Janina Pfleiderer-Stellbogen. Foto: Porsche AG

eMove360° Women in Tech Interview: Janina Pfleiderer-Stellbogen, Porsche Project Manager Sales Strategy Focus on Sustainability

Janina Pfleiderer-Stellbogen is a project manager in sales strategy with a focus on sustainability and works closely with Porsches international sales companies. In the eMove360° interview for the current issue of the eMove360° Magazins she provides insights into the development of local environmental and social initiatives and explains what role Porsche-KunitovMden is playing on the road to a more sustainable future.

Ms. Pfleiderer-Stellbogen, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. How important is the topic of sustainability to you?

Janina Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: The topic of sustainability has been with me from an early age, as sustainability plays an important role in my family. It was pointed out to me at an early age that our planet’s resources are finite and that we need to find solutions that protect our environment. These experiences have awakened in me the desire to work towards a more sustainable future, not only in my private life, but also professionally – in my role in the strategy area of sales, I can make a contribution to this.

What contribution can you make to sustainability at Porsche in your day-to-day work?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: Together with my colleague Tobias Cavaleri, I work directly at the interface between sustainability strategy and sales. I initiate specific projects in the international markets and in the sales department and support their implementation. This includes actively managing the relevant initiatives – and then communicating them transparently and to the right target group. We communicate these via the sales subsidiaries to retailers and our customers. Another focus of my work in the area of sustainability is the internal transfer of knowledge to employees in the sales department and the global sales organization. To this end, we use various exchange formats and training courses, including internal company theme weeks on sustainability and specific workshops with specialist departments.

What significance does sustainability have for Porsche customers? What is particularly important to them?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: Many of our customers fulfill a lifelong dream when they buy one of our vehicles – also because Porsche is an exclusive and unique brand with which they can identify. A positive brand image is essential for this. It is important to our customers that Porsche conveys values, actively assumes responsibility and acts in a future-oriented manner. When it comes to sustainability, the expectations of our target groups are very heterogeneous. Our latest market research has shown that customers primarily associate sustainability with ecological aspects of the product. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions play a particularly important role in attracting new target groups for all-electric vehicles. At the same time, we are observing that social issues are becoming increasingly important. We therefore want to support the individual markets in implementing social projects with local added value, particularly in the areas of education, inclusion and basic services.

What regional differences are there in customer perception of sustainability? How do you deal with these?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: Discussions with local sales colleagues and extensive market research have shown us that there are high expectations in the areas of the environment, social issues and corporate governance, particularly in Europe. In China, on the other hand, sustainability is associated in particular with electrification and technological progress. We also see regional differences in the importance of sustainability within a country, for example in the United States: In regions with higher environmental awareness, potential customers are more likely to place value on more sustainable products, while in other parts of the US there is a certain reluctance or even skepticism on selected topics. We incorporate these different perspectives and expectations at Porsche and derive appropriate measures from them. We try to take these global differences into account in our sales communication by adapting it specifically to regional needs and at the same time ensuring a global brand presence. Despite the differences, we are aware of the increasing expectations worldwide: companies like Porsche should make a greater contribution to more sustainability.

How do you and your team derive concrete projects in cooperation with Porsche’s sales regions from these impressions?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: Every year, we recognize special projects. I would like to highlight three of these projects in particular: With a program to reduce its environmental impact, Porsche China was able to reduce its CO₂ emissions by around 5,000 tons in 2024. Local measures included, for example, the use of solar panels, energy-saving LED lighting and environmentally friendly packaging. In Guatemala, Porsche employees joined forces with the local organization TECHO to support a house-building initiative. As part of this commitment, seven homeless families were given a new home with a drinking water supply. The winner of our 2024 award, Porsche Middle East, launched a project to donate almost 2,000 handmade solar lamps to people with limited access to electricity. I was very touched to see how children living in darkness with their families in India could now read and learn in the evening.

Let’s take a look back at Porsche’s products: how do you go about convincing customers of the sustainability of battery-powered vehicles?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: We want to use our insights into customer needs and address frequently asked questions and possible reservations in a targeted manner – for example about the carbon footprint, the origin and extraction of battery raw materials or battery recycling. On the one hand, we provide our dealers with information in order to provide our customers with comprehensive and transparent information. At the same time, we try to provide information in the opposite direction by incorporating relevant concerns from the customer’s perspective into central vehicle projects in a targeted manner – ideally until they are actually piloted or implemented. We also rely on transparent communication. One example of this is the product page for our new all-electric Macan, where we present sustainability aspects along the entire value chain.

A look into the future: where do you see trends? What are your wishes?

Pfleiderer-Stellbogen: At the moment, one might initially get the impression that sustainability is losing importance in some public discussions. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the relevance of these issues for us and our customers will continue to grow. In this context, I hope that sustainability will be considered even more holistically by the public in the future – not only with regard to ecological aspects, but also with regard to social and economic issues. It will be important for Porsche to continue to drive these issues forward and to expand our sustainability activities in the international markets. I see myself as a spokesperson for our customers and specifically incorporate their perspectives into the company’s sustainability projects – in order to make a contribution to a responsible future.

Thank you very much for the interview.

You can read this and other articles on the subject of electromobility & autonomous driving in the current issue of eMove360°. PDF download free of charge or order the handy and beautiful printed version in the online Shop.