Transformation through continuous development
Growth and transformation processes pose major challenges for the NKE Austria team. With the support of Leaders21, the company is strengthening its managers and employees through personal and professional development.
Industry / Production of rolling bearings


Hidden champion for bearings
NKE Austria produces high-quality rolling bearings for various industrial applications with a strong export focus at its site in Steyr (Upper Austria) with over 100 employees. Since 2016, the company has been part of the Spanish FERSA Group with over 1000 employees worldwide. In a highly competitive region with many industrial companies, NKE invests in the long-term development of managers and employees.
More information about the company on the NKE website.
A young management team facing diverse challenges
With its young management team, NKE faces a threefold challenge: dealing with cultural differences through integration into the FERSA Group with locations in Asia, America and Europe, focussing on future-oriented technologies such as wind energy and rail transport, and managing the company’s current strong growth.
Integration into the corporate group
Focus on new technologies
Coping with strong growth

Matthias Ortner
CEO, NKE
Gabriele Steininger
Head of Demand Chain Management, NKE


External support and integration of the entire team
Inspired by elite sport, NKE decided to bring in external experts and coaches to further develop the management team and employees and realise the organisation’s full potential. The partnership with Leaders21 began with a summit at which all NKE employees were invited to work together to develop solutions for current and future challenges.
Involvement of the entire workforce
Comprehensive leadership training
Continuous skills development
NKE's journey with Leaders21
NKE Summit
Large group workshop with all employees
Start of the Leadership program “Leading from the Inside”
Leadership training in 3 modules
1 on 1 Coachings
Regular in-depth training sessions with Leaders21 coaches
Introduction of the Leaders21 platform
21st Century Skills development for managers and employees
NKE as the place for professional development
Managers see themselves as coaches
For Managing Director Matthias Ortner, leadership means promoting and developing his own teams and talents. Since the start of the joint journey with Leaders21, the management team has now been strengthened in this role as coach and mentor and is becoming increasingly successful in actively taking on this role.
Focus on personal development
The training programme is an important internal signal and underlines NKE’s claim to be a place of personal development for its employees. This initiative is very popular and receives very positive feedback from the entire team. NKE also strengthens its external perception and increases its attractiveness as an employer.
Open dialogue within the company
The training programmes at NKE promote exchange across hierarchical levels, which contributes to the development of innovative ideas and increased efficiency. This is crucial in order to be able to react flexibly to changes and establish a cooperative corporate culture.



Continuous development
“Leadership is not a position, but a mindset,” NKE Managing Director Matthias Ortner is convinced. And it is precisely this mindset that the team continues to work on, relying on the continuous support of the Leaders21 platform.
For Matthias Ortner, the constant and easy availability of content means the “democratisation of training and further education”. NKE’s training programme will continue to be supplemented by physical training and coaching sessions, which will be used on a selective basis.

4,6 Stars
Average rating of NKE leaders.
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