I'm a sales manager for global accounts based in Nuremberg, Germany. Before I started my career at Konica Minolta, I did an apprenticeship in hotel management in a high-end, family-owned restaurant where I quickly took on responsibilities. When I was 20, I moved overseas to South Africa for a year to work as a trainee food and beverage manager at a wine estate. Back in Munich, I worked as a supervisor in a one-star Michelin restaurant where I learned that, without the appreciation of my managers, it's impossible to deliver consistently great performance. After this very challenging period, I continued my education and got a degree in International Business, specialising in Sales and Marketing, from the University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg. A 13-month round-the-world trip followed and showed me that we often take things for granted that are a much bigger deal for people elsewhere. Afterwards, in 2018, I joined Konica Minolta as a trainee in strategic sales, which is called "key accounts" in other places. First, I got to know all the processes, departments and topics related to sales and built up my knowledge in that area. I had a fantastic opportunity to steer my development in the direction I wanted it to go. In addition to that, I was able to do specialised training and get further qualifications. I'm still developing and driving forward now, taking more training courses, shouldering more responsibility and working my way up the career ladder. For me it's important to learn, grow and have a perspective. After 14 months of being a trainee, I joined the international business and affairs department. My focus now is the strategic expansion of our global customers located in South Germany, with particular responsibility for global pricing strategies in international tenders. I see it as a continuation of what I did before, with lots of contact with people in the very international environment of Konica Minolta, and being able to speak not only German but also English and Spanish.
For me, the ideal environment incorporates a good mixture of different factors such as people, strategy, agile approaches and regular direct feedback to allow reflection and development. The approach with our new performance management tool is spot on. And it's good to see how you can develop using the LinkedIn Learning licences too. However, because sales people are driven by KPIs, it would be good to have a link between both systems.
At Konica Minolta, there are many areas outside your day-to-day tasks where you can break silos and make a contribution. Along with some colleagues I've created a special workshop series for new trainees, supported a project for an electronic archiving system and taken part in the 6-month Technology Innovation Programme where I was able to build up a large international network outside my department.
I live with my girlfriend and my Husky. Usually I bring my Husky into the office with me and my colleagues love that. When I want to relax I go for a run with my dog, and I also like to cook. I enjoy flexible working hours and I have a good balance between my private and my professional life. The quality of your work is only as good as the quality of your private life. That means that a good balance is necessary. At Konica Minolta you have the flexibility to work as you wish.