Everyday Professional:  Sandra Braun

48-year-old Sandra Braun loves to laugh. She is a thoroughly friendly person who is at peace with herself. Her workplace certainly contributes to this. Not the small 19th-century office, but the whole place: Schleswig's Museum Island with Gottorf Castle, the baroque gardens and the Museum of Archaeology. A beautiful and important museum complex not far from the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-Holstein.

And a real prestige object for Dussmann. Sandra Braun, who was born in Kiel and now lives in a small village on the Kiel Canal, looks after a total of 71 museum security guards. She is responsible for staff scheduling, day-to-day operations and special events such as the "Gottorfer Landmarkt", vernissages and "Yoga in the Museum". She coordinates schedules, checks objects, receives damage reports and is responsible for uniforms and accounting. It's a varied job - and often requires a lot of organization, even on weekends.

"The most important aspect of my job is motivating my employees. I am the contact person for the supervisors, always have an open ear and make sure that everyone feels comfortable at work," says Sandra Braun.

The museum supervisors are the first point of contact for visitors interested in culture on site. In addition to German and Scandinavian guests, the international special exhibitions - such as 2023 on the world-famous packaging artist Christo or 2024 on the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos - also attract many visitors from other countries such as Portugal and France.

"It is a varied challenge for my staff. They always have to get in touch with the different guests," says Sandra Braun. "Customer service is a very important point. That's why we regularly train the team in communication and de-escalation."

Security was not Sandra Braun's first career choice. After studying art history with a focus on medieval and early modern art, she worked in various academic positions. Mostly temporary or on a fee basis - as is so often the case - as a freelancer or research assistant.

But as an art historian, she didn't always want to move from one temporary position to the next. She wondered how she could stay in touch with art. And came up with the idea of applying for a non-scientific position in the museum - with a service provider for museums. This is how she came to Dussmann as a museum supervisor.

She has now been working in security for four years. "I owe a lot to the company, I've always been supported," she describes her career. In 2022, she passed the Chamber of Industry and Commerce's §34a exam - an important basis for working in professional property and event security. Her team leader at the time then recommended her for her current position as team leader at Gottorf Castle. "This job is just incredibly exciting and so much fun. And I have a great management team that always supports me," says the native of Schleswig-Holstein, who is still delighted with this development today.

Where does her passion for medieval art come from? Sandra Braun's father was a sailor who traveled to America, Asia and Africa. But the family's heart always beat for Schleswig-Holstein. When her father was ashore, they went on many excursions to historical sites, visited churches and museums. Even as a child, Sandra Braun was fascinated by all the stories and works of art. She has also been familiar with Gottorf Castle since childhood - she returned here time and again, whether with school, on excursions during her studies or simply privately.

So it's hardly surprising that when asked about her favorite work of art, she answers with shining eyes: "It's the Landkirchner Retabel by Master Bertram. I pass this altarpiece every day. It hangs in the Gothic Hall, along with many other medieval works of art. It makes me happy. And every day I am grateful to Dussmann for allowing me to work right here."

And we are glad that you do your job with so much passion and enthusiasm every day, dear Sandra Braun!