the combination of personal responsibility, clear expectations, trust from leaders, practice-based learning, and an international environment that encourages people to keep growing.

Volker sums up his personal philosophy simply saying that "For me, learning means never stopping being curious."

That curiosity continues to shape the way he works and develops today. It also reflects the wider learning culture at Hilti, where people are encouraged to ask questions, take ownership, and actively shape their development.

 

Where Learning Becomes Growth

Volker's story shows that learning at Hilti is not limited to training programs or career milestones. It happens through feedback, responsibility, collaboration, and the willingness to reflect on where growth can happen next.

At Hilti, development is not only about the next step. It is about building the mindset, skills, and confidence to keep creating the future.

So, would you like to work in an environment where learning is part of the culture and development is actively encouraged? Check out our current open jobs.