Mirka Wilderer, Vice President & General Manager at Evoqua Water Technologies

Mirka Wilderer, Vice President & General Manager at Evoqua Water Technologies

About

Imagine your father winning the world’s most prestigious award for water, the Stockholm Water Prize! Mine did and it inspired me to strive to become one of the top female executives in the water industry. That passion has led me to work on four continents and attain a doctorate in international business while seeking innovative solutions to leading change, managing business transformation, and preserving one of our world’s most precious resources. 

Leveraging my ​international ​and unconventional ​background, my ​innovative ​approach starts ​with an ​intrinsic ​business ​curiosity and ​challenging the ​status quo. ​Staying true to ​our family name,​ the poachers, ​I “hunt ​in foreign ​grounds” ​and push ​boundaries by ​combining ​apparently ​opposed schools ​of thoughts. ​This entrepreneurial ​approach allows ​me to reimagine ​existing ​approaches and ​create new ​solutions. In ​2012, I ​developed the ​CRAVE (Cost ​Reduction and ​Value ​Enhancement) ​program, a lean ​management tool ​involving cross-​functional ​dialogue, ​collaboration ​and team-​building. CRAVE ​has reduced ​costs by at ​least 20% ​annually while ​enhancing ​features. The ​program’s ​success has led ​to it becoming ​a company ​standard.  ​

Employing the ​strength-based ​model, I have ​sought to ​demonstrate ​exceptional ​leadership ​skills and ​facilitate ​cross-​functional ​collaboration ​across a ​complex ​organization. I ​enthusiastically ​drive ​excellence with ​the goal to ​achieve ​greatness ​– for my ​team and myself.​ For example, I ​decided we ​would create ​talent ​development ​plans for 100% ​of my employees.​ Combined with ​new employee ​engagement ​activities our ​retention rate ​rose to 99+%, ​even during a ​time of ​organizational ​restructuring. ​

Specialties: ​Business ​Transformation, ​International ​Business, ​Mergers and ​Acquisitions, ​Operations ​Improvement, ​Organizational ​development, ​Digitization, ​B2B Marketing, ​Multi-Channel ​Marketing, ​Sales ​Management, ​Corporate and ​Business ​Strategy, Cross-​Functional ​Leadership, ​Strength-based ​Leadership

Information

Industry experience

Education: PhD

Work experience

Taxonomy