What do you love about Switzerland and why?

It’s a country where there are rules and structure, it’s very safe and habitants come from all different backgrounds. It makes the people very interesting as every canton has its own traditions.

Switzerland offers a good work-life balance! Also, there’s lots to do with natural environment such as the mountains and the lakes, I like its diversity of cultures, languages, and cuisines!

I also like that there are many multinational companies in Switzerland so often a professional career in Switzerland can offer Regional / International scope; which makes it very interesting.
 

What are your growth plans?

On a professional side, to reinforce the regional organisation structure. Coming from when there was no regional structure at all. Reinforcing the relationship between corporate, regional and country level. Maximising how we can work efficiently all together.

Then also to strengthen the HR team I have in the region.  There are now 9 HR Directors within 10 countries and all at different maturity levels. To enhance skills within HR and increase the way HR can make a difference.

Thirdly, is to focus closely on the industrial labour relations, be able to identify areas of high risk and develop mitigating responses, key focus areas in Europe for Swissport.

All of this needs to lead to profitability as this is really what the company focus is now, after the acquisition (HNA Group). We’re all focused on ” a profitable growth”?!
 

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

For me, I always believe that HR has to act as Business Partner to the business; without a close link to business HR doesn’t make sense. We can work on a lot of things, but if the business doesn’t need it then it’s senseless. We have to focus on what the business needs first.

” Sparring”? for me is about an HR department that is consistent, structured but also fair. Today, we have to live with the globalisation trend and much more focused on talent management.

I strongly believe that the new generation is different and looking for different things. Technological advancements mean young people know much more than we knew at their age. To capture them and to motivate them to come and work for us, we have to be innovative. HR is not about pay and administration anymore but we have to be really embedded within the business and a sparring partner with other functions in the business.
 

What recruitment challenges do you face?

For me here, the challenges are about targeting the right people for the right country because some people will not be good in some environments. For example, if you need to hire someone for Spain where do they go after that? Many people would not fit within an international environment. How do we attract people who can potential move to another country?
 

Why is mobility important to Swissport?

We want to gain knowledge and improve in all areas and mobility is crucial to spreading that knowledge across the business so we need to find people adaptable to different environments which isn’t always easy.  We still require people with experience, but sometimes those people are less likely to move country and adapt as easily. Ideally, we would have a pool of employees which can move around. Those who are younger tend to have grown up in a more international globalised way but then it’s a trade off against experience which we also want. Therefore, there’s a skillset gap in what we need to improve.
 

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

First, get out of your own country. Travel, get to know the world for me this is the most important, you must get international exposure. Learn languages otherwise you will no longer be in the driving seat and learn about different cultures and different ways of thinking!

Secondly, specialise in a field. Donâ €™t be too generalist. In the beginning, choose a department which fits with your character. For that, you have to know yourself and be your own consultant.

Don’t be too attracted by a job that pays well. You must follow your ambition and make sure you fit the company and role you are in.

Believe in values. People who succeed today have work ethics, not just technical skills. Those values you will learn with different cultures. In my career, it helped me a lot to have lived across Middle East, Asia, and Russia.

For HR specifically, be pragmatic. Don’t create policy for the sake of policy.
 

Who was your most admired person when you were in your childhood and why?

My Dad. He always worked hard. I am a triplet; have two twin sisters and a brother! Four children at home and every evening we always had a family dinner which he never missed. For me, it was very important that we had this time. Throughout his professional career, although in difficult times, he always succeeded to overcome problems and never gave up.

He also brought us up with strong values. If someone does something bad, don’t try to enact revenge but understand why. I believe he helped me a lot in my career!

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

Can you give our readers a brief summary of your HR career and how you became CHRO for CRH Switzerland?

At the beginning of my career, I was working in operations and ended up in HR by accident really. I worked for a couple of years in Swiss railways in various HR roles and then became the Head of HR for the Public Transport system for Basel city at 30. Moving onwards in my career, I became Head of HR for Jet Aviation, a company in the private aviation industry and was there for 6 years and got more exposure into international business with them. I really enjoyed the international part. From there I joined Panalpina, a global freight forwarder and was working for them for 8 years in various roles including a 3-year stint in Miami. I came back to Switzerland with my family and was looking for a local role as wanted to travel less and have more family time. I was lucky to find the role of CHRO at CRH Switzerland.

How did you plan out your career development path?

Actually, there wasn’t much planning. I just followed my interests and generally my interests were; where can I learn? That was basically driving me and my career path. I also have to say, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time sometimes. I had good mentorship which really helped me. There was no career goal of to become Head of HR here or there, but always asking myself what can I learn in that role, what interests me and where can I have fun and get energy back from it.

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

I think there are several. The thing that I think from a HR career perspective that really made a difference was my first engagement to the west coast of Africa where I had a task to build up a HR structure and teams which haven’t existed before in places like Angola, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Ghana. It was so interesting because obviously Africa is a different continent. I learned that it’s not about the same values or same way of working. I learned there that things can work completely differently and you have to work around things and work differently for success. It made me aware because I assumed I knew a lot about HR, going there to use my skills and tools to build up HR wasn’t good enough. There were new things I had to learn to be able build up something in HR in a different environment. This experience made me aware that if I assume that I know it’s not going to be sufficient.

What motivated you to join CRH?

CRH is a great company with great values and has a lot of humble, down-to-earth people. It’s hard- working. More specifically to my role in Switzerland, I think the business has huge potential. What motivates me here is the transformation the business has to go through. I don’t think this business will be the same in 20 years’ time. We have to think about what do we need to do now, what kind of senior people do we need to hire for our organisation to make sure we can achieve success and remain ahead of the market and our competitors so that in 15 or 20 years we will still be around.

What are your current challenges in your role?

There are numerous but the main challenge is that this is a transformation project. There is that famous saying that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ and I think that is what's happening right now in this company here in Switzerland. Four years ago, we put in place a strategy which I believe is good and we have created structure to implement that strategy. However, I think what we haven’t looked close enough to and understand is, does the leadership culture really support the strategy? And at this stage it doesn’t. So we need to work very hard to change that leadership culture. Also, we need to do some good work to improve sales.

What recruitment challenges do you face?

At this stage, the main challenge is to keep the balance for a business which works really locally; so have local connections and local people but also bring people on board which can work in a big international group and understands the mechanisms of working in an international group or in a matrix organisation. That’s a challenge because usually if you want to stay locally connected you recruit from smaller sized businesses, maybe family owned and often they do not have any experience or understanding of how a large multinational business works.

Moving away from your professional life, what do you like to do outside of your work?

As I was travelling a lot in the past, now it’s really time for my family. I try to spend as much time as I can with my kids. They are into different sports so I spend my weekends at tournaments of hockey or handball and really enjoy seeing them grow up.

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

I would love to be a musician. The reason for that, I think, is the way you can express yourself with an instrument is a great way to communicate and connect with other people without using words. It’s the global language that everybody understands and you don’t need to explain yourself. I think people who listen carefully will understand what you’re telling them without using words.

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

You currently work as Director of Finance and Operations at Straumann and have clearly had a very successful career within the business. What have been your career highlights and what would you say has been a key point to your success?
My career highlights within Straumann have included the successful implementation of a new ERP system (SAP), maintaining a high contribution margin, even in the recession, and after becoming responsible for the Benelux region, the successful restructuring of the Benelux finance function.
In implementing SAP, my task was to harmonise the business process for easy international roll out and to ensure smooth implementation in Benelux. As a result, we were able to easily consolidate financial data and sales reports for multiple countries, which previously needed to be pulled individually from their own standalone systems, and in including end users in the test phase, we saved considerable time and energy after the Go Live.
Reviewing the Benelux finance function allowed more interesting roles for team members to be created with opportunities for personal development and growth and for the business, we saved on overall headcount in Benelux as the combined team improved the profitability of the Belgian organisation.
I think the key point to success is to always take the opportunities that come up, focus on what the best outcome for the business is, continue to develop yourself and do what you like doing because that is so much easier to excel in than when you end up doing something that you do not enjoy doing.
 
What attributes do you think make a good leader in finance?
A good finance leader is able to connect the numbers to the business. Do not just create reports but understand what the numbers mean and be able to explain the meaning to top management and advise on corrective actions if needed. From a team leading perspective, it is essential that you coach a team to be empowered, allow them to make mistakes and help them learn from it. Give them space to develop and grow. I noticed that if you allow them to find their own area of interest they usually go to the area they excel in, focus on that rather than on continuously trying to improve the areas they are not good at.
 
What advice would you give to ambitious women who are aspiring to reach senior leadership roles?
Do not overthink your career, do not plan it too much or it could limit your options. Take the opportunities as they come and try new things, even if you are not totally confident; there are always people to support you. Be pro-active. Take ownership. Celebrate your successes.  If you lead a team, show them trust, delegate and support them where needed because you will only be successful if your team does well. Try to find a company that has a culture that fits to your values, in such an environment it is easy to thrive well.
 
What books/blogs are you currently reading?

I am currently reading ” Choosing Change”? by Susan Goldsworthy, she was my coach during the IMD High Performance Leadership Training. Also, posts by Harvard Business Review. I am studying Internal Control Systems and Risk Management to refresh my knowhow in that area. I continue to develop my skills and attend several 1-day trainings related to Business Management/Strategy and Productive/Efficient working methods.

 
When you have interviewed candidates in the past, what are the common mistakes/positives you have noticed?
I notice that candidates tend to put a lot of focus on their formal education, this to me is on the theoretical side of things, it is a snapshot of your theoretical knowhow at a certain point in time. I am more interested in your experience and practical skills, what tasks have you performed, what are your achievements, how did you improve yourself.
 
What is the best piece of advice you have been given throughout your career?
Continue to question the status quo and talk to people, ask questions all the time. Stay curious and learn along the journey. And most of all, do not give up.

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

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Responsible, accountable and takes ownership … those are also my expectations of people whom I work with.
I believe these describe a person rather than the person’s capabilities … it means you have someone who is aware of himself and the role he plays in the company, who is responsible for the tasks being done rather than relying on someone else to do it instead. When such an individual accepts the outcome, either positive or negative, then you have an accountable colleague you can count on. Furthermore, a person needs to be willing to sacrifice a part of himself, invest themselves in the company … add to the company’s values and objectives rather than seeing it purely as a monthly source of income … almost as if they own it. In most cases, the company will return the favour.

How would you advise a jobseeker to approach the current market?
It will become rare in the future to find many people, who are willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of the company. Individuals who will be prepared to do so, will be better positioned … almost like starting the 100m race with a 10m head-start. I base this on my last couple of roles in Switzerland and Germany, where I found it very challenging to find recent graduates with realistic expectations of advancement. Nowadays it is hard to quickly advance starting from zero in almost any company, so I would advise someone in university to get exposed to the business whilst studying, as it will be a significant advantage. Overall, the advice is: be flexible, do not have rigid expectations of what a job should be like. Compromise is an essential skill to learn and later on, you will have the ability to be more selective if your skills and experience make your profile more attractive to the market.

What attributes do you look for when choosing a recruitment partner?
Foremost – the ability to understand the company’s and my needs. Secondly, the ability to gather a significant pool of candidates, and thirdly, having international presence. In terms of value-add, I personally need to understand the local market quickly. I haven’t been in Switzerland for a long time, consequently I need to know things quickly to be effective. Receiving advice from local experts is of huge value. Nowadays, there are often discussions about different generations’ expectations, which clearly play an important role in the recruitment process, but I also believe one should not underestimate the cultural differences. Hence why I want more than just a list of people ranked by their abilities and positions held in the past … and I want to be advised correctly when I am perhaps less knowledgeable.

Looking back through your established career, what would you identify as a personal highlight?
This would definitely be the time I spent in Prague participating in the set-up of an in-house regional shared service centre for a multinational, and progressing to eventually leading it. This is a highlight because it was a new thing for both myself, and for my employer. There was no blue-print, we had a lot of freedom to try new things. For me, this was probably the time in my life when I made the most mistakes… and learned from each and every one of them. Due to the importance of the centre at that time, it was unthinkable to make the same mistake twice. It was a very steep learning curve for me as well as for all of my colleagues. Today I wouldn’t claim it to immediately be a particularly smooth operation which delivered all expectations, but I do know that it improved from quarter to quarter and eventually became a benchmark within the company for scope, execution and excellence.

We see that Biosensors seems to be partnering with some of the larger names in the medical devices space – can you identify how Biosensors International stands out from the market/ competitors?
When compared to other competitors in the market Biosensors is not automatically the largest. However, in terms of current and future technologies, it is perhaps one of the most advanced. We have currently a product in our portfolio, which stands out from the rest on the market … and we have clinical evidence proving it, something our competitors simply do not have. We believe we have technological platforms which are setting future standards. Where we do see a challenge, is in scale – Biosensors does not have the reach to use the full potential of the new and exciting products. Therefore, finding a strategic partner was of significant importance to us. We are finding synergies with their ability to cover markets, and successfully sell and market our product. For example, when entering a new market, it takes a lot of effort, time and resources to be successful. Being able to partner with a company which is already present is a huge advantage. It is also true that there are benefits for the partner as well!

What do you love about Switzerland, and why?
I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I find it amazing how well things work in Switzerland. Compared to my experiences in other countries, things here are very efficient and streamlined. There is very limited bureaucracy involved, the responses you get from various bodies and authorities are very clear. It’s also very impressive how willing they are to use logic and common sense versus blind adherence to the rules. It all gives you a feeling that they want you to be successful. Often you feel like you have a silent business partner … you don’t actually employ them, but you know you have someone supporting you in what you are trying to accomplish. This is a contrast to some other environments I have experienced, where often the bureaucracy represents a hurdle rather than help. Switzerland is so much more than low tax rates which are presumed to be the reason for all the businesses relocating here … several other countries have low tax rates as well … it’s the whole package that is impressive.

If you could choose an Artistic/Musical/Sporting career, what would it be and why?
Tennis. I played tennis – unfortunately not good enough to make anything meaningful out of it. Recently I am more into endurance activities but this is rather a personal challenge than anything else. Acting, singing, I’m terrible at them, sports is more my thing. I would look to a few players to aspire to; Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg, and being in Switzerland, I guess I cannot skip Roger Federer. For me, they represent the sport, and seem to be (from what you read in the media) humble and normal guys, who in theory could take advantage of their status, but have chosen not to.
 

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

You are currently working as VP Finance/CFO for Stryker Europe and have clearly had a very successful career within Stryker. What has been your career highlights and what would you say has been a key point to your success?
 
I believe my career highlights were from when I moved from Switzerland to Hong Kong with Stryker where I worked as CFO – Emerging Markets. This was a super exciting environment of high growth with lots of challenges and diversity, where I learnt a lot both professionally and personally interacting with different levels of leadership, which was a great environment for development. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to assist with the growth of the business, including a combination of M&A and R&D across a variety of Countries and divisions. I contributed to the strategy of the business, whilst learning a huge amount. A key success factor for me was flexibility and the ability to effectively balance business support with controlling and motivating the team to deliver the maximum in both areas of activity.
 
What element of Finance really motivates/excites you?
 
The reality here is the connection that Finance has to the business. I have passed on many of my opinions to my team. I think it is essential in a Finance role to wear two hats at once so to speak. You need to be a very good business partner and of course have a really good understanding of the financials. Together these skills create a natural evolution, which can create opportunities to work with the Leadership team and to really add value.
 
You spent several years working for EY in Milan and London, what would you say is the best piece of advice you could give someone who is looking to make their initial move outside of a Big 4 Practice?
 
Here there are multiple factors to consider. Firstly, ensure it is the right company that offers the most appealing role, where there is career development and learning capabilities. Research the growth and performance of the company and make sure the job content takes priority over the job title. Arguably Big 4 training is a very strong basis for a career in Finance, so you need to make sure your role in Industry will offer you the opportunity to leverage what you have learned there. At the same time, keep an open mind and be humble acknowledging that you are frankly still at the beginning and there is a lot you do not know about the dynamics of a business. If you maintain this attitude and work hard to make your mark, you will succeed and build a great career.
 
When you have interviewed candidates in the past, what are the common mistakes/positives you have noticed?
 
Some of the mistakes I have encountered are that candidates prepare their story and do not deviate from that. Of course it is important to talk about your day to day responsibilities but I think it is key to decipher what are your relevant achievements. Candidates need to ensure they listen to the question being asked and stay focused on that point. The ability to really understand the key point of a question being asked is essential in an interview environment.
 
During your career, you have had lots of International experience and exposure. What are the benefits of this and do you think this is essential for success?
 
International exposure has been essential for my success, simply down to the diversity factor. I think this experience gives you a completely different view point, dealing with a diversity of thoughts, interests and cultures. It helps to learn to be adaptable to a variety of environments. Moreover, if you want to operate at a high level in today’s global business environment, international exposure is critically important.
 
If you could go back and give your younger self some career advice, what would it be?
 
Number one, accept the fact that you learn along your journey and of course you will make mistakes. Learn from those, but ensure you remain yourself and do not try to do something or be somebody that is not you. Secondly, as you grow your career, focus on creating and developing the best team. Don’t be afraid to make changes, you will be hesitant initially but try not to procrastinate. Always be transparent, direct and honest in providing feedback either positive or negative.
 
A general piece of advice would be to take ownership of your career and direction. Colleagues notice when you take on more responsibility and are proactive with your approach and take yourself outside of your comfort zone.

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

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.*