Upstarter Profile

The automotive industry is changing more now than ever before—and Caroline Aneskievich is helping German car manufacturer BMW stay ahead of the curve when it comes to talent recruitment. Caroline works as a Talent Management Specialist for the Americas for BMW in Spartanburg, where she focuses on high-level recruitment for BMW’s locations throughout North and South America.

A native of Charleston, SC, Caroline got her undergraduate degree and MBA from Clemson University before moving to Charlotte, NC for a job. She found she had “the international bug,” which prompted her to venture overseas to get a Master of International Business degree in Paris, France. When it came time to look for a new job out of school, she looked all over, but hoped to end up back in Upstate South Carolina.

“I had family and friends here, but what was really important to me was to find a job somewhere that feels like home, where the world is at my door,” she said.

Caroline found just that in 2015 when she landed a job at BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, which creates more more than 11,000 jobs in Spartanburg. She completed the company’s Global Leadership Development Program – an 18-month rotational program which took her to Munich, Germany and San Luis Potosí, Mexico – before returning to Spartanburg to continue her career at BMW in human resources.

Today, Caroline has been to more than 30 countries between studying, work and vacation, and she’s working on her fourth language:  she’s building on German language classes offered by BMW by continuing work through local nonprofit Upstate International. Caroline also recently joined the Upstate International board, combining volunteerism with her interest in culture.

“I love that the Upstate is as big or as small as you want it to be,” she said. “You can be at the Peace Center and run into an old neighbor, or walk down Main Street and hear Chinese, German or French.”

Outside of work, Caroline serves as President of the Clemson MBA Alumni Association, and she’s also a graduate of Leadership Greenville Class 46.

“A major testament to the Upstate is how many young professionals there are here,” she said. “And once one person moves here, it’s highly likely that a friend or family member will soon follow. It’s contagious—and there’s a collective feeling that the best is still yet to come.”

In her spare time, Caroline loves to travel – “whether it be to Main Street or Asheville or the other side of the world” – hike Table Rock, and explore new wineries and restaurants. She especially enjoys the presence of food trucks in Greenville. “You don’t have to go looking for Thai food and gourmet grilled cheese,” she said. “They’ll come to you.”

While the pandemic may have sidelined her travel in 2020, Caroline still made the most thanks to the Upstate’s climate, outdoor amenities and collaborative pandemic response.

“I’m fortunate to own a home that’s about ¼ mile from the Swamp Rabbit Trail, so I walked it more than I ever have, and made the most of backyard bonfires,” she says. “I’ve also explored some of the region’s nearby vineyards and took scenic drives to Lake Jocassee and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Talking to people in other states has made be very thankful to live where I live and work where I work. Life was able to continue in a modified way, though it wasn’t put on hold.”