Pieces of Me - An Inside Zalando podcast

What defines a queer space? Laura Veneklaas, Global Marketing Campaigns Manager, and Marcos Cabrera Garcia, Creative Director, share some thoughts from the Zalando global Pride campaign, ‘The spaces that made us: a love letter to queer spaces’. In this episode, Laura and Marcos join our host Janine to talk queer culture, community-led storytelling and the power of creating safe spaces. Their Piece...

In this episode, Samuel Tallant, Talent Acquisition Partner at Zalando, joins our host Janine to talk about crafting a CV that tells your true story. They discuss CV structuring, the power of authenticity in interviews and how to create impactful spaces for LGBTQI+ leaders. Samuel also shares his three Pieces of Me. These include stacked family rings featuring a beloved dog's nose imprint,  a...

What makes a brand sound like itself? Sim LeCompte, Creative Director and Copywriter at Zalando, has some thoughts.   In this episode, Sim joins our host Janine to talk bold ideas, inclusive language and the little twist that makes copy stick.  Her three Pieces of Me include a well-loved leather notebook she's been journaling in every day since 2020, a campaign that made history at Cannes Lio...

J uan Garcia, strategy expert in go-to-market initiatives in Sports at Zalando, joins Janine to explain how sports is at the cutting edge of shaping customer experience online. And to unveil his team’s strategic partnership with the iconic German Football Federation and the new jersey customisation options at Zalando Juan also dives into how innovative thinking, with the customers at the heart of...

Giannina Rengifo, Senior Buyer in Zalando’s Sports category, joins Janine Matos to explore how passion, data, and new AI technology are coming together in one of fashion’s fastest-growing areas. Giannina shares how the sports category has evolved - from huge growth and new customer acquisition to high profile events like the Berlin Marathon and major partnerships in football. She explains what it...

Virginie Duigou, Head of Buying for Beauty at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore the relatively new and dynamic world of beauty e-commerce. How do you sell beauty products online, when customers traditionally need to touch, smell and discover new products in person? Virginie explains how Zalando sells beauty online with emotional storytelling and innovations like virtual try-ons, as well as th...

Max Thompson, Head of Executive Recruiting at Zalando, joins Janine to lift the lid on how global organisations find and hire new leaders. Max opens up about how Zalando approaches executive hiring; from shaping the roles, understanding the values and mindset required, and then searching internally and externally for exactly the right candidate. The conversation highlights the importance of cultur...

Paul O’Neill, Head of Creator Programs at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore how influencer collaborations, storytelling, and data come together to shape modern fashion marketing. Paul explains how Zalando works with hundreds of creators across global campaigns, creating content in different styles and voices to inspire customers fashion and beauty choices. The conversation also looks at how Z...

Kayla Parker, Creator Manager at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore the innovative and fast-evolving world of creator live-streams in fashion and lifestyle e-commerce. Kayla shares how live streaming is a marketing space full of opportunity, and she unpacks successful formats, important metrics and data, and new ways to engage audiences.  From finding the right creators with strong storytellin...

Katja Schmökel, Team Lead in Partner Communication at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore what it takes to help Zalando’s partners thrive in a fast-moving but highly regulated industry. Katja explains how partner communication sits at the heart of the fashion and lifestyle ecosystem; ensuring brands and retailers can navigate the Zalando platform and understand the often complex regulations inv...

Lilli Ferreira, Global Social Media Manager at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to unpack what it takes for brands to build community on social media. Lilli explains Zalando’s social team social strategy and execution, how they react in real time to big pop culture moments, and stays “chronically online” to keep pace with fast-moving trends.  The conversation explores why different platforms demand dif...

Carlos Cardenas, Principal Analyst at Zalando Data Foundation, joins Janine Matos to explore how data becomes truly valuable when teams know how to use it. Carlos explains the role of the Zalando Data Foundation and how his team supports colleagues across the business to use date effectively. The conversation covers the importance of the right tools, and the difference between “big data” and “grea...

In this special episode, Janine Matos looks back on the interviews and conversations of Pieces of Me in 2025, to bring you the standout advice and insights shared by guests. From reflections on Zalando’s OFMs (Our Founding Mindsets) to career guidance from experts in team culture, tech innovation, social impact and economics, this episode brings together voices from across the business, including...

In this episode of Pieces of Me , Janine Matos sits down with Alice Marshall, Director of Pre-Owned at Zalando, to explore the boom in pre-owned fashion. Alice talks us through the creative and operational engine behind Zalando’s recommerce operation. She explains how customers can trade in their as-new or gently worn items, and what it takes to build a trusted, high-quality secondhand experience...

In this episode of Pieces of Me , Janine Matos is joined by Lara Gesche, Principal of Social Impact at Zalando, for a conversation about giving back to society, contributing to community, and the role businesses can play beyond commercial success. Lara breaks down our three core pillars: volunteering, humanitarian aid, and Zalando’s key strategic Social Impact initiatives: the Circularity Mastercl...

Janine sits down with Xiaoxia Qiu, VP of Zalando’s Tech Hub in Shenzhen China, to discuss an exciting new avenue for fashion and lifestyle sales. The conversation covers Xiaoxia ’s experience in building the company’s first tech centre in China, the challenges of bridging cultural attitudes toward work between China and Europe, and his team’s innovative approach to improving their English communic...

Lucy Stubley, Principal D&I Talent & Leadership at Zalando, and Vanessa Sanyauke join Janine Matos to explore empowerment, diversity, and inclusion in the modern workplace; with a special focus on women in tech. Vanessa shares her inspiring journey as the founder of Girls Talk and the Black Girls Tech Summit , two initiatives dedicated to encouraging Black women to pursue careers in techno...

Pia Ahlgren and Dunja-Maria Bischof, Site Operations Leads at Zalando, join the podcast to deep-dive into their roles supporting tech operations in Zalando’s international sites. As the pair explain to Janine, Zalando’s Hubs are vital to the tech innovation that drives success in fashion and lifestyle e-commerce. The Hubs show that Zalando is a serious employer of tech talent; from using data scie...

Lea Siering, Managing Director of Zalando Payments, joins Janine to lift the lid perhaps the most important part of the fashion and lifestyle e-commerce sector… payments! Lea explains the complex but crucial role of payment systems in e-commerce and why creating a seamless checkout experience is essential for customer trust. The conversation covers how to juggle compliance, legislation, reporting...

Jennifer Miu, Labelling and Packaging Manager for Private Labels at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to unpack a career in the fashion and lifestyle sector that is both hugely creative and completely essential, but rarely discussed. Jennifer first explains the important role that private labels - the company’s in-house brands - play. She then goes one to explain some of the remarkable innovations happe...

In this episode of the Pieces of Me podcast, host Janine Matos speaks with Aline Guimarães, Senior Business Developer, about the transformation of market research and the ever-expanding role of customer insights in shaping the fashion sector. Aline explains how her team has evolved, broadening its focus to include data analysts and working to understand the entire customer journey. She shares how...

In this episode of the Pieces of Me podcast, we delve into a side of the fashion and lifestyle industry that hasn’t been covered on the podcast before; unpacking the unique challenges when the customer is the parent, but the consumer is their child. Veronika Moles is Head of Kids at Zalando and she joins Janine to discuss her role leading Zalando’s kids’ assortment. The conversation explores how c...

Salome Santos and Sofia Proshina join Janine Matos to explore the power of self-belief, community, and the fight against imposter syndrome. This special episode of the Pieces of Me podcast delves into the the I Am Remarkable initiative. I Am Remarkable is a global movement designed to empower individuals, particularly women, by recognising and celebrating their achievements. Salome and Sofia unpac...

Elman Hüseynov, Senior Software Engineer in Brand Marketing at Zalando, joins Janine Matos to explore how creativity and code combine in the world of brand marketing. In this episode of Pieces of Me , Elman shares how his team are helping to revolutionise Zalando’s marketing campaigns through innovative tech solutions; building the tools to drive the marketing of the future From overcoming complex...

In this episode, Janine sits down with Ashley Drew, Senior Manager Performance Practice at Zalando to talk about career and personal development in the modern workplace. Janine and Ashley discuss the benefits of a career path that embraces diverse roles and how Zalando facilitates exactly that. Ashley explains talent and performance management, covering what talent means and the best ways to foste...