When did you first become involved with the WFBSC? 

I got professionally involved in the days I was still working for DiverseyLever. This must have been about 25 years ago.

What do you find most rewarding about serving on the Board?

Being able to give back to the industry with knowledge that I acquired over so many years. Furthermore, there is the long lasting friendships with many of our members.

Can you speak to any changes currently impacting the BSC industry on a global scale?

There are many topics related to this question. I believe the pandemic has accelerated work style reform. More mobile and more from anywhere. This will have a big impact on our industry.

The global shortage on labor will drive more robotics and cobotics, but will also create new business models where digital solutions will be driving the cleaning operation. Efficiency will be created by AI solutions and save cost. I am convinced this will also accelerate the business from an offer to a demand based business and create more transparency in cleaning processes, hygiene and cleaning results.

Last but not least, I believe that the world is finally starting to realize that we need to shift gears when it comes to our planet and our environment. Also, in the cleaning industry the demand for sustainable solutions both on the environmental and the social side is high. As a manufacturer, this means that we also have to become more innovative in the way our products are being designed.

Can you speak to a notable challenge in your career? How did you handle it?

In 2020, I was asked by our board to take charge of our subsidiary in Japan and prepare the company for the next decade. Until then I had been responsible for sales in the professional channels globally, working from our headquarters in Germany. The challenge in Japan is both cultural and business oriented but also personal. I needed to move to the other side of the world, in very difficult times, as we were in the top of the first Covid wave.

Getting into Japan in those days was a challenge. I also quickly learned that working in a country with a very difficult language and a very different business culture to what I was used to was a new challenge adding to a new fantastic experience in my career. Although I have travelled to Japan many times in the past, the experience of visiting is very different than living in Japan. I could expand for hours on my experience, but the question was how I handle things. I try to listen well. I learn to read and hear what is not said but still intended to be heard. I try to be patient, open and sometimes even to adapt my direct communication style. It is a major learning experience.

What is the best piece of advice you have received throughout your career?

Reflect on everything you do even if you have success. Look at change as an opportunity and listening is more powerful then speaking.