How progress comes about when professionals exchange ideas

What happens when committed controllers, experienced practitioners and future-oriented companies come together?A space is created for insight, for questions without quick answers – and for exchange that opens up new perspectives.
This was demonstrated at the most recent meeting of the ICV Work Group Rhein-Ruhr at the Vaillant Group.Invitations were extended to the Johann Vaillant Technology Center in Remscheid, a place where technological innovations are tested under real conditions. Here you can feel that progress is not a theory, but the result of hard tests, careful analysis – and the courage to think outside the box. Elisabeth Herrle, Head of WG Rhein-Ruhr, led the program and bridged the gap between the Association’s work and entrepreneurial practice.
This attitude also pervaded the Work Group’s meeting. This time, the focus was not only on the exciting insights into the test procedures for heat pumps or the testing of hybrid systems – presented by Elisabeth Herrle, Director Group Industrial Finance, and Andreas Kirsten, Test Planner at the Vaillant Group – but in particular the exchange on a topic that is increasingly preoccupying companies: ESG – environmental, social and good corporate governance.

ESG: Between aspiration and everyday life
Two presentations in the afternoon made it clear that ESG is more than just a reporting standard – it is a change process that challenges companies on many levels.
Vaillant provided an open insight into its own ESG strategy.Beata David, Manager Sustainability Controlling and Reports, and Kai Hennig, Director Group Accounting, spoke openly about the challenges of practical implementation. One thing that stuck in particular was the gap between regulatory requirements and practical feasibility. When information on chemical components has to be tracked through a seven-stage supply chain, when tools are missing or regulations are constantly changing, it becomes clear that ESG has not yet become part of everyday life. And yet Vaillant makes it clear – externally auditable reporting in particular opens up new avenues. For your own standing. For the company’s reputation. And not least for the financing of the future.
The second impulse came from Chain IQ Group AG.Bianka Großhäuser, Global Head ESG, showed how responsible supply chain management can succeed. Here too: Not an easy path. But a necessary one. Those who recognize risks early, assess them and develop clear measures not only create transparency – but also corporate resilience. The prerequisite for this: managers who are committed to the issue. Time to seriously engage with it. And people who see ESG not as a duty, but as a responsibility.

Work groups: Where knowledge gets moving
What this meeting showed once again is that the real value is not just in the presentation – but in the dialog afterwards. In the questions. In the shared experiences. In the perspectives that complement, contradict and inspire each other.
This is exactly what the ICV work groups are there for: to create spaces in which practitioners can learn from each other, think ahead together and discuss current challenges with depth and practical relevance. They are not an end in themselves – but the heartbeat of a network dedicated to quality in controlling. Not in an ivory tower, but close to the reality of companies.

Just get started. Even if not everything is perfect.
This simple message ran throughout the day: it’s not the perfect start that counts. It’s the doing. It’s about sticking with it. On learning together.
In this sense, the meeting was not just a contribution to the ESG debate, but a living example of what makes the ICV strong: professional depth. Practical relevance. And people who are prepared to take responsibility for the future of the ICV.