Inter(n)view: Nina Hauf

Nina, you study Corporate Communications Management and interned in our Trading & Clearing communications team. Why did you apply for this position? 

Having previously gained knowledge in public relations, journalism, and communication during my bachelor’s programme in Publizistik (media/publishing studies), I am currently deepening my knowledge of the broad field of corporate communication in my master's programme. To complement this, I was looking for hands-on experience. I wanted to strengthen the skills I already had and develop new ones in an international environment. The internship position encompassed all that: our team covers the global communication activities across all internal and external channels for the Trading & Clearing division – so it was a perfect fit.

You completed the internship and then stayed on board as student assistant. Can you tell us about your main tasks and describe a regular working day in communications?

In the morning, the whole team comes together for a quick call to discuss the day ahead: which publications are planned for the day, and what news or developments do we need to keep in mind? This helps to keep an overview of all the different topics coming up, particularly when working remotely. I mainly support internal communications, social media, and content management. Concretely, this involves proof-reading, editing, and translating articles, as well as setting up and publishing content. I also assist during video shoots, draft articles, and take part in the relevant jour fixes where we brainstorm and discuss ideas and measures.

That sounds like a varied programme. What would you say were the highlights of your internship?

There were quite a few! I always found video shootings exciting and fun, and a personal challenge was moderating a Group-wide capital markets call in front of a few hundred colleagues. Another highlight was definitely being able to witness an IPO, short for initial public offering, live from the trading floor in Frankfurt – something you otherwise only see on TV or social media. More than anything else, though, it was getting to know so many passionate colleagues through various internal communications projects. I was allowed insight into a diverse range of topics and projects. Among my favourites is an initiative dedicated to further strengthening our corporate culture – witnessing the colleagues’ dedication and supporting their mission from a communications perspective has been a major motivational driver.

Connecting with people and telling their stories – this experience has also shaped your career aspirations. 

Before I started at Deutsche Börse, I had never worked in internal communications and thought I would go in the direction of content creation, public relations, or social media. Then I got to support some of my supervisor’s projects and realised just how much I liked internal communications. Working on fostering dialogue throughout the company and increasing visibility for colleagues’ work and commitment feels very rewarding.

In this way, the internship definitely furthered my development: from internal communications being a field that wasn’t really on my radar, it has become a profession I’d like to take up on, and I now plan to write my master thesis on this topic at Deutsche Börse Group.

Apart from this, what else do you value about your time here? 

From the very first day I was considered an equal member of the team. My opinions matter, and I’m encouraged to share thoughts and ideas. Throughout my time here, I have not only received guidance, feedback, or support whenever it was necessary, but I also experienced a strong culture of trust and being believed in. Combined with the warmth and openness – both in our team and beyond – this has been a great environment to grow and develop further.