Celebrating their anniversary after around fifty years of dedicated service, Wilfried Hesselmann and Rolf Telljohann, two true pillars of Hellmann, reminisce about their journey in a special interview. The celebration took place in early April at the Hellmann headquarters in Osnabrück, where shareholders Klaus Hellmann and board members Reiner Heiken, Jens Drewes, Martin Eberle and Jens Wollesen joined in to toast to their loyalty and dedication to Hellmann. 

In this joint interview, Wilfried and Rolf reflect on over one hundred years of combined experience at Hellmann: what has motivated them, what they have learned, and what has kept them committed to the company throughout the years. 

Hello Rolf and Wilfried, half a century has passed since you started at Hellmann. What has changed compared to earlier times?

Rolf: If you were to step into a Hellmann warehouse fifty years ago, you wouldn't believe your eyes. Everyone would be bustling around in white or blue coats, and piles of paperwork would tower up to the ceiling! Everything was done manually back then - a roll card had to be written for each shipment. Communication was entirely by post - it wasn't uncommon to write 60 letters in a day. 

Wilfred: Earlier, everything was manual: from typewriters and punched cards to fax machines - it wasn't until the 80s that IT was introduced. However, what has remained constant is that people are at the heart of Hellmann!

You both remained loyal to Hellmann for 50 years. What inspired you and kept you here? 

Rolf: At 17, I began my apprenticeship as a forwarding agent at Hellmann. I got married at 22, and by 24, I had my first child - my family was a significant reason why I didn't want to relocate at that time. At the same time, there was, of course, the desire to continue developing personally and professionally. At Hellmann, it was always possible to "grow" alongside the company. Aside from that, collaboration within the company has always been very trusting and collegial - another important reason why I remained loyal to the company. 

Wilfred: I like challenges. Especially when others said something wouldn't work, I wanted to tackle things and make them possible. The more people said "it can't be done," the more motivated I became. And at Hellmann, you could always find such projects. Our success story with the European Courier is a prime example. Promising fixed delivery times to customers was unthinkable at that time. And yet, against all odds, we established express activities in Germany for the first time - and made them profitable too. 

What was your proudest moment at Hellmann? 

Rolf: Looking back, it's mainly the successes that I like to remember - especially when the situations seemed a bit tricky at first. I think of things like centralizing the sales support department from eight Hellmann branches or setting up a new branch for a major customer from the consumer electronics industry in Dietzenbach. The latter was a real mammoth task that went extremely well but also required a tremendous amount of effort. At that time, I slept in the warehouse and, with the team, built this project from the ground up. I practically traveled straight from the warehouse to my daughter's first day of school- and then it was back to work. But I also think of moments like our leadership team event for the 125th anniversary celebration at the ‘Timmendorfer Strand’. It was an emotional moment, especially for all our long-serving employees. 

Wilfred: A significant moment began with a lot of frustration when in 1995 the board decided to withdraw from the Nightstar Express business. I found out about it by chance, as I was responsible for the express activities in Osnabrück at that time. Despite initial rejection, I didn't give up and was able to gain support from the global board to save the Nightstar Express within a short period. Subsequently, I was entrusted with the responsibility for this area. This experience taught me to persevere when you believe in something.

What was the biggest challenge over the years, and how did you overcome it? 

Rolf: The biggest challenge for me was definitely building up the System Alliance, now NG.network. For more than 30 years, I was involved in the gradual development of our cooperation networks. This went extremely well for years until several network partners leaving posed significant challenges for us from 2018 onwards. Closing the resulting network gaps with appropriate new partners on time was a huge project. In 2023, we completely restructured the System Alliance as NG.network, creating a sustainable and attractive network. For me personally, this is a great conclusion to my career. 

Wilfred: After being entrusted with leading Nightstar Express back on track, it was clear that I had to deliver now. In 1993, we started shaking up the German market. Today, we operate our express business in the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. Especially in the last five years, we've really picked up the pace - and there's no end in sight. This development has not only enabled us to make the express division profitable, but it has also become a central element of our offering. It was a real Herculean task, but looking back, I can say: it was worth it. 

Thank you for your time and these fascinating insights into 100 years of Hellmann! We appreciate your loyalty and hard work!