The manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) produced by Credit Suisse and procure.ch rose to 60.9 points in July, what do you think are the major challenges that lie ahead for Switzerland’s continued growth?
Switzerland currently faces a lack of highly qualified staff despite a good dual educational system balanced with immigration and it will face even a bigger problems when the ‘baby boom’ generation retires. Probably the skill shortage will be partially compensated through digitalisation, but the other part will definitely remain a challenge. Furthermore, Switzerland should increase its productivity. Especially the domestic economy as it is less productive than some international companies. There are several small and medium sized companies that took up this challenge and are highly productive and competitive, but the majority of small and medium sized companies still needs to make this first step.

As someone who has had over 17 years’ experience working within the Swiss market-place, how have you found the Swiss market & working environment has changed over these years, and what in your opinion, have been the drivers for these changes?
Major changes have characterised the past seventeen years, the strong internationalisation transferred the more simple and repetitive jobs abroad, especially to China and other low cost countries. The shift from the commercial-industrial sector to the service sector increased the need for a highly qualified work force. To cover this need immigration shifted from a blue collar workforce to white collar, a highly qualified employee. I saw this in ABB, too. Several production units were closed and moved to Asia and foreign academic colleagues increased in number throughout the company. When the economic crises of 2007 hit, it emphasised the importance of higher efficiencies and effectivity along the entire value chain, which in turn drove the need for capable and specialised staff even further.   

How attractive do you feel that Switzerland remains as a location for international businesses?
Switzerland has an excellent educational system, is a non-bureaucratic state (founding a company is very easy), politically stable, offers great logistic connections, has no unions (as in the rest of Europe), and offers to companies good conditions and low taxes. Definitely, Switzerland is not cheap; however, the conditions offered give it excellent â € value for money”?. Furthermore, Switzerland is number one worldwide for register patents. For the reasons above mentioned, I firmly believe Switzerland is a very competitive and attractive country now, and in the future, if the country is able to solve the major issues discussed in point number one.

What are the organisations growth plans?
ABB is working on several collaborations and acquisitions in order to fill strategic gaps in the geographic, product and end-market portfolio. Industry 4.0 is clearly a goal of ABB that should not be missed. Therefore, this year, ABB acquired KEYMILE’s to strengthen digital grid portfolio and software. With the acquisition of Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH automation the know how was increased and with the collaboration signed with Microsoft access to digitalisation has been secured.

What challenges are await your business and how do you hope to overcome them?
In Product Group Gas Insulated Switchgear in the last fifteen years, competitors have tripled and the product moved from a highly engineered product to a commodity. To overcome the challenges given by this new market situation, products must be modularised and standardised, processes simplified and high intensive labour moved to low cost countries.

What does your organisation currently do to contribute towards the corporate social responsibility?
The corporate socially responsible portrait is linked to seven major themes: operational efficiency, maximum safety, environmental protection, quality & innovation, open dialogue, skill development and responsible citizenship. ABB is working on all seven themes, although during the past five years major focus was given to health & safety and integrity.

What recruitment challenges do you face?
Finding people with a wide hands-on experience in different fields or specialists with long term experience is always a challenge.

What attributes do you look for when choosing a recruitment partner?
The recruitment partner should be very professional and personal chemistry should fit. If I like the company and the recruiters, I am confident they will find the right candidates.

When interviewing candidates at an earlier stage in their career, what common mistakes do you see and what advice would you give?
Many of the young candidates ask first about the money and not about the content and challenges of the job. We look for people with an outstanding enthusiasm for the job.

In what circumstances do you think an external recruiter can add value?
Usually recruiters add great value when you are looking for specific, not common experiences of a candidate or if you are looking for managers with a bright experience.

If you could go back and give your younger (graduate) self some career advice, what would it be?
Usually, I advise younger colleagues to make as diverse experiences as possible during their first ten years of their career. A wide experience in different fields allows an understanding of the end to end process and the company as whole. 

What makes you relax  from working in such a pressured role?
Running, I run 40-60 Km per week. Otherwise, I read books and enjoy the big art offer in Zürich.

What are your personal motivators?
An interesting and challenging job in the right environment is definitely a motivator and great fun, too.

How important was it for you to develop relationships outside of your department for career development?
Every person I worked with during my career was important for my own career development, regardless of whether he/she was within ABB or external. Colleagues in ABB, especially if working at a global level, have a huge network as I have after 17 years. So, if you are looking for somebody, feedbacks and inputs of colleagues are very important and helpful.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your role?
Managing complex tasks and projects at a global level with very different cultures is definitely one of the most rewarding part of my role.
If you could change one thing in your career what would it be?
I would have tried more different roles to build a 360° experience. For example, sales could have been an interesting option, too. Time will tell.

Looking back through your established career, what would you identify as a personal highlight?
Certainly, it was the period in the Generator Circuit Breaker business as operations manager. The environment was great, high empowerment, with huge freedom in acting and taking decision. With these perfect conditions, I learned most about change management and managing people.  

What do you think makes a good leader in Operations Management?
A good leader should enable collaboration, reduce internal transaction, decide goal conflicts, have a disturbance mandate (create new problems for the company) and make people successful.

What advice would you give to future aspiring leaders, and why?
To a future aspiring leader I would advise that they deeply understand the five leadership principle listed in the previous point. I firmly believe extraordinary leaders are characterised by these five principles.

What would be your advice to someone aspiring to be where you are now?
My advice would be to work in the first part of their career in an operative unit and work as close as possible with their subordinates in order to understand their work and the processes they are working in. To do this later in the career and especially at a global level this will no longer  be possible.

Who was your most admired person when you were in your childhood and why?
In my childhood I admired, as many boys, my father for his joy, curiosity and deep passion for life.

Who is your most inspirational person in business and why?
David Kelly and his company IDEO were extremely inspiring for me. The systematic creativity process he developed and the way he managed IDEO gave me great ideas for my own management style.

What books / blogs are you currently reading?
Currently I’m reading two books:
” Passion running”? from Rafael Fuchsgruber and ultra-marathon runner who talks about his experience of the last ten years
” Excellent company”? a book of two German consultant about change management.

Describe yourself in 3 words
Curious, structured and perseverant.

If you could choose an Artistic/Musical/Sporting career, who would it be and why?
At age of seven I photographed my first black and white picture and afterwards I learned from my father how to develop the film and print the pictures in the dark room. I was and I am still very passionate about photography, probably I would have chosen this career path. 

Do you have any hidden talents?
If I have hidden talents, then they are very well hidden. However, as already mentioned, I am very passionate about photography. Furthermore, I like painting and in sports running. If I am talented in these hobbies I do not know, but I have a lot of fun.

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