Off the Record with Volker Wagner
Volker Wagner, Chairman of the Board of the ASW Federal Association (Alliance for Security in The Economy) and VP Security BASF Group
Get to Know Inspirational Characters of the Security Industry in GIT SECURITY’s Series
- Name: Volker Wagner
- Position, Company: Chairman of the Board of the ASW Federal Association (Alliance for Security in The Economy) and VP Security BASF Group
- Date of Birth: August 25, 1966
- Hometown: Karlsruhe, Germany
- Favorite homemade dish: Pasta
1. Right now: I am in the beginning of my third year as VP Security in BASF SE. After having changed the company and the industry sector, my personal learning curve has been very steep. This has been very exciting, but right now everything feels a bit more stable. So, I believe to now have a much better balance between discovering new ground and relying on experience.
2. My biggest struggles on a workday are the good ideas. I believe that the enemy of the good is the better. Dealing with limited ressources and limited financial fundings, we have to prioritize. Every workday, we need to focus on the most promising ideas which means that we have to say goodbye to the good ones.
3. My biggest motivation is driving change in organisations in close collaboration with my team.
4. The best decision in my career so far is to start engaging as a volunteer leader in associations. I have met so many inspiring people and I could build up close networks and friendships all over the world. So come and join me in ASW Germany and ASIS International.
5. The best compliment anyone has ever given to me is that I am a good listener and a competent advisor.
6. At the best job I ever had I served as a paramedic at one stage of the Tour de France. Being a road cyclist addict myself, I was thrilled to watch all the superstars from the front row. Luckily, there had been no accident, so we could enjoy the race.
7. The last thing/gadget I bought was a new headset for my home office. Right now, we are in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis and we all have to deal with a lot of challenges. But there is at least one very positive impact. We have pushed the digitization of our societies and businesses with unknown speed. It is fantastic to recognize the benefits from remote working. Let’s stick to it at some extend.
8. The most favorite pieces of clothing I own are my biking jerseys. Riding road bike is my favorite sport for the weekends.
9. My first car was a Renault 4 with the horsepower of 34. With this car, we even went to a skiing trip in the Alps and we never got stuck. The main problem was that the windshield became regularly frozen from the inside because the heating was so overcharged.
10. I had the opportunity to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. When I studied at the Federal College for Security Studies in Berlin our small group of students were invited to discuss security challenges with her.
