Human resources management: Mr. Bielmann, “Why real talent not only has to be found, but also developed” is the title of the panel in which you are taking part together with Luisa Hummel and Arndt Zeitz at “Schicht im Schacht”. What do you understand by “real” talent – and why is pure recruiting not enough?
Jens Bielmann: For us, a real talent is a person who not only performs strongly today, but above all has the ability, ambition and commitment to grow into larger and more complex roles. It is precisely these three pillars that form the basis of our understanding of potential at Coca-Cola. Potential often only becomes visible when we systematically develop and enable people beyond their entry point – not just filling positions, but enabling growth. Pure recruiting would therefore fall short here.
In many companies, talent acquisition and talent management are still considered separate worlds. What structural requirements are needed for both areas to really work together strategically?
What is crucial is an organization in which the definition of potential, development principles and selection criteria are thought out consistently. For me, this includes, above all, a common language around potential – i.e. striving, ability and commitment. Equally important are uniform talent definitions, for example for local talent, experts or key talent. In addition, there are common data points and a close integration of recruiting insights and development decisions, so that 83 percent of leadership roles are filled internally. That ends Finally, a clear shared responsibility: Talent Acquisition brings in the external market knowledge, Talent Management brings in the development logic, and HR Business Partnering brings in the business perspective.
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layer in the shaft
The recruiting conference “Schicht im Schacht” will take place on April 24th on the grounds of the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park. The program includes various sessions on topics such as talent acquisition, employer branding, AI in recruiting and people analytics – supplemented by guided tours of the industrial monument and an evening event with an after-show party. Human resources is a media partner.
Skills First at Coca-Cola: Retaining talent
They discuss specific retention strategies on the panel. Which approach has proven to be particularly effective at Coca-Cola in practice?
Talents bind themselves where they can grow. That’s why we rely on transparent development paths for different talent groups as well as a consistent feedback and learning culture as the basis for personal growth. Our development philosophy is based on the 70/20/10 principle. There is a strong focus on expanding tasks and additional responsibility – for example through projects, secondments or cross-functional changes.
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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is one of the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturers and a licensed bottling and distribution partner of The Coca-Cola Company in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The company employs around 41,000 people worldwide and achieved annual sales of around 20.4 billion euros in 2024. In Germany, the CCEP subsidiary is the country’s largest beverage company with a sales volume of around 4.1 billion liters. Around 6,500 employees work at around 25 locations in this country.
How early in the recruiting process must talent development be considered – and who is responsible for it: Talent Acquisition, HR or specialist management?
Talent development should be the first thought, even before a new position is created or filled. The responsibility is shared: Talent Acquisition identifies potential indicators during the recruiting process. The departments decide together with HR business partners and TA on the specific tasks and possible scope for development. Talent management, in turn, ensures structural anchoring in the talent management system.
Coca-Cola continues to develop talent management
You have been building an independent talent acquisition area since 2023. What role does the interface to talent management play?
When we set up our independent Talent Acquisition (TA) department, we consciously anchored this interface as a central mission. TA not only procures personnel, but also brings strategic high-potential employees into the company, which are then further developed by Talent Management. Organizationally, this means a closer integration of both areas as well as a common understanding of talent and potential definitions, coordinated evaluation criteria and common data flows – in the future, mapped out in a technical 360-degree solution.
What is the one insight you would like to take away from the panel – or that you definitely want to pass on to the participants?
In addition to the new impulses that I hope to gain from the discussion, I would particularly emphasize one insight: recruiting is not the end, but the beginning of the value chain. We don’t win the future with CVs, but with skills and potential. Talent acquisition can therefore no longer just ask: “What did someone do?” – but rather: “What can someone and what can this person learn?” Companies that want to be successful here make the switch from purely filling roles to a skill and potential architecture. Talent acquisition plays a new key role. We are no longer just gatekeepers, but architects of a future-oriented talent approach – as a growth lever for people and for the company.
Sven Frost is responsible for HR tech, which includes the areas of digitalization, HR software, time and access, SAP and outsourcing. He also writes about recruiting and employer branding. He continues to be responsible for the editorial planning of various special human resources publications.
