What do you love about Switzerland and why?

CH is my Home country, I was born here. Of course I like the stability, the security but also the beautiful landscape.

What advice would you offer to someone moving to Switzerland?

CH has a lot to offer in terms of job opportunities but also in terms of Work/Life Balance to people coming from abroad.

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

It has become a lot more international. People may think this is mainly a big financial centre – but in fact we have so many international companies present which give it quite an international working environment. This is coupled with a very local strong Swiss culture – and that combination I find really attractive.

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

Carlsberg as an organisation is running a lot of initiatives to reduce CO2. In the brewing business some of the main areas where we can make a difference are water. We are world leaders in minimising water consumption per litre of beer produced. In packaging we use thinner and renewable material, and then managing the transport and distribution the best way. Our majority shareholder is the ” Carlsberg Foundation”? which is the biggest donator to science, culture, music and art in Denmark in history. So we are indeed ensuring that we give back to society and the environment.

We see that Carlsberg seems to be going against the market trend and continues to grow. Can you identify how your organisation stands out from the market and your competitors?

What are your growth plans?

There are a lot of great traditions around beer, which we need to keep. But there are also a lot of new things coming up. There are pockets of growth to be found in all markets. There is an interesting trend around craft beer. There is a lot of interest in new products like non-alcoholics, ciders, more healthy products. Our innovation department is quite busy reacting to the changes in the markets in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and especially in the high growth markets in Asia.

What excites you about working for Carlsberg?

There is entrepreneurial spirit in this company that I like very much. There is a lot of history, heritage, tradition, emotions, pride, sense of importance of quality connected to our brands and the whole brewing tradition, and the product. That makes it truly a great beer company to work for. You have your heart with you in this job.

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

I am now working in an office with 33 nationalities present, I did not imagine this 30 years ago. So my advice would be to open your mind towards input from other countries and cultures. The world is bigger than you think, and becoming connected faster than you think. So being open to trends and changes from outside will help you in your career - and also make your life more interesting.

Being a sparring partner is a pre requisite for an HR/Finance Division- what do you feel makes an effective sparring partner?

First of all you have to understand the need of the business. An HR Division can drive and manage change together with the Line Managers to a large extent. HR people should first of all support the business initiatives, and of course challenge their colleagues along the way about ways of working etc.

If you had not made a career in HR, what would you have preferred doing?

I did not have a plan for my career when I went to school. I made the choices and chose the different paths along the way depending on what was most interesting at the point in time. Luckily this has taken me to some very interesting places in my work life where I have had the opportunity to learn and grow.

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

Relaxed I would say is the wrong word. It is more about having a great team that makes you confident to manage most of the upcoming challenges.

What are your personal motivators?

The success of the company and the satisfaction of the employees are probably my biggest motivators. To see how a company and its employees are developing, I guess this is one of the biggest successes working in a senior leader role in HR.

When did you decide to explore a career in this area and why?

How did you plan out your career development path?

HR went through a huge transformation over the last 30 years. Personally I believe that if you really want to move something in HR, you have to stay a certain period in the role. In my case, I was always offered a new challenge after several years, so it was not a very active career planning from my side. As long as I can learn and the job is challenging I am more than happy in my career.

How important was it for you to develop relationships outside of your department for career development?

When you stay isolated in HR and do not go for active relationships outside your department you cannot be an effective HR Leader. You have to understand the need of the Business, so I believe it is extremely important to develop relationship outside your department.

What do you love the most about your current role?

To work in a global role with all the different cultures I love very much. But it is also the fact of the huge transformation that Carlsberg is currently is going through, that I love very much.

What recruitment challenges do you face?

Carlsberg is an attractive international company with a well-known global brand and a good reputation. But it is always a challenge to find the best candidates. It is about the quality of the people, their willingness to deliver strong results, and not give up the first time they run into a bit of headwind.

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

It is about professional work, reliability and trust in the partner who is conducting the recruitment process for me. It has to be somebody who understands the need of Carlsberg when recruiting in people.

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

Be authentic. Do not just think about how to develop your own personal career, but think about how you support the development of your company. If you do that, I am convinced that you will also grow your career. Be brave. Be ready to make decisions and point the direction – rather than focusing on covering your backside.

Describe yourself in 3 words

Ambitious, balanced and experienced

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

Probably a musical career, as I love music overall and I also enjoy playing the guitar and piano.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Probably Music

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

Marcel has been working in the NGO sector for 28 years and is the Fundraising/Marketing Director of Amnesty International. In his spare time Marcel enjoys mountain biking and skiing and ran in 7 marathons. He has also played Tennis at an International level. To relax he enjoys jazz and gourmet foods.

When did you decide to explore a career in this area and why?

I first studied Theology and worked within a church for 5 years providing advice to others. This led me to want to help  more people that are disadvantaged and I wanted to become more of a direct influence.

Most rewarding part of your role?

Seeing the success from a project within a local community through leadership. Also working with like-minded people within my development role, this is of course a very interesting scope of work.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? (work and personal)

Work – In 2002 I was heading the "Jimmy Carter Work Project" and we managed to build 100 houses with seven thousand volunteers. We had 5 Presidents assisting us and a Jimmy Carter was there every morning from 7am lending a hand!

Personal – I think that's still to come!   

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

Not to expect to take shortcuts, studying does help but immerse yourself within the people and learn from them. Courage is key and not to be led by those more opinionated be courageous and make your own decisions.   

What are your internal drivers and why?

I always think it's my understanding of justice and injustice, even from an early age I was more interested in becoming friends with the more multicultural kids!

Who is your most inspirational person in business and why?

I don't have one person in business but am always inspired when people think of innovate ideas and make things happen regardless of sector.

Why are you excited to be working for Amnesty International?

I have always been impressed with the Amnesty brand, Amnesty have great access to public figures which opens doors which motivates me. Because Amnesty work more on policy, advocacy and lobbying this has a bigger impact for change.  

What books / blogs are you currently reading?

I read articles from local communities on projects we're working with and LinkedIn is great for Fundraising updates and news. I prefer up to the minute information and interactive knowledge.

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

Strategically we are trying to increase our global presence as power and problems are shifting worldwide all the time. Fundraising in Switzerland is saturated, it's always a challenge to retain supporters/donors and to ensure that we don't just gain their support for one cause but become lifelong members of Amnesty.

What has been your worst / best interview experience?

Best interview I've conducted was meeting a candidate who was so good, I offered them another role that was still in signoff stage, this candidate was excellent and we just couldn't pass up the opportunity of not having him on the team. It was a little risky but saved us time and money on the recruitment stage of that role.

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

What do you love about Switzerland and why?

I love Switzerland, as it feels like it is the whole world in a miniature version. Within a small radius you can experience both sky scrapers and mountains. A huge variety which makes life very exciting and interesting. In addition, I like the structured and organised way of the Swiss and the efficiency, as well as the influence of so many nationalities and variances.

What advice would you offer to someone moving to Switzerland?

Learning German, but to also respect the Swiss Culture and Swiss languages, and to be open and curious about the culture and all its special nuances.

What excites you about working forPöyry Switzerland Ltd?

I am excited about the engagement of our employees for their projects, and how proud they are about their results, as these are highly tangible and long lasting results. They are contributing personally to the vital infrastructures across the world (e.g. Gotthard Base Tunnel).

I am proud of working forPöyry because of its focus on sustainable projects, providing infrastructure and energy to millions of people across Switzerland and the globe.

How did you plan out your career development path?

To be honest with you I had no plans for my career path, however when reflecting back I realise how important it was for me to be open to opportunities, even if I had never thought about going in certain directions. It was also important to trust my managers’ assessment of my personal capabilities and potential.

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

As the Head of HR for several countries, I have a pivotal influence in management decisions, which shape the way of working, and the culture of the company in the various countries. Having this impact is hugely rewarding as is the feedback in contributing to a better working environment.

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

Our companies need leaders with a high level of intellect and open heart, this means being perpetual, and curious about individuals with different personalities. My advice to future leaders would be to add to their studies, the ability to reflect and to communicate on a personal level with others.

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

What advice would you offer to someone relocating to Switzerland?

Embrace Switzerland and do not be tempted to compare it with your home country.  Adapt to the different ways of life and attitudes.  Schooling is very different; children go to school here at a later age and do not spend a full day until they are in 4^th or 5^th grade.  For native English speakers you will have no problem living in one of the big cities; however you must learn German if you are going to a rural community. Enjoy the lovely landscapes!

You have worked for Helvetic for the last 8 years, how have you found the Swiss market & working environment has changed over this period?

The aviation industry has changed a lot over the last 8 years.  There is a great deal of legislation to comply with now.  The banking sector has seen a similar increase in reporting and compliance issues.  However, these changes are true of the aviation industry worldwide, not just here in Switzerland.

With the economic slowdown of the Swiss economy in 2015, what do you think are the major challenges that lie ahead for Switzerland’s growth?

In the short term, companies need to do their homework, adapt accordingly and become more efficient.  Restructuring is necessary, transferring some of the labour force elsewhere in Europe for example.  Long term, here in Switzerland, we need to focus on innovation and motivating the younger generation to continue in further education, pursue their academic studies and take up apprenticeships.  There are a huge number of apprenticeships that have not been filled; this must be addressed.  The youth of today are the key to the future.

Swiss companies must become more efficient to compete with the changing Euro and US Dollar exchange rates.

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

This is not heavily advertised but we sponsor 8 cars for an organisation called Tixi – a foundation that provides a taxi service at a heavily subsidised rate for people who can no longer access public transport (for example, wheelchair users, OAPs).  The drivers are all volunteers.

What are Helvetic’s growth plans?

In May 2010 we had 120 employees; today we have more than 400. In the last 12 months our fleet has increased from 6 to 13 planes, with an accompanying increase in personnel.  3 years ago we decided to create our own maintenance department to maintain a tighter control on cost; we now have 50 engineers of many different nationalities.  Unfortunately there are no longer any academic programmes in aircraft engineering in Switzerland and no Swiss specialists in this field so we were obliged to source personnel from abroad. 

We now need to look at consolidating our rapid growth; we do not want to increase our overheads so we want to look at streamlining processes and rearranging tasks.  We are no longer a small company.  Today with so many employees we have less interpersonal interactions.  Previously I knew every member of staff personally but at our recent summer party I did not know everyone.  We want to imbue our company culture in all our staff; we wish to stabilise now and digest our new growth.

If you could go back and choose a different career what would it be?

I had no clear plans when I was younger; I went with the flow.  I never set out to work in the aviation industry.  Working at Coopers & Lybrand, one of the big audit companies, gave me the foundation to go abroad.  I would not change my career path.  I feel that whatever you do, you must be passionate about it.

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

I work with so many interesting people - people of different nationalities, with different skill sets from engineers to pilots and cabin crew and people of all ages.  I enjoy motivating our staff.

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

I cannot define one highlight, there are several.  In a previous job I worked out in Delhi, India for a time which I found rewarding.  Recently when we purchased a new aircraft, I travelled in the cockpit alongside the pilot which was great.  However to travel on one of our flights alongside passengers and see that they are happy is just as rewarding for me.

How would you advise a jobseeker to approach the current market?

At the moment I think it is quite difficult; you are competing against so many other people. You should focus on your strengths and convince your counterpart that you are the one for the job.  Be open minded and face challenges head on.  You cannot limit yourself to an industry that interest you; you may find a job in an area you like or maybe not.  All companies have good points and areas where you can make a difference.  This should be your goal: to make a difference and improvements in a company.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Yes, but they remain hidden!  I enjoy sports, in particular running - I am currently preparing for my second marathon. I also enjoy skiing and hiking in the mountains!!

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