Interview with Dr. Anke Skopec – The Managing Director of the BIFI – Berliner Institut für Innovationsforschung GmbH

Anke Skopec is no stranger to discomfort. In fact she welcomes it openly – ‘Too much comfort can slow down innovative action’. And she should know- through a storied career trajectory from salesperson to award winning manager of the BIFI, life and its gurnings have been defined by innovation with a capital ‘I’. On asking what tips would she currently give to the new batch of Entrepreneurs or aspiring StartUps she said the following:

‘I have three tips that I would like to give to those who are still at the beginning:

• Show humility to what you don’t know yet. Always take up new impulses and do not close yourself to learn from your surroundings. Every encounter is an opportunity for new insights and all learning experiences form your intuition.
• Don’t rely on others to solve something for you. You have to change the world yourself, otherwise nothing will happen. Handle proactively, without excuses. This also gives you a sense of control, power and effectiveness.
• Make your professional activity so that you can personally grow and stay passionate with it. This is how the work offers you fulfillment and joy. Here, self-employment wins through a relationship of employment, in which you can usually shape your job more freely.’

She iterates very clearly that ‘ same salary with equal qualifications for all genders’ are one of the key measures to promote female empowerment. This is practiced in her company along with maintaining a 50-50 gender quota.

Moving forward she expects politicians to provide greater support for entrepreneurs and the development of women in companies in general. Women are not a marginal group, but half of the population! According to studies, female-run companies generate more sales. There is a great potential for Germany here!

What makes her a good Boss! – Professional respect precedes Professional hierarchy in her company. Teamwork and trust in her colleagues keeps them always highly motivated and involved.

Skopec also plays the role of a mother to 3 children with whom she balances her spare time as ‘Leisure time’. And poised as she is on the verge of ever new horizons, the untiring trailblazer succinctly summarizes her core driving motif. ‘You have to change the world yourself, otherwise nothing will happen.’

Information about the company
Name – BIFI – Berlin Institute for Innovation Research
Website – https://www.bifi-institute.com/
Founded in – 2010
Number of Employees – 12
Full interview available on : https://www.bvmw.de/de/unternehmertum/news/dr-anke-skopec