In this special episode, Janine Matos looks back on the interviews and conversations of Pieces of Me in 2025, to bring you the standout advice and insights shared by guests. From reflections on Zalando’s OFMs (Our Founding Mindsets) to career guidance from experts in team culture, tech innovation, social impact and economics, this episode brings together voices from across the business, including Christoph Gädeke, Pia Ahlgren, Dunja-Maria Bischof, Lara Gesche and Gregory Crawford. Th...

In this episode of Pieces of Me, Janine Matos sits down with Alice Marshall, Director of Pre-Owned at Zalando, to explore the boom in pre-owned fashion. Alice talks us through the creative and operational engine behind Zalando’s recommerce operation. She explains how customers can trade in their as-new or gently worn items, and what it takes to build a trusted, high-quality secondhand experience at scale. The conversation covers how Zalando is grabbing the growing opportunity in kids’ pre-own...

In this episode of Pieces of Me, Janine Matos is joined by Lara Gesche, Principal of Social Impact at Zalando, for a conversation about giving back to society, contributing to community, and the role businesses can play beyond commercial success. Lara breaks down our three core pillars: volunteering, humanitarian aid, and Zalando’s key strategic Social Impact initiatives: the Circularity Masterclasses and the Design Academy - two educational programmes that enable upcoming designers to suppor...

Janine sits down with Xiaoxia Qiu, VP of Zalando’s Tech Hub in Shenzhen China, to discuss an exciting new avenue for fashion and lifestyle sales. The conversation covers Xiaoxia ’s experience in building the company’s first tech centre in China, the challenges of bridging cultural attitudes toward work between China and Europe, and his team’s innovative approach to improving their English communication skills. Xiaoxia explains the thinking behind bringing the Chinese approach to social medi...

Lucy Stubley, Principal D&I Talent & Leadership at Zalando, and Vanessa Sanyauke join Janine Matos to explore empowerment, diversity, and inclusion in the modern workplace; with a special focus on women in tech. Vanessa shares her inspiring journey as the founder of Girls Talk and the Black Girls Tech Summit, two initiatives dedicated to encouraging Black women to pursue careers in technology and leadership. Lucy reflects on her role at Zalando and the company’s ongoing commitment to ...

Pia Ahlgren and Dunja-Maria Bischof, Site Operations Leads at Zalando, join the podcast to deep-dive into their roles supporting tech operations in Zalando’s international sites. As the pair explain to Janine, Zalando’s Hubs are vital to the tech innovation that drives success in fashion and lifestyle e-commerce. The Hubs show that Zalando is a serious employer of tech talent; from using data science and AI to help solve the biggest challenges in the fashion industry, to creating the tech ...

Lea Siering, Managing Director of Zalando Payments, joins Janine to lift the lid perhaps the most important part of the fashion and lifestyle e-commerce sector… payments! Lea explains the complex but crucial role of payment systems in e-commerce and why creating a seamless checkout experience is essential for customer trust. The conversation covers how to juggle compliance, legislation, reporting and customer satisfaction so that everyone ends up happy. Lea shares her career journey, and refl...

Jennifer Miu, Labelling and Packaging Manager for Private Labels at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to unpack a career in the fashion and lifestyle sector that is both hugely creative and completely essential, but rarely discussed. Jennifer first explains the important role that private labels - the company’s in-house brands - play. She then goes one to explain some of the remarkable innovations happening in packaging, including the importance of adaptive fashion and creating solutions and modifi...

In this episode of the Pieces of Me podcast, host Janine Matos speaks with Aline Guimarães, Senior Business Developer, about the transformation of market research and the ever-expanding role of customer insights in shaping the fashion sector. Aline explains how her team has evolved, broadening its focus to include data analysts and working to understand the entire customer journey. She shares how new and innovative tools and methods help the team uncover customer behaviour, brand perception, ...

In this episode of the Pieces of Me podcast, we delve into a side of the fashion and lifestyle industry that hens’t been covered on the podcast before; unpacking the unique challenges when the customer is the parent, but the consumer is their child. Veronica Molès is Head of Kids at Zalando and she joins Janine to discuss her role leading Zalando’s kids’ assortment, The conversation explores how customer needs evolve across childhood and teenage years, the role fashion plays in shaping identi...

Salome Santos and Sofia Proshina join Janine Matos to explore the power of self-belief, community, and the fight against imposter syndrome. This special episode of the Pieces of Me podcast delves into the the I Am Remarkable initiative. I Am Remarkable is a global movement designed to empower individuals, particularly women, by recognising and celebrating their achievements. Salome and Sofia unpack how these workshops - which are available to everyone, at Zalando and beyond - can help partici...

Elman Hüseynov, Senior Software Engineer in Brand Marketing at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore how creativity and code combine in the world of brand marketing. In this episode of Pieces of Me, Elman shares how his team are helping to revolutionise Zalando’s marketing campaigns through innovative tech solutions; building the tools to drive the marketing of the future From overcoming complex tech challenges to understanding how to scale creative campaigns, Elman unpacks the role of softw...

In this episode, Janine sits down with Ashley Drew, Senior Manager Performance Practice at Zalando to talk about career and personal development in the modern workplace. Janine and Ashley discuss the benefits of a career path that embraces diverse roles and how Zalando facilitates exactly that. Ashley explains talent and performance management, covering what talent means and the best ways to foster it, how to evaluate personal performance, and the all-important area of feedback. She unpack...

Daniel Motino, Senior Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at Zalando, joins Janine Matos for a powerful conversation about identity, inclusion, and personal growth. In this moving episode of Pieces of Me, Daniel shares his journey in Diversity & Inclusion, highlighting how both visible and invisible parts of individual identity shape our experiences at work. From building support systems to leading programs that elevate women in leadership, Daniel discusses how he’s helping Zalando to crea...

Gare Anighoro, Design Ops Manager at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore how community-building fuels creativity, connection, and career growth. In this episode, Gare shares how rituals such as “the Design Bonfire” and “Scrappy Demos” create opportunities for inspiration and collaboration. By inviting designers to share unfinished work and offer feedback, organisations can break down internal silos. The conversation unpacks these community initiatives, the importance of collaborative...

Darija Bräuniger, Principal, Public Affairs DACH at Zalando, joins Janine to explains the role of a public affairs specialist in business and its impact in shaping business strategy. Although many of us misunderstand what’s meant by public affairs, Darija unpacks how her team focuses on communicating a company’s interests to politicians and how this differs from stakeholder communications. She shares how the public affairs team works to align Zalando’s priorities with evolving policy, e...

Sara Spannar, VP of Global Marketing at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore the power of purpose, simplicity and empowerment in marketing fashion and lifestyle brands. Janine and Sara dive into a wide ranging conversation covering Sara’s personal perspective on her career to the marketing philosophies and strategies drive her work. They discuss the evolving landscape of fashion and lifestyle e-commerce, the importance of confidence in personal style, and the focus on customer engagement.&n...

Morgane Telling, Acting Team Lead Localisation Manager at Zalando, joins Janine to explain language and localisation in international business, and the importance of human connection in a tech-driven environment. Morgane explains her role and why localisation is key to Zalando’s success across diverse markets. The conversation covers everything from understanding customer to how AI is supporting, but not replacing, the human touch in localisation. Morgan also opens up about her personal...

Rebekka Beels, Head of Engineering at Zalando, joins Janine Matos for a wide-ranging conversation covering leadership, vulnerability, and what’s required to build inclusive, high-performing teams in tech. Rebekka shares her perspective on what it takes to lead engineering at scale; aligning technical strategy with company goals while fostering a culture of personal ownership and team support. The conversation explores the tech platforms that Zalando uses to deliver customer needs, what l...

Astrid Arndt, Chief People Officer at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to discuss leadership, workplace culture, and personal growth. Astrid explains her role in helping to shape Zalando’s culture, focusing on the importance of talent attraction, colleague retention, and understanding customer needs. The conversation also covers insights into long-term strategy, shifts in customer behaviour, and even Ted Lasso. Astrid’s three “Pieces of Me” reflect some key lessons in leadership and self-belief. T...