Author Archives: Birte T.

Recently, someone reminded me of a humorous Franco-German TV show called Karambolage. It highlights and elucidates differences between the French and the German culture.

I had my own share of Karambolage when I participated in the opening of Meltwater’s first office in France.

I started working for Meltwater News right after finishing my degree in International Relations and European Studies in France and Switzerland. Having grown up in a rural area in northern Germany, studying abroad had always been my dream. It then seemed to be a logical next step to get to know my two host countries not only in a university context, but…

I left Meltwater in April 2006 when I was at a peak in my Meltwater career. I was 28-years old and during the 18 months prior to leaving, Meltwater had lived up to all its promises; I had been given opportunities and responsibilities that oftentimes take years to obtain elsewhere. I had hit all my sales targets, established one office from scratch, managed the Stockholm office and was even promoted to a partner in the company.

In 2006, Meltwater’s management structure was quite flat. As I climbed my way up through the ranks, I wanted to continue getting more responsibility, but at…