You have worked throughout your career with Nestlé in various roles and across different countries. Which has been the most memorable role and why?

A lot of people ask me that question, but there is no difference for me in any of the roles and that’s valid for the roles, the countries and the people. I lived in six countries and all of them were good. If you really challenged me I may remember a few bad things, but I decided a long time ago to become an ex-pat, for which you need a certain mindset – and a supportive family! The most important support I had was from my wife and we grew up with the kids together. They are two ‘safety nets’ when you are an ex-pat – your family and the company.

In every country it was great for different reasons and I grew with each of the jobs – it was a very interesting learning curve. I started without too much experience – I grew up in Hungary behind the ” Iron curtain”?. In the first year of University I still had a book ‘The Political Economics of Socialism’ – which was thrown away soon after the second semester.

My diploma was in International Commerce and so I started in finance with no knowledge of accounting and learnt on the job, I never studied accounting until working!  At university I followed the international finance subject, which helped me understanding the topic faster and better.

I moved to Switzerland in 1990, after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. I won a Scholarship from the Swiss embassy in Hungary for a Postgraduate course and studied at the University of Neuchâtel. I heard of opportunities at Nestlé from a contact at my tennis club and started working at the headquarters in Vevey. I was sent to Croydon, England to learn English, where I studied an intense three-week course and then had to start work in England and adapt to the language very quickly!

Luck and network have huge importance in your career – though I believe you can manage your luck. I always embraced opportunities offered to me and made the best of them.

This year Nestlé is celebrating 150 years in Switzerland, what do you think has been the key to the company’s ongoing success?

I think it’s always helpful to be in the food business as people always need to eat! Infant cereal was a revolutionary product and also Nescafé was a breakthrough. A scientist at Nestlé created technology to make soluble coffee as the Brazilian government needed a way to store an excessive supply of coffee beans. Chocolate was also revolutionary, towards the end of 19^th century, using milk powder to mix with roasted and ground cocoa beans.

Nestlé have considerable expertise in manufacturing and technologies in all the categories. We probably spend the most out of all food companies on Research & Development. Nespresso, for example, was ahead of its’ time. It was actually created in the 80’s but only picked up popularity 15 years ago.

Nestlé has also grown through acquisitions with the likes of Carnation (and Friskies) in the 80’s, Rowntree’s and Spillers in the 90’s and later Purina or Wyeth.  Innovation and renovation are key, as is an ongoing understanding of geographical expansion and emerging markets – for example the Philippines, with limited milk production, was a busy market for powdered milk during the time I worked there.

What do you think are the major challenges that lie ahead for Switzerland’s growth?

The Swiss market for Nestlé is relatively small, making up less than 2% of Nestlé’s worldwide business, but is extremely important as we are a Swiss company where Henri Nestlé founded and set up the business. Nestlé have opened, at the site of his first factory, a museum (an interactive experience about food and nutrition) called the ‘nest’.

There are some changes for the business in the near future with current CEO Paul Bulcke becoming Chairman in 2017, and new CEO Ulf Mark Schneider (from Fresenius Medical) joining in September 2016.

How have you seen the role of finance change throughout your career?

A lot actually – it is more important and different than it was before, because of strategic thinking. When I joined Nestlé the role of finance was just that – financial – but now it is much more strategic. The CFO and CEO are the only people who see everything to do with the company – we have an overview of balance sheet, P&L, everything.

Each business unit has ‘co-pilots’ dealing with the finance. We have a portfolio management tool which manages from bottom up the forecasts from the markets, from the businesses, which is consolidated at each level – globally managed business level and group level - so I have visibility of all regions and all categories. I use that information get the full picture to work with the CEO and Zone Management to set the direction and targets of all the markets and monitor them. So our decisions really impact the development of the business.

What attributes do you think make a good leader in finance?

I strongly believe in management through convincing, not through fear. If staff are motivated, then the results and profits will follow.

I like to adopt a ‘door is always open’ policy as availability is so important.  My colleagues know that if my door is closed it’s because there is something confidential, otherwise it is always open as is my inbox. Personal interaction is key and I believe that a good leader motivates people and that people follow you because they believe in what you say. There are managers and leaders - leaders are much more effective. I also believe that it is possible to learn and grow into a good leader.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career or aspiring to be where you are now?

Patience is very important – if promotion doesn’t happen immediately keep calm, understand what’s happening around you and enjoy gaining experience. Appreciate how lucky you can be and take opportunities.

For example, I was asked to move across to the Philippines with my family earlier in my career with Nestlé, with only 3 weeks’ notice. I negotiated a slightly later start to celebrate my 40^th birthday in Hungary with my family, but we then moved across and I took the opportunity.

Exposure to different countries (some developed, some not), cultures and various stages of technical advance has really expanded my experience.

One of the great things about Nestlé is that management always find a reason to trust you and obviously continuous coaching and mentoring throughout, particularly when young in your career, is very important.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced in recruitment for Nestlé?

I think that retention of staff is a bigger issue than recruitment. We are a desired company and so do attract the best people, but we must understand new generations well. We need new people, Nestlé is a good school to train them, but then we don’t want to lose good people. We need to move with the times and find the right combination of things whether it is flexible working hours, different motivation, digital interconnection, etc. - the world is changing so quickly.

Employer branding is very important and we have ongoing discussion about how can we create a globally competitive finance function and attract the best staff.

We have a youth employment programme here and like to give skills and knowledge to the younger generation.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given throughout your career?

You should try not to have a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction – particularly in an era when we communicate by email and can sometimes react too quickly. Give yourself time to absorb what’s happened and consider your reaction – perhaps keep your email response in the ‘draft’ folder until the following day when you’ve slept on things. Also, remember that emails can be misconstrued - it is sometime more effective to communicate by phone call or personal interaction.

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*

We see that HP has recently gone through a large and public transformation – can you identify how HP stands out from the market/competitors?

The company separated in November 2015 into 2 listed Fortune 100 business laptop,companies; HP Inc., the personal systems and printing company and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the server, software, network and servicing company.The separation has been hugely beneficial. At HP Inc., we are now more agile and more focused with the freedom to invest and innovate solely in our own technologies such as with 3D, where will we lead in that market. The separation was a huge operation that went very smoothly with Finance at the forefront of the process. As part of the team, I am very proud of that.

Is the recent spate of announcements we have seen from HP Inc. a result of the transformation then, or is this the new pace you will work at?

Both, we are faster and more innovative.The speed of innovation coming out of the business now is mind blowing. Not only are our devices the best they have ever been, with the world’s lightest consumer and business laptop, plus the world’s smallest printer all coming out in the last year but we're innovating into whole new categories, such as immersive computing with HP Sprout and our 3 in one device, the HP X3. We are truly re-inventing the market and what we bring to it.

Why are you excited to be working for HP Inc.?

We’re the world’s largest start up! We have a renewed energy and focus but also the investment and scale to make a big impact. I was at Drupa recently, the leading industry event for print and graphics, and we had the biggest exhibition ever. I was proud and excited to see this in person, and to see peoples’ reactions.The people element is also very important and the partnership and trust that the rest of the business has with finance, is the best I have ever seen.Plus as one of the largest technology companies in the world, we have great international opportunities – I have worked in the UK, California, and now Geneva.

If you could go back and give your younger (graduate) self some career advice, what would it be?

If you work hard, do your best, and never give up, you are going to succeed. It is a bit of a cliché, but I have found it to be true.The other piece of advice I would give is the importance of networking. People give you advice and open doors for you. I am still learning from other people each and every day. This doesn’t have to be a professional formal ” mentor”? relationship. You can learn a lot from people over coffee. Approaching people and asking for advice is a good thing – not only will you learn from them but they will often think of you for a project or a position, and try to help.

What do you love the most about your current role?

I love the interaction with the business. I really enjoy influencing and helping the business. The return you get from the successes is motivating. My team is second to none and they have an excellent, can-do attitude. We all work together to be successful and deliver our balanced scorecard – share, profitability, channel control, and cash. I genuinely feel we have a team of very high performers here at HP, who go above and beyond to deliver results.

Having previously worked in the EU and the US, how does Switzerland compare?

I probably have a different view from some people here, as I work in Switzerland as part of an American company. I like Switzerland because it is very international. It gives a different perspective. It feels small, but when you see how many companies and banks are based here, it’s amazing. The scale and mix of business is very impressive.

What attributes do you look for when choosing a recruitment partner?

I think the most important thing from a recruitment partner is to have a deep understanding of the business and the culture.They need to understand the business dynamic and understand what sort of person will fit within the team. Every business works in a different way. Someone with the right personality, motivation and energy will sometimes be a better selection than someone with all the right experience assuming the technical skillset is there. Then it is about communication, leadership and being results driven.

What advice would you give to future aspiring leaders, and why?

Believe in what you are capable of and work hard. It is a simple, yet unavoidable truth that nothing comes without work. You need to be motivated, energetic and you need to believe. You should learn to adapt your style. Not everybody responds to the same style in the same way. Different people have very different styles so if you want the best result, you have to adapt to your audience.

If you could have chosen an Artistic, Musical, or Sporting career, what would it be and why?

I would have chosen to be a professional dancer. I danced when I was young until university. Watching professional dancers is awe inspiring; you have to be so strong and yet make it look so graceful. Dancers have to put their body through a great deal of training and tough situations. It’s a good approach to bring to my job today, work hard for results but do it gracefully. 

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*

As someone who has had over 20 years’ experience within the Swiss market-place, how have you found the Swiss market & working environment has changed over these years?

It has completely changed. The main driver is the change in technology. Twenty years ago, who had a mobile phone? The answer is almost nobody. Technology has impacted and accelerated other changes like globalisation. It certainly changed the working environment; availability is no longer limited to office times.  

Communication is now faster, usually more efficient and more frequent than it was 20 years ago. I use video conferencing systems daily enabling me to visually connect to people all over the world at little cost.

What challenges await your business and how do you hope to overcome them?

Our industry has always been very fast moving and high paced. But summarising the last twenty years, it has meant changing product portfolio; less desktops, more notebooks; then less notebooks, more tablets etc. The last years were driven by the growth of smartphones. At the same time we saw a continuous pressure on margins, we reacted to this by adding more value for our customers and streamlining our cost structure.

Currently we are entering a decade of significant changes. Among others, the following four trends may have an impact our industry:

• Internet of Things - meaning more and more devices being connected. It is expected that the number of devices connected over the next five years will double. Studies estimate efficiency gains in 2025 to be somewhere between 4 and 11 trillion dollar – What an opportunity!

• Industry 4.0 – meaning connecting the production processes and machines - crossing borders allowing optimization of Supply Chains with immediate detection of defects. It will also impact the construction area: You will be able to walk through your new house with 3D glasses, walk into rooms, choose colours and furniture etc. before anything has started. Parts of your house will be printed and no longer built. They estimate in a study that going forward this will save 60% of the material and 70% of the time to build a house.

Almost all areas of production will be impacted and will have a significant impact on job profiles and requirements.

• Cloud – meaning you will have your current data available anywhere at any time. Many people think of this as a personal cloud /storage space (e.g. Dropbox), but this will become more relevant to the working world with private clouds.

The Software industry already started to move the business model from buying to renting a software. This means a different revenue stream for the manufacturers and a different model for the users, e.g. you will always have the latest version of a software.

• Security - having everything linked and stored in the cloud raises the question, is it secure? The need for Security will boost the demand for both physical and software security.

There are so many different opportunities for our industry, if we catch them.  The competition will change in response to the differing up and coming opportunities, we will see new competitors, some we do not even know about yet, many of which will be entrepreneurial start-up companies. As a consequence our industry will look quite different in 10 years’ time.

What does your organisation currently do to contribute towards career development?

For us, the most important asset is our people. I know everybody says that however for us it is so important as it is what differentiates us from our competitors, the personal touch from our sales staff and the customer service we provide. After all, the products we sell today are exchangeable – ” it’s the same box our competitor sells there’s hardly any branding”?.

We invest to retain and develop our employees, for example we have our own academy; the ‘Tech Data Academy'. This is where managers and staff with high potential learn about not only Tech Data but also the economy, management, financials etc. We systematically do ‘on the job’ training with internal and external trainers and have career plans in place.

As you hold a degree in Economics and a Masters in Accounting/Controller, what would have been your third choice and why? 

Actually, none of them were my first choice. As a teenager during my apprenticeship I was interested in literature about psychology and human behaviour. My plan was to study psychology, so I visited an information day in a school in Zurich. Unfortunately they told me I would need a degree first. As most of the other visitors had a degree in Economics, I followed suit with the clear aim to study psychology afterwards. It turned out differently. But I am still fascinated by human behaviour, how they react to certain situations etc.

What are your career motivators?

To do my job well and achieve my targets, my strongest motivation is to strive to do this every day.

What attributes do you look for when choosing a recruitment partner?

Trust, the better the recruiter knows my company, its’ culture, me, my team, my needs, the better the pre-selection will be. Over time this will lead to building a partnership where both parties know one another well and work well together. Personally, I do not believe in changing a recruiter each time we have a new role to fill. The cost of recruiting the wrong person is huge.

What would be your advice to someone aspiring to be where you are now?

Firstly: Make sure you set big targets, and set them high!

Life is like walking on a landscape, with hills and valleys: If you are on a hill you have a good view and everything looks nice, but if you are in a valley the next hill looks much bigger than it actually is. If your target is not set high enough, you lose it when being in a valley. But if it is high up, you will still be able to see it. I have always set high targets.

Secondly: honesty, this is more important than short term benefits or short term profit. For me, this is a key attribute for an employee to have. Always be flexible and anticipate change, make decisions hard decisions, but never lose your humanity. Push yourself out of your comfort zone to achieve targets, ensure you work hard and focus on the important things. Do not expect to be better than average if you work average!

Finally, you need to have the right theoretical background; go to school and study, the younger you are the easier it is. Keep refreshing your knowledge, find something new to learn. 

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*

What excites you about working for Siemens Schweiz AG

First of all, it is very motivating to work for a company with over 160 years of history and such a vast amount of inventions. Siemens is a company built on a strong fundament and we are proud to be one of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies. Personally, I also like the international presence and the cultural mix of people you are working with.

What does your organization currently do to contribute towards the corporate social responsibility?

Our strategy within Siemens is geared towards four global megatrends – demographic change, urbanization, climate change and globalization – and their effects on society and our business. Corporate governance based on the principles of sustainability forms an integral part of what we understand by profitable and successful entrepreneurship.

This is reflected in the Siemens Environmental Portfolio, where the company is already a global leader. Our commitment to sustainable development is clearly evident in our expertise in ” green”? solutions. Independent organizations have acknowledged the extent to which we factor sustainability into everything we do. For many years, Siemens has held a leading position in both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project).

Within Procurement we further expect suppliers to comply with and implement their commitment to the standards and principles specified in our Code of Conduct. With respect to issues of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption initiatives, the Code of Conduct for Siemens’ suppliers and third party intermediaries is essentially based on the principles of the UN Global Compact. Acceptance and implementation of the Code of Conduct is a basic requirement in order to do business with us.

As someone who has had over 16 years’ experience within the Swiss market-place, how have you found the Swiss market & working environment has changed over these years?

I believe the Swiss market place has become more efficient, more international and more agile over the years. Especially since the financial crisis, Switzerland has been challenged with currency exchange rates and the constant high productivity demand. Agility and willingness to change and adopt have become prerequisites to be successful. However, I am not sure if we have seen the full impact on the market yet. The immigration of international talents on the other hand has helped us to maintain a high living standard but it has also challenged the job market in regards to competition.

If you could go back and give your younger (graduate) self some career advice, what would it be?

I would recommend them to gain international experience at an early stage. It does not even matter whether it is a work experience or educational studies. It just provides them with a different perspective and cultural exposure. This is becoming more and more essential in a globalised world.

As your first degree was a Mechanical Engineering what would have been your second choice and why?

I always had affection for figures so Finance would be my second choice. As an entrepreneur you always need to have a good understanding of the full picture and that includes the figures. Whenever I act I always assess the financial impact or benefit of the action to assure it makes sense from an entrepreneurial point of view 

What makes you relax from working in such a pressured role?

I am addicted to sport so I like swimming, mountain biking or working out in the gym. Depending on the season I vary on my preference. Furthermore, I love photography to express creativity.  It fulfills me with pleasure to capture a moment of time in a nice photograph.  

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your role?

The most rewarding part of my role is to work with a motivated team towards a common goal and to support them developing their personal career. I further enjoy working internationally and with different cultures. Working with different cultures has truly expanded my horizon and I enjoyed spending four years working the United States. 

What do you love most about your current role?

In Procurement you interface with most functions within a company and every action always has bottom line impact. You constantly implement strategies that ensure the best possible value for money is obtained when doing the purchase.

What recruitment challenges do you face?

I am glad I have a very low churn rate right now. Good people in Supply Chain are hard to find especially since companies have realised the added value of it. I see an increasing demand in this area which makes me concerned about future shortages in the talent pool. But in general it’s a challenge to find the right balance between good technical and commercial skill sets.

What was the worst/best interview experience you ever had?

Well, I cannot really say I ever had a very bad interview experience but I have learnt to focus more on the ” individual contribution”? the candidates have performed in their previous jobs. On the other hand, I already have a lot of good interview experiences. For example, candidates that come well prepared and quickly connect the dots. They ask the right questions and get a good feel for the job.   

What advice would you give to future aspiring leaders, and why?

First of all, the only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. That already sets the tone but typically, managers manage things and leaders lead people. This is the first prerequisite beside three main things to focus on: Be a strong performer in what you do, make sure you are visible within the organisation and build up a strong network.

Who was your most admired person in your childhood and why?

Good question, I guess it was Batman or Spiderman. Two heroes with the same goal to make the world a better and safer place. 

Who is your most inspirational person in business and why?

I like Nick Hayek, the CEO of Swatch. It is inspirational to see a CEO that does not let himself be influenced by analysts and short term interests. Yes, he is for sure egocentric but always makes his decisions based on long term perspectives. We need entrepreneurs with such qualities in top companies.

If you could choose an Artistic, Musical or Sporting career, what would it be and why?

I would love to be a photographer like Herb Ritts. He was an amazing black and white photographer and whenever I look at his pictures there is so much vitality and expression in it.

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*

Looking back through your established career at TNT, what would you identify as a personal highlight?

There are many highlights during my career at TNT. If I were to prioritize, I would rate the successful and sustainable turnaround and integration of the acquisition TNT did in Chile as my number one. Having said that, setting up the regional Finance function in New York and doing Mergers & Acquisitions in Shanghai rate as close second ones.

Your experience has been very International, what are the main challenges you have faced during your various assignments?

The challenges varied across the different locations and positions and included understanding different cultures, gaining trust from the people you work with (without speaking their language), establishing or improving (Finance) functions, processes and profitability, and just simply getting the job done despite being completely new to the field of expertise.

What would you say is the best piece of advice you could give someone who is just starting out in their career in Finance?

Make sure you continue to invest in yourself, through professional education, move from a head office to operating unit (or vice versa), work in different areas of Finance (if possible also outside Finance) and, of course, in different parts of the world.

What would be your advice for someone looking to make their initial move in to Industry?

If you are moving from a professional audit firm into an Internal Audit function, I would recommend to look for a company that supports development and acknowledges that audit is a step into the business and not a goal in itself.

When interviewing candidates at an earlier stage in their career what are the common mistakes you see and what advice would you give?

Sometimes candidates very much have an (external) auditor mindset and have difficulties to relate to the business and provide pragmatic solutions. 

What advice would you give to future aspiring leaders, and why?

Don't be afraid to take risks and go outside your comfort zone, as only that way you will learn your boundaries and get the most out of yourself. In addition, focus on the people you work with, as none of us is as smart as all of us.

If you could go back and give your younger self some career advice, what would it be?

To start, I am very happy with the various positions held and the opportunities TNT provided to me. If I were to do it again, I would have spent more time on learning the local language early on (or before) arrival in a new country.

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*

You have clearly had a long and successful career within P&G since 1999.  Why is P&G such a good place to work?

P&G is a great place to work, indeed. The first stunning experience is the quality of the people. It’s excellent! And what unites those brilliant people is their passion for winning infused by a very strong ethic and value driven business approach.

As you spend much of your time in Geneva, what do you like about Switzerland?

The people, their balanced culture and the proximity to the most magnificent landscape. I like the easy access to nature and outdoor sport in general. 

You have recently been leading the re-structuring of the Duracell business.  What were the main challenges and successes for you during this project?

Duracell today is a division of P&G, and will become a fully independent, stand-alone entity owned by Berkshire Hathaway. For me, the biggest challenge was to (re)create the F&A Team, from a small regional HQ team to an end to end Finance function leading the region. This team will have a critical complement skillset, balance technical hard core F&A skills with start-up spirit and passion to succeed with this project.

As a senior finance leader who inspires people, who do you look to for sources of inspiration?

The biggest source of inspiration for me is having a purpose, in business like in life, and putting every action in the context of this purpose. My purpose is ” improving everyone’s life”?, and my way of doing that is by selling products which perform better and truly improve people’s life. As well, by being more performing, you end up using less resources and therefore produces less waste. In my experience, it is important for each employee to feel what they are doing goes beyond business titles and a pay check at the end of the month.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Stay true to yourself. Every person is

different, and the best way to succeed is to find what is the unique thing one can add, and playing to one’s strengths.

Finally, with the Christmas period fast approaching, what are your plans for the festive period?

 I will enjoy spending the time with my family, that’s my lovely wife my great 3 year old boy and my only recently new born baby girl. Being with them will allow me to recharge my batteries and looks towards a very successful 2016 with Duracell.

*Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the Interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.*