Stefan van Ark

About Me

2011

The Beginning at IMS Gear

My journey began in DS11 as an MFE.

2013-2018

The Formative Years in the USA

An extraordinary opportunity led me to Virginia Beach. These five years have profoundly changed my life – it was there that I met my wife, who also worked at IMS Gear.

2018-Today

Back in Germany

Since my return, I have been gaining valuable experience in various business units and am now permanently employed in Germany.

In addition to my main role, I have voluntarily taken on the following additional responsibilities:

🔥

Fire Safety Officer

⚕️

Company First Aider

📞

On-Call Duty /
Emergency Response

Why I Am Running

💼

More Than Just Work

A workplace is far more than just income. This is where families are founded, life situations are shaped, and future prospects are created.

🤝

Learned Through Experience

My diverse experiences at IMS Gear have shown me how important support is in difficult times. I want to help others.

🌟

Preserve Positive Conditions

IMS Gear has shaped my life. I want to ensure that these positive conditions are maintained and continue to improve.

My Values

🔓

Openness

Transparent communication and open dialogue

💯

Honesty

Authentic and sincere in all matters

🤲

Respect

Dignified treatment of all colleagues

What You Can Expect From Me

Let me be transparent: I have personally experienced situations where I wished for more support. These experiences have taught me how important a committed works council is.

My Code of Conduct for Handling Concerns

These are my standards in employee representation – without reference to individual persons or lists. It is important to me that those seeking help are treated with respect and receive clear answers.

I turn no one away – I accompany concerns until the next clear step.
I stick to the facts: no insinuations, no distortions, no false attributions.
I am independent: no backroom politics, no outside agenda.
I seek solutions instead of scapegoats – and take time instead of rushing through.

What I Stand For

Protecting employee rights: Rights are respected and not overridden.
Confidentiality: strict compliance with confidentiality obligations.
Participation: proactive involvement in all areas of the works council.
Transparency & openness: approachable and ready for conversations – including about my own experiences.
Clear structures: support so that work follows regulated processes.

My Promise to You

As your works council member, I want to be a bridge – between the workforce and management, between individual concerns and collective interests. I bring not only my extensive international experience at IMS Gear, but also the understanding that behind every personnel number stands a person with their own story.

Together we can ensure that IMS Gear not only remains an excellent employer, but continues to develop – for the benefit of all employees.

Let us work together on a future where every colleague is heard and fair working conditions are a matter of course.

My Introduction