What does it take to navigate change when the path ahead is unclear and the stakes are deeply personal? In this talk, Julia Kalder shares how her gender transition became a real-life test of agility – not the method, but the mindset. From personal growth to organizational reflection, she explores how small steps, openness and retrospection can help individuals and societies thrive in complex times.

Julia Kalder (she/her) is Henkel’s Manager of Agile Organizational Development and an agile Team Coach with more than ten years of hands-on experience in agile project environments. She began her career in 2001 as a software engineer and, after 17 years in IT, moved to Human Resources in 2022. There she blends technical expertise with her passion for coaching, transformation and team culture, creating learning spaces where people can grow, build trust and shape change.

Beyond her corporate role Julia is a mother, blogger, speaker and committed LGBTIQ* activist. Her own gender transition (2020–2023) profoundly shaped her perspective and now inspires others through her openness, resilience and vision of a more human-centred workplace. Julia lives in Monheim am Rhein, Germany, loves horses, long video-game nights with her partner and deep conversations – ideally in retrospectives.