Looking at this photo Verena Balsen a smiling young woman with red hair appears with a future ahead of her. However, his future decided to leave him behind to invent something else. There offspring of the Bahlsen group, German Biscuit Empire, he dropped everything to start over. Considered one of the most prominent European heirs, she was only 25 years old when she reached the pinnacle of the family business, founded by her great-grandfather in Hannover in 1893. She never hid her love for money and intended to earn even more. . Enough to buy a yacht and enjoy life, according to a statement she made a few years ago in which she admitted she was a capitalist and couldn’t wait to use her profits. Then everything collapsed like a house of cards tousled by the wind.
The official news of her retirement broke in late October along with a company press release, but just a few days ago, the 29-year-old heiress wanted to explain her reasons in a LinkedIn post accompanied by a black-and-white post. photo of herself. She clarified that she had been seen by a psychiatrist, and at the moment it seemed appropriate.
The reasons? Crying attacks, panic attacks, outbursts of anger. Now is the time to take care of yourself, your mental health and well-being, which has slipped out of sight for too long. She realized this when she had a panic attack in the middle of a cornfield where she was with the CEO of the company. She could not continue, she needed a stop, and she took this opportunity. He says he wants to continue doing brands and creativity, but only after a break during which he can “surf”. be “outrageously unproductive”.
Some appreciated the courage to say enough, to admit mistakes, not to lie about their mental health, and to pit the rest period against the pursuit of productivity at all costs. But more criticism. There are those who see her as flawed, those who feel she was never fit to be at the top of the company, and those who reiterate that her LinkedIn confession is completely out of place.
After all, Verena has made some inappropriate remarks over the years. Since her rise to the spotlight – she joined the company at the age of 20 – she has embarrassed the Balsen family more than once. For example, when in 2019 she answered a question about forced deportations of workers from Poland to work in a family factory. She argued that forced women were treated just as well and paid the same as German women, and that Balsen was not to blame. Der Spiegel wasted no time refuting this: the investigation showed that the Balsens at the time at the head of the company supported the SS and paid the forced laborers less than a fifth of the Germans.
Today he also uses different tones his ambitions waned. Instead of buying a yacht, dream of lying on the beach. Instead of running an empire, look to others for inspiration. However, before the end of the year, he must take his post. The shares of the company, however, are not discussed: she owns a quarter of them, as they were divided between her and her brothers, two of whom work in the company. Only her sister remained outside of Bahlsen’s orbit, deciding to become a photographer.
Verena also tried to break away from tradition by opening Hermann’s restaurant in the heart of Berlin in 2017, which closed three years later. After graduating from Hanover and studying management in London and communications in New York (but without graduating), she immediately entered the company, trying to open the way. The startup was controlled by Balsen and was named after his grandfather, but it was his idea. Not only a restaurant, but also a project to renew modern food, find alternatives to meat and offer a healthier, more innovative and sustainable approach. One step more than he can swallow, also because at Bahlsen, he says, they continue to do things the old fashioned way. The food revolution has failed, perhaps he will have better luck with the personal one.
Source: Elle