Monday 2023-12-11

Puncher, real estate agent, data protection officer, lawyer, Corporate Center Manager. In his 37 years at HELLA, Detlev Bökenkamp has taken on a wide variety of tasks. He is best known as the long-standing head of HELLA's legal department, who has accompanied the company through decisive milestones. He will retire at the end of the year. Time to look back once again.

​Mr Bökenkamp, what were your most important stations at HELLA?

​I actually started working at HELLA as a working student during my law studies at the University of Münster, back then in the punching department. In 1986, I joined the legal department as a trainee lawyer and after graduating as a fully qualified lawyer, I joined HELLA as a permanent employee in 1989. At that time, the housing office was still part of the legal department. The housing office was the department that provided new colleagues with flats to get them started and managed the company's properties. In total, we managed around 600 apartments at the time. So you can say: I started at HELLA as a real estate agent (laughs). Inbetween, I also worked as a data protection officer, and in 2002 I took over as head of the legal department.

​What is unthinkable today, but was done that way back then?

​Back then, we did everything much more down-to-earth than we do today. For example, when we carry out a transaction today, such as a spin-off or a purchase, we employ dozens of lawyers and tax consultants and create a 250-page contract document. I can remember when we made the ZLE, the Erwitte central warehouse, legally independent in 2000, my colleague Thomas Cramer and I wrote a contract that had 20 pages (laughs). We involved the works council, spoke briefly with our tax consultant, went to the management board and then we simply implemented it and created the HD Erwitte. There was no project team, no reporting, no Power Point slides. That has changed, but of course things are much more complex today.

​What do you remember fondly?

​My time in Mexico. I've always wanted to live abroad for a longer period of time. I've been attracted to it my whole life. I never wanted to be a lawyer working locally, I wanted to work internationally and travel. I was able to do that at HELLA, but never for a long time. When our CEO at the time, Dr Breidenbach, asked me if I would like to manage the Corporate Center in Mexico for three months, I immediately accepted. I remember him asking: 'Don't you want to discuss this with your wife first?’ But I knew I'd never get another chance like this. My wife never really wanted to go abroad, but she was on a sabbatical at the time and, to my great surprise, said: 'What do you say if I come with you?’ We then spent three months together in Mexico in 2018 - a late gift for me and the icing on the cake of my career. I would have liked to stay longer, but it was already a given that Stefan van Dalen would take over from me, then Matthias Wiehen.

​You did indeed come back changed: Not only tanned, but you were also no longer wearing a tie.

​You quickly get used to wearing no tie in Mexico - it's far too hot. And when I came back to Lippstadt, more and more young colleagues joined the management team - none of them wore a tie anymore. Dr Breidenbach looked puzzled at first and when I asked him if it was OK that I no longer wore a tie, he just said: 'As long as you don't wear Bermuda shorts and don't expect me to stop wearing a tie, then that's fine with me' (laughs).

​What has been your greatest success in the 37 years of HELLA?

​My team as it is today. Legal, compliance, data protection, security management, patents, ISO, audit. The team is lean, but works incredibly well. And what can I say: Four of my team members are now in charge of overarching FORVIA functions - a record (laughs). I'm proud of that. I've always had the right people in my team with the right spirit and people obviously recognize that. We also won a prize once - the prestigious JUVE Award in 2015, which honors law firms and in-house legal departments. We were nominated with TUI and BMW, among others. The setting of the award ceremony: Alte Oper in Frankfurt, red carpet, dinner jacket. So we went there. In fact, we ended up in second place - and beat BMW. I'm still celebrating that today.

​What was your most difficult decision?

​It's hard to say, but where I was really challenged was in 2012 during the cartel investigation we had in house. I remember it very well: All of a sudden, ten men from the Federal Cartel Office were standing downstairs in the main entrance with a search warrant. My assistant at the time, Mrs Feldmeier, tried to get rid of them, but then they were in. We have also conducted our own internal investigation. At the time, Dr Behrend gave me the mandate to do this and I had to speak to the colleagues who were suspected. That was difficult, because you knew them all. The process is still not completely finalized, but otherwise I'm proud that all the legacy issues are gone.

​In 3 words: What does HELLA mean to you personally?

​HELLA is characterized by team spirit. I have always felt at home here, appreciated the camaraderie and the HELLA family. For me, HELLA is also characterized by the fact that you can work very independently here. Expertise counts more than hierarchy. In my experience, it was always the case that project management or team leadership was offered to the person who was most suitable in the situation. In some task forces, people who had not previously been on the radar stood out. For me, HELLA means thirdly: having fun.

​A look into the crystal ball: How do you imagine HELLA in 30 years?

​I hope that BG Lighting, Electronics and Lifecycle Solutions will still exist. But above all, I hope that the HELLA genes will still exist, the camaraderie in that inimitable HELLA way.

​And where will we find Detlev Bökenkamp in the near future?

​First of all, I'm taking an internal sabbatical, a 'cool-down' phase. But I have to admit: I like commitments. I think I will continue to take on obligatory tasks, perhaps consultancy mandates. For the first three months, however, you will certainly find me in my garage, where I will be repairing and lacquering an old Vespa from 1974. This must be completed by 31 March 2024.

​Why this special date?

​People say that lawyers are chaotic and to be honest, that's true for me too (laughs). I need someone to sort things out around me and I need deadlines - that's the big lessons learned from my time at HELLA. If you have a deadline, you'll make it.

​What else would you like to pass on to your colleagues?

​That they should take their work seriously, but people are always more important than work. And you should stay true to yourself. You can bend a little, but not much. Personality is also more important than the job. In the end, it's all about being happy.

​Thank you very much for the interview, Mr Bökenkamp.