Natalie Koeppe

When did you join RCS and who was your sponsor?

I’ve joined in 2013 shortly after relocating to Shanghai with my husband Thilo, who was already a member in Germany and has sponsored me.

Where are you hailing from?

We moved to Shanghai from Munich, Germany.

What are you doing professionally?

After finishing my PhD in International Management with the focus on talent management last year, I have joined adidas as Head of Talent Partnering APAC leading the regional talent agenda for about 10,000 employees targeting the identification, development, performance, retention and succession of talents.

What would you like to share with our readers about your family?

It seems like Koeppe family is deeply connected to China and particularly Shanghai. Thilo and I met in 2009 in Shanghai at the German Ball and in 2018 we have adopted Emma, whom we met at Baby Home in Pudong in late 2017.

What are your hobbies, apart from RCS?

As a family we enjoy maximizing our time together while being outdoors and active. We go for runs, enjoy scuba diving, playing squash, hiking, skiing…

How do you recharge your battery?

Although I do enjoy being active, to wind down I prefer just to spend some ‘me-time’, which is rare with a little one in the house 😉

Best/Last book you read and why

‘Radical Candor: How to get what you want by saying what you mean’, an international bestseller by Kim Scott. Starting in my new role in May this year, I came across this book as a recommendation. Sheryl Sandberg refers to it by saying: ‘It will help you inspire teams to do the best work of their lives’. That sounded intriguing. I’m still reading and definitely like it. Mind provoking.

What is your favorite place in Shanghai?

The Former French Concession (FFC). Funny enough, when we moved back to Shanghai in 2012 (which is our second term being here), I could not have imagined living in FFC and instead really enjoyed our apartment located in Jing An. Now, in our 7th year and having Emma, it seems that FFC just became the perfect place to live in a green and quite area and enjoy the weekends walking the streets.

What is your advice to any new member of RCS?

Be yourself, find what the activity, project, committee you like and connect with members. The club is what you make out of it.