Interview with Petra Kregelius-Schmidt (Global Marketing Manager, Nature Section)

As readers will know, for many years Zeiss has decided to clearly divide the production and management of its products into two sectors: Hunting and Nature. This time I had the pleasure of interviewing Petra Kregelius-Schmidt, the Marketing Manager. of the Nature section.

 

Hi Petra, and welcome to Binomania.it. Let me start by asking you what you like most about nature and how you came to your role at ZEISS.

My grandfather often took me out when I was a little girl, and this shaped my fascination with and understanding of nature. When he passed away, I inherited his old pair of ZEISS binoculars, which, to be honest, sat in the closet for a few years during school, graduation, and my studies, where, sadly, I lost some of my connection with nature.
My love for nature returned in my mid-twenties, and I have breathed this joy every day since.
In 2016, ZEISS was looking for a Marketing Manager for its nature business, and this was my starting point. Together with my colleagues in product management and in close collaboration with our ambassadors, we develop and market premium optical products. My key role is to prepare the launch of products for the nature observation segment and work closely with our partners around the world. This includes our regional sales departments, as well as our sponsoring partners, ambassadors, journalists, and friends of the ZEISS brand.

 

Can I ask you what studies you completed? 

Certainly, I have a degree in “Arts Management” with a specialization in economics and marketing.

 

You're known and appreciated in the field as an excellent birdwatcher. What was the last sighting you added to your bucket list?  

After a long break from traveling due to Covid, my family and I spent our summer vacation on the Baltic coast. There were several species I could add to my list. The most impressive were undoubtedly the fascinating white-tailed eagles. And it's always wonderful to spot the first cranes preparing for their southward migration routes, a sign that autumn is not far away.

What inspires you in everyday life?

Nature inspires me every day because it's all about unexpected details. You just have to keep your eyes open, be patient, and be a good observer. There's always something out there! During migration periods, it's simply wonderful to spot new species in your area and a local event, whether it's just a curious newborn wren among the tree trunks or a curious robin singing loudly. And it's not just about birds: there's such a variety of species to see if you're willing to observe. But we also have to consider that the number of species is declining. That's why conservation plays such an important role.

 

So would you say that love for nature is a passion?

Yes, I think so. But there are different levels to it. For me, it has nothing to do with competition, although I greatly admire and respect people who are able to share huge lists of sightings of different bird species. Ornithology is a science, and everyone can contribute to it. That's why platforms like eBird o Ornitho They're so important: you don't have to be an expert. It's so easy to get started! If you take the annual garden bird count, organized by many BirdLife Partners like NABU o LIPU,Everyone can participate, regardless of their level. It's also a wonderful, engaging game for children: grab a book and try to identify the birds.

 

What role does nature conservation play for a company like ZEISS?

 

We have a responsibility to nature and, of course, we see the impact of climate change, species decline, and biodiversity loss. ZEISS supports various nature conservation initiatives around the world. We actively and proudly contribute to the protection of certain species, such as the Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer), which is just one example. There are approximately 1,500 of this species left, and our BirdLife Partners in Asia are working hard to improve habitats and educate local people.
Additionally, we have equipped one of Israel's migratory hotspots with tools and products to ensure local conservationists are able to safeguard the passage of hundreds of millions of birds.
In my opinion, education also plays an extremely important role here in shaping the environmentalists of tomorrow. Our colleagues in the United States have been supporting the Cornell Lab or it Ornithology's Young Birders Weekend and we have just launched a similar initiative in the UK for young birdwatchers. 
Additionally, we collaborate with organizations such as Birdability to support the inclusion of new enthusiasts and make birdwatching accessible to all.

But also internally ZEISS is doing a lot to conserve resources. Investing in new cooling systems, reusing production wastewater for our toilets, and creating sustainable packaging are just a few examples that are leading to significant improvements.

 

What are your favorite species?

That's a tough question. When I was a child, I started birdwatching thanks to the bullfinch. I've always loved owls, especially the long-eared owl and the eagle-owl. A bird that piqued my interest later was the bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus). 

In the months of April and May I love listening to the beautiful songs of the nightingale, which I am lucky enough to observe every year in the small nature reserve near where I live.

Which lens would you recommend?

It depends on where you go and how often. Binoculars are essential, and it's difficult to go birdwatching without one. I love my Victory SF32s. If you really want to expand your horizons, you'll also need a spotting scope, especially for longer distances.

What's the next birdwatching event for ZEISS?

 

Our international network of ambassadors and friends will participate in the Global Bird Weekend  Thanks to October Big Day on Saturday, October 8th. Since the migration is underway, it will be very exciting! I expect to see many Italian enthusiasts and readers of Binomania.it as well. Best wishes to you and your readers.

 

English Version

 

Hi Petra, what do you like most about nature and how did you come to your role at ZEISS?

My grandfather took me out when I was a little kid and this shaped my fascination and the understanding of nature. When he passed away, I inherited his old pair of ZEISS bins, which honestly stood in the cupboard for some years during school, graduation and studies where I unfortunately lost the connection to nature a little bit. The love for nature came back in my mid twenties and since then I inhale the joy of nature every day. In 2016 ZEISS was looking for a Marketing Manager for the nature business and this was my starting point. Together with my colleagues from product management and with a close collaboration with our ambassadors, we develop and market premium optical products. My key role is to prepare the product launches for the nature observation segment and to work closely with our partners around the globe. This includes our regional sales departments as well as our sponsoring partners, ambassadors and ZEISS friends.

 

What have you studied?

I have a degree in Arts Management with a focus on economics and Marketing.

 

What was your last lifer for your list?

After a long traveling pause during Covid, me and my family spent our summer holidays at the baltic coast, and there were several species which I was able to add to my list. The most impressive were definitely the fascinating Sea Eagles. And it is always wonderful to spot the first Cranes preparing for their migration routes to the south – a sign that autumn is not far.

 

What inspires you?

Nature inspires me every day as it is all about the unexpected details. You just have to keep your eyes open, be patient and a good observer. There is always something out there! During migration periods it is just wonderful to spot new species in your local patch and event if it is just a curious newly hatched juvenile Wren between the tree trunks or a curious Robin singing out loudly. And it is not all about birds: there is such a variety of species to see if you are open to it. But we also have to consider that the amount of species is declining. This is why conservation plays such an important role.

 

So would you say the love for nature is a passion?

Yes, I think it is. But there are different levels to that. For me it has nothing to do with competition, although I really admire and respect the people who are able to share enormous lists of encounters of different bird species. Ornithology is a science, and everyone can contribute to that. This is why platforms like eBird or ornitho are so important: you do not necessarily need to be an expert. It is so easy to start! If you take the annual garden bird counts, organized by many BirdLife Partners such as NABU or LIPU – everyone can participate, no matter which level. It is also a wonderful engagement for kids: just grab a book and try to recognize the birds.

 

What role does nature conservation play for a company like ZEISS?

We do have a responsibility towards nature and of course we see the impacts of climate change and species decline and the loss of biodiversity. ZEISS is supporting several nature conservation initiatives worldwide. We are a proud Species Champion for the Spotted Greenshank, which is just one example. Only 1,500 (TBC) of this species are left and the BirdLife Partners in Asia are working hard to improve habitats and educate the local people.

Apart from that we equipped one of the migration hotspots in Israel with products to ensure that the local conservationists are able to safeguard the flyway of hundreds of millions of birds.

In my opinion, education also plays an extremely important role here to shape the conservationists of tomorrow. Our colleagues in the US have been supporting the Cornell Lab or Ornithology's Young Birders Weekend for many years and we have just launched a similar initiative in the UK for Young Birders.

Also, we are partnering with organizations such as Birdability to support inclusion and make birdwatching accessible for everbody.

But also internally ZEISS is doing a lot to save resources. Investing in new cooling systems, reusing wastewater from production for toilet flushing and a sustainable packaging are only a few examples resulting in major improvements.

 

What is your favorite bird?

That is a hard question. The bird that sparked me when I was a kid was the Bullfinch. I have always loved Owls, especially the Long-eared Owl and Eagle Owl. One bird that sparked my interest later was the Bearded Reedling. And in the months of April and May, I love to listen to the beautiful songs of the Nightingale, which I am lucky to hear every year in the little nature reserve close-by from where I live.

 

Which optics would you recommend?

It depends on where you go and how often. A binocular is essential and it is hard to follow up without one. And I love my SF32s. If you really want to expand your horizon, you will also need a spotting scope, especially for wider distances.

 

Which is the next birding event for ZEISS?

Our international network of ambassadors and friends is going to take part in th Global Bird Weekend / October Big Day on Saturday October 8. As migration will be on, this is going to be very exciting!