konnexionen = connections

People inspire People. People make up a business. People have skills to do a job. People make decisions. People form a bond needed for teamwork. People provide a service. People build a product. People design and innovate. People sell and connect to clients. People form a company culture. People live by a set of values. People are likely to be motivated and driven by a higher purpose. People learn from one another…. This list is endless. The success of any organization is driven by its people. Thus having the ability to build connections between and with people is the key to successful collaboration and leadership. Being a leader that people want to follow, are leaders that inspire, demonstrate empathy, trust, care and respect. And this is only possible by investing in emotional intelligence, the ability to build interpersonal bridges and creating sincere connections. Emotional intelligence drives the quality of relationships.

konnexionen means connections. konnexionen is a testimony of my personal beliefs and values working in Human Resources and Talent Management. And I am driven and led by my purpose –

to inspire, facilitate and foster human connections with impact

Aligned to this, I had also initiated „she interviews“ – an equity and diversity project supporting women in leadership. A place where female leaders share their career story as a source of inspiration and encouragement for others to follow in their footsteps. Alongside my professional career, personally I also strive to facilitate the connections among women to support their advancement, their aspirations and overall to drive a better gender balance in leadership and the workplace.

Katrin Melle, HR and Talent Management Executive with a proven track record of shaping high-performing cultures and developing leaders across global organizations. Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Certified Coach by QRC

(personal website)

about me

I am a dedicated HR and Talent Management Executive working in senior leadership position since many years. To my roles counted Regional VP Talent & Culture for Hyatt in EAME, independent consultant and Leadership Coach and prior to that I was CHRO at AMAN, and Regional VP HR Europe & Middle East for Hyatt, My specialisation lies in talent management, succession planning, leadership development, communication, training, inclusion strategies and tactics, and generally people learning & development. As well as hospitality industry HR expertise and hotel pre-opening experience.

My passion lies in my ability to connect to people, to build bridges, communicate effectively and demonstrate strong influencing skills. I hold myself true to being an empathetic leader, a leader that aspires to demonstrate and to further develop a high level of Emotional Intelligence. I am grateful to the many mentors and leaders I had the pleasure to work with and who shaped me who I am today.

I am a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, I have a specialization on delivering development workshop on emotional intelligence. As well hold a practitioner certification Leader as Coach, by Genos

I hold a coaching qualification certified by QRC (Qualitätsring Coaching und Beratung e.V.)

And am a certified (…and passionate) #IamRemarkable facilitator. If you want to know more, connect with me via LinkedIn.

I have had the opportunity to support Katrin developing leaders at AMAN and more recently at Hyatt. Katrin combines a wealth of insight, experience and knowledge with an infectious energy, drive and passion for developing talent, getting the best out of people and unlocking potential to achieve sustained performance. I trust Katrin's judgement and highly recommend her expertise. 
Ben Renshaw, leadership coach and author of How to be a CEO

women & leadership

Throughout my career I have met many inspiring female leaders and I have always admired successful women in the workplace. I have found asking myself numerous times if the so often quoted „glass ceiling“ still exists? And I have met many male colleagues and allies also driven and supportive of changing the current imbalance of gender in leadership.

In terms of women in labor force, or women in management, the workforce is not a reflection of society. As per this report published by the International Labor Association, only 3 out 10 managerial positions are held by women. And according to the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic forum it will still take over 120 years to reach full gender partiy at the current pace.

There is no single, one answer to what the „glass ceiling“ is, yet I was looking for an area where I can personally contribute and influence to break it in some places. As much as the number of female leaders has increased, we still have a way to go and it is my personal aspiration to assist women reach their personal career ambitions and inspire women to consider a leadership career. 

The more women lead, the more women will rise to lead.

In my corporate HR and Talent Management roles I have been driving inclusion at the workplace. I have established DE&I strategies, founded colleague networking circles, have developed and managed a mentorship program for women and generally actively promoted networking among women, to support their career advancement. Fostering an enviornment where women who want to rise, can.

Creating connections and building relationships can directly influence and inspire someone to consider a leadership career. Learning from one another, following advice and believing in the power mentoring, I facilitate connections between women, hoping to inspire them to consider a leadership career.

Supporting this objective, I had initiated the

„she interviews“

series. A collection of interviews with female leaders and entrepreneurs who share insights into their career and professional past and future goals. These women are all role models, all with different paths, different approaches and different personal circumstances. But they are united by a common purpose – assisting women to consider a leadership career and encourage them to fulfill their professional ambitions. Role models play a huge role in encouraging others.

Interested to connect?

„she interviews & connect with her“ group on LinkedIn.