Meet the OEB21 Speakers: Keynote Sina Fäckeler

Sina is currently working at AXA Group Operations in Paris as Global Head of People Development & Wellbeing. She leads three teams with a global responsibility for L&D; Talent & Leadership Development and; Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing). She is truly a wanderer between worlds and has “changed sides” several times: from academia to the business world, from smaller to larger companies and from Germany to other European countries – and vice versa. We are delighted to count her amongst our illustrious keynote speakers for this year’s OEB21!

Who, or what, was your most important teacher?

Life! I had the most intense and lasting learnings when I had to master real life challenges . In professional and especially in private life.

What was your most important lesson?

Don’t wait until retirement to fulfill your wishes/dreams/aspirations. Life is now. What truly matters to you should not wait 20 years. Challenge yourself on what really matters to you. Practice self reflection every day!

If you could try out any job for a day, what would you like to try?

Working as a doctor or nurse in an intensive care unit.

A genie gives you three wishes—what are they?

Health, happiness and love for my friends, family and me.

What current learning trend do you think will have a lasting impact?

In my view we haven’t found yet good ways to combine our longing for social connection, intense experiences and emotions with digital learning opportunities. If we find a way to make digital learnings a real life, intense and emotional experience while directly interacting and bonding with others, we have finally found a way to create lasting and intense learnings! I believe we haven’t done yet enough with technology in this space and there is definitely potential for more, very new approaches.

Which technology, in your view, had the biggest influence on the way we learn now?

The internet itself and the (cost) free access to knowledge and learning resources 24/7 all around the globe.

What is the coolest gadget / technology / tool you have seen lately?

I’ve seen so many. And this is probably the most disappointing in my answer. What does the coolest gadget/technology/tool help if it’s not creating a lasting impact on the learners side? We have to put the lasting impact first. In reality people tend to put the gadget/technology/tool first. For me the most important reason why so many pilots and deployments in this area fail and still so many learners think so often so negatively about digital learning opportunities or believe face to face is still better.

Who would you recommend (in the Learning World) to follow on social media right now?

I strongly believe that HR/Learning professionals have to, first and foremost, understand the ecosystem they are working in. Follow your organization’s competitors, follow key people in your organization, follow latest developments in society and politics. Develop a holistic understanding of your ecosystem and don’t you ever stay only in the learning bubble ;-).

What would be the title of your autobiography?  

“Born by a hero”, dedicated to my mother who passed away of cancer aged 62 years old. One of my most intense learning moments in life.

What was your first thought about our overall theme, “Learning Resilience”

Having experienced tough and extreme moments in life, has shown me how crucial it is to be resilient. It’s not easy to learn how to look at the still existing bright side when everything around you is dark. But everyone of us can learn to be more resilient. Being resilient doesn’t mean you’re not experiencing stress, it means to me having your very own toolkit to bounce back from difficult life events/moments. To not drown, but to come out of the situation even stronger – with many learnings that will be the guiding light in your future.

What do you hope to take away from OEB?

OEB has always been a great opportunity to connect with the smartest people around the world. After the global and shared experience of the pandemic, there cannot be something more exciting than having the opportunity to discuss and reflect with the brightest and most passionate people about what learnings and opportunities for paradigm shifts we take away from this joint and intense learning experience. 



Thank you, Sina! We’re looking forward to learning more about your work and views in the Plenary taking place on Friday, December 3, 2021.