From Austria to Brazil, Spain and the United Kingdom: Julia Stichling built an international leadership career in the utilities and infrastructure sector and now serves as Managing Director in the UK.
Story
From lecture hall to the boardroom
What began with a LinkedIn profile created for extra credit at IMC Krems eventually led Julia Stichling to the boardroom of a UK utilities company. Along the way, she lived and worked across four countries, took on new challenges and discovered the power of visibility, networks and saying yes to unexpected opportunities.
When Julia Stichling enrolled in Export-oriented Management programme (now International Business Management) at IMC Krems, a classroom assignment encouraged students to create a LinkedIn profile. At the time, it seemed like a small task worth a few extra points. Looking back today, Julia smiles at the memory. She could never have imagined how important visibility, networking and personal branding would become throughout her career.
More than a decade after graduating in 2013, Julia has built an international career spanning Austria, Brazil, Spain and the United Kingdom. Today, she is based in England, where she has established herself as a senior leader in the utilities and infrastructure sector. Having progressed from sales and business development into executive leadership, she became Managing Director of R2M in her late twenties. Most recently, she stepped into the role of Managing Director at IWJS Holdings Ltd, part of Severn Trent plc.
Building a career beyond borders
International experiences have been a defining feature of Julia's journey from the very beginning. While studying at IMC Krems, she gained practical experience through placements in Brazil and Austria, working in human resources and organisational development. Those early opportunities not only broadened her professional perspective but also strengthened her confidence in navigating different cultures and business environments.
Following her bachelor degree, Julia completed a master degree while continuing to build her professional foundation. A key chapter of her career began with the Hawle Austria Group, where she gained experience across sales, marketing, strategy, business development and corporate management. Her international mindset was further shaped through an assignment in Madrid, where she supported business development activities in the Spanish market and worked directly with customers in their local language.
Her career continued to accelerate as she took on increasingly complex responsibilities, including acquisition projects, post-merger integration processes and organisational transformation initiatives. Over time, these experiences led her into senior leadership positions in the United Kingdom, where she successfully guided business growth, digital transformation and the development of high-performing teams.
Leading change and championing inclusion
Alongside her executive responsibilities, Julia is actively involved in professional organisations such as the Women's Utilities Network and the Institute of Water. Through mentoring, industry events and professional networks, she supports initiatives that encourage greater inclusion, professional development and opportunities for women across the sector.
Having built her own career in a technical industry without an engineering background, Julia is particularly passionate about challenging perceptions of who belongs in the sector. She believes that curiosity, a willingness to learn and different perspectives are just as important as technical expertise.
Throughout her journey, Julia has learned that successful careers are built not only on expertise and results, but also on curiosity, adaptability and the willingness to step outside one's comfort zone. Some of the most valuable opportunities in her career emerged precisely because she was prepared to take on challenges that initially felt unfamiliar.
The power of visibility
One lesson stands out particularly clearly when Julia reflects on her career. Professional success is not only about doing excellent work. It is also about building meaningful relationships, developing a professional reputation and making your ambitions known. Rather than waiting for opportunities to appear, Julia believes in actively creating them and having the confidence to pursue them when they arise.
For Julia, this insight connects directly back to her time at IMC Krems. "My LinkedIn profile was actually created because a marketing lecturer offered extra credit for setting one up," she recalls with a smile. “At the time, I had absolutely no idea what role LinkedIn, visibility and networking would one day play in my career.”
Years later, that same platform, together with the professional network she built over time, became an important enabler of new opportunities, connections and career progression.
Today, Julia is particularly passionate about organisational transformation, developing people, women in technical industries and the importance of building professional networks. She believes that students and graduates can benefit enormously from understanding the value of relationships early in their careers, being open about their ambitions and recognising that career paths do not always have to follow a predetermined plan.
Two questions for Julia
Technical industries are still often perceived as male-dominated environments. What would you say to young women who are considering a career in these sectors but are unsure whether they belong?
"You don't need to be an engineer to succeed in a technical industry! What matters far more is curiosity, a willingness to learn and the confidence to challenge yourself. I certainly didn't plan on a career in utilities. I more or less fell into the industry, and over a decade later, I absolutely love working in it.
There are so many different career paths and opportunities, whether that's in operations, finance, commercial, technology or leadership. And whilst the industry is still traditionally male-dominated, things are changing. In our company, for example, we have a 50:50 gender split.
My advice would be not to rule yourself out just because you don't have a technical background or don't fit the traditional picture of someone working in the industry. You bring different skills and perspectives, and that's exactly what businesses need."
Looking back at your international career, what is one piece of advice you wish every student at IMC Krems would hear before graduation?
"Have a plan for your career, but don't be afraid to deviate from it. Some of the best opportunities I've had weren't part of my original plan.
I also don't really believe in luck when it comes to careers. I believe in creating opportunities. Whenever I've been clear about what I wanted to achieve and shared those ambitions with the people around me, doors have opened. But you still have to be prepared to walk through them and make things happen.
Build relationships, make your ambitions known and don't wait until you feel 100% ready before taking on a new challenge. You might surprise yourself with what you're capable of."