World explorer: being a product owner at G+D

Connections and coherence

Welcome to Spotlight, Astrid. What best describes your outlook?

I would say I naturally look for connections and coherence. I like to understand how things fit together – in technical topics, in strategy, and also in how to bring the right people, skills, and perspectives together at the right time. The bigger picture is important to me, but so is clarity about what really matters.

For the benefit of our readers, what does the Product Manager, Banknotes and Security Paper, at G+D do? 

In a nutshell, I am responsible for a product throughout its life cycle. I work across functions and bring together different perspectives – from R&D, production, and banknote processing machine teams, to sales and customer requirements. My role is to make sure all of these elements come together so the product – the “banknote” – works as a whole: technically, operationally, and in the market.

Of course, this is the “ideal” of product management. I try to develop by training, educating, and cultivating myself to meet this ideal. The challenge is to take 100% responsibility for this product. In my opinion, that is what product management should be about. 

In reality, that kind of ownership is not simply given; you have to establish it in an environment where many perspectives come together. For me, that means building expertise, creating clarity, and making sure the product is represented as a whole.

About banknotes and security paper

Can you tell us a bit about the product itself?

At its core, the product is a portfolio of banknote and security papers. But within that portfolio, there’s significant variety. A currency series isn’t one product, it’s a whole set of them. Each denomination has its own combination of security features, material choices, and manufacturing requirements. Higher-value notes often require more advanced security elements, while lower denominations must be exceptionally durable and cost‑efficient. Because each note interacts differently with machines and sensors, every denomination needs to be fine-tuned to ensure it works reliably across the global cash cycle. 

An exciting piece of paper

What is it about the product that excites you?

Banknote paper is the most interesting paper product you can imagine. Think of its complexity: a banknote is fashioned from a big toolbox of threads, features, prints. Even the print has a variety of features, like magnetic features, infrared, and so on. It must be put together in a nice design that can work in circulation. And as I said, every denomination must be customized because of security. This is a different universe compared with any other paper product. 

Why is an integrated, cross-disciplinary approach essential when creating new banknote products?

Products like the Green Banknote can only succeed if all the pieces work together.

It’s not just about developing a good paper – it’s about creating a solution that performs reliably in the real world. That takes input from many different areas, from R&D and materials to production, from quality, machine, and sensor experts to marketing and sales. In total, that can easily involve 150 to 200 people. 

What makes this so important is that central banks are not buying paper in isolation. They need a banknote product that is secure, durable, machine-readable, and dependable throughout the entire cash cycle. So, the substrate, the security features, the sensor technology, and the processing machines all have to work together seamlessly. 

That’s why cross-disciplinary collaboration is so valuable. Different perspectives help us spot issues early, improve ideas, and make sure innovations are not only technically strong, but also practical and relevant for customers. In the end, this leads to better products, while creating a real sense of shared purpose across the teams involved.

Workshops that work

How do you deal with the challenges in bringing so many people’s perspectives together?

Essentially, it comes down to communication. You must break down complex concepts and distill them to their essentials – explain technical topics in a clear and accessible way. Our sales colleagues don’t need to know the chemistry of the substrate. The same goes for the customer. They just want it to work! 

I’ll give you an example: we were creating a hands-on-workshop with customers to explain how the embedding of security features into a banknote paper works technically. A colleague had the spur-of-the-moment idea of using modeling clay and molds, so we came up with an incredibly successful activity.

We offered molds with a relief of a watermark and a thread embedding area with a removable modeling clay layer on it, so the participants could see the embossing of the watermark and then embed a real G+D Louisenthal thread into it. 

Our customers were happily experimenting with a roller and modeling clay, creating their own banknote by embedding security features. People remember these experiences! 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

A typical day starts with a plan that then keeps changing [laughs]. In the morning, I usually jot down a few notes about what I want to get done, and from there the day often takes on a life of its own. Alongside regular meetings on development or sales topics, there are also day-to-day issues that need to be discussed and resolved. Anything that directly affects our customers naturally takes priority. In between, there are also visits to customer sites when I accompany the sales team, as well as conferences or internal events. These things are a welcome change of pace and add variety to the day-to-day business.

A wider world

Do you travel a lot? 

For me, it is just the right balance. It is important to support the sales team, meet customers on-site, and stay close to the market at conferences. Sometimes I’ll make a presentation myself. There are times when I travel a bit more, and I also visit our production plants quite regularly. But overall, it feels very balanced.

On the subject of travel: I still remember getting an email saying that I would be traveling to Hong Kong in two weeks, and I thought, “Goodness, I don’t have a valid passport at the moment.” Now I’m on my second passport because I’ve already run out of pages. In that sense, the world has definitely become a bigger place for me through G+D.

Let’s talk about you a little more. What’s your background?

I’m from a small village in Germany, near the Czech border. Originally, I wanted to study medicine, and I started with chemistry at university as a way to prepare for that. But then I discovered how much fun chemistry actually was, so I stayed with it. I really liked the laboratory work, the analysis, and understanding things in depth. I have worked in a few different places since then, and I’ve now been with G+D for 13 years. I still find it genuinely fascinating.

Did you come to G+D as a chemist, or on the product side?

I came from the chemistry side. At the time, product management was still quite new to me, but the role was for someone with a strong chemical background and experience in the paper industry, which I had. I entered from the technical side and then grew into the product perspective.

Was making the change easy?

It was definitely a transition in the beginning, because the role is much broader than a purely technical one. What helped me was curiosity. I was genuinely interested in the new perspectives, the different functions, the people I got to work with. That made the transition challenging, but also very rewarding.

About curiosity

What helps you find balance, both at work and when you’re away?

Probably curiosity. I have always had many interests, and I think that helps me a lot when dealing with challenges. I like learning, trying new things, and stepping into unfamiliar areas – both in my job and outside of it. 

Whether it is paragliding, cooking, traveling, or creative work with my hands, these different interests keep me open, curious, and give me energy.

A final word about G+D: what is it about where you work that you would recommend to a person considering a career?

What I would definitely recommend is the variety. There are many interesting topics, and you get the chance to work with people from different cultures and countries. At G+D, you can take on new topics, develop new skills, and keep growing over time. That is invaluable to me.

What also matters a lot to me is the culture. It is not just something people talk about – it is something they actively care for, and I think you can feel that in everyday collaboration. That makes a real difference.

Published: 21/05/2026