Managing Talent at Bertelsmann AG (A)
Bertelsmann’s EVP HR Immanuel Hermreck and his team were focused on four key HR issues. Three of these were somewhat discreet: improving Bertelsmann’s employer brand; managing Bertelsmann talent across the firm’s decentralized businesses; and ensuring early identification and appropriate development of Bertelsmann’s top 100 high potential managers (hi-pos) to better seed the company’s future top management. The fourth issue-recruitment and retention-played an integral role across all three challenges and had to be strengthened and made consistent across the firm, not an easy prospect given Bertelsmann’s highly decentralized structure.