I am a Finance Director at Loomis Schweiz AG which is the Loomis legal entity in CH. This includes supplying retailers and banks with cash and managing cash in society. As Finance Director, I oversee the whole finance operation, including accounting, billing and value accounting (which is making sure that the customers get the amount paid out on time). My background is varied. I started after university in Investment Banking as a Stock Broker - not good timing as the tech bubble burst, so it didn’t last as long as expected or hoped. I then joined Deloitte as an Auditor, to work from Audit Assistant all the way to Senior Manager, within a 10 year period. I also worked for 2 years in the US in audit. I completed the Swiss CPA exam and after 10 years I decided it was time to make a career change, so I had my first accounting role as Head of Accounting for a credit card company. I fulfilled another of my goals and went into management consulting for another Big 4 company for 2 years. I then joined Loomis a few years ago as Finance Director for CH.

 

 

When I started out, apprenticeships were more common and people would work their way up to senior positions. This is not the case now. I had an apprenticeship myself, but nowadays it isn’t enough; you must have the theoretical background, the diploma in your pocket, in order to make yourself a candidate for such a position. So a university degree and preferably Masters or further study is the first place to start. To achieve these merits, you must study hard and make it through.

Second thing to focus on is your goals. If you know your long term goals, try to work towards them as early as possible. In my case it was a different path. In some ways it was positive because I gained a broader picture of the world - gaining different skills, a different mindset to those focused on one area - but nevertheless, focus on your goals and know what you want from life.

Third, consult with experienced people. Try to get in touch and keep in touch with people who are better than you and try to learn from their experience, and mistakes as well. Try to get as much as possible out of them and apply to your own personal career.

 

In my personal life and professional life I had the chance to live and work abroad; I spent 2 years in the US, studied in France for a Semester and also had the opportunity to spend a month in Japan to learn the language. These were highlights which opened up new horizons and gain new experiences that you cannot usually gain when you stay in the same place.

 

My biggest motivator is my wife. She is as supportive as she can be and understanding when times are tough. She sticks with me and motivates me. There is a lot of comprehension for what I do in my business life so, personally, I think that’s my biggest motivator. The other key motivator is my team. To see people growing and also trying to push people in certain directions and see the results, is also motivating. If you do it right, you see what you can harvest.

 

One of the cornerstones of my career is the changes I made, from stock broking to audit, to consultant, to finance. This I believe to be unique within the finance world. I then did a lot of training after university including the CPA, Executive MBA and a degree in IFRS accounting.  The CPA and the MBA were by far the best decisions I made and the most helpful to my career.

 

In terms of risks, there have been two:

1. Quitting my job before my current job. This was definitely a risk with family to provide for, but I was confident that it was the right decision - and it was.
2. When we moved to the US. We have two children; our daughter was 3 years old and son 3 months. My wife left her well-paid job here. My salary was much lower than in Switzerland. Financially and career wise it was a risk. In the US they are not waiting for young Swiss people to come to work, they have their own great candidates there. You have to make yourself stand out. It was what I wanted. I probably didn’t have the same support as ex pats; I had to do my own tax filings there and find my own apartment there for the family. It was also a good experience. I specifically chose Deloitte because I thought I may have this chance later down the line.

 

We are the biggest provider in the market in Switzerland. We are better at cost control, we don’t have any big fancy palaces or glass buildings in the middle of town. We try to be cost efficient and don’t invest in ventures that are loss-making.

 

 

It is so important to be flexible. You must be able and willing to make compromises, be open about businesses you are going to. For instance, I didn’t really know much about Loomis before I joined. It wasn’t on my imminent radar of companies I would look to work for. A headhunter presented this opportunity and that is how I came along. Don’t just pick and choose, be open-minded about the business.

I also have the type of businesses that I wouldn’t work for, but as long as you can ethically support the business, why not work for it?

Be flexible in terms of position. You have to change career sometimes. You may not have the position or salary level you envisaged, but here in Switzerland everyone is relatively well paid, so why not work for less during a certain period of time. I was always flexible in that respect, therefore I would recommend it. Just because they had a certain level in a previous job, why not be open and adjust to a new reality when it is not possible to gain as much anymore.

I understand it is not easy, but it is better to work for less than not at all.

Flexible, reliable and open-minded.
In my view the only resource that increases in value if you share it is knowledge. Any other resource divided, you end up with less. Dividing knowledge increases its value for everybody.