Could you briefly tell us about the career stages you have gone through up to now?
I was born and raised here in Bremen, in beautiful Bremen North, and graduated from high school in 2011. After that, I did a year of voluntary social work in an intensive care unit in a hospital.
I then decided to study general management in Cologne and completed my bachelor's degree there after three years. I got a lot out of it, but I realized that I also needed something practical, so I did an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade management assistant in Hong Kong with a German toy manufacturer "Dickie Toys". After the 20-month training, I was offered a job there. As I had already completed my studies, it all fit very well. I was there from 2015 to 2021 and loved the city until the end, despite the protests and the pandemic. Nevertheless, Hong Kong changed a lot during that period of time. I decided to return to Germany for the same company, to Fürth to be precise, because that's where the headquarters are. There I worked as an International Business Manager, looking after our subsidiaries within Europe.
At the beginning of August 2022, I moved back to Bremen and then on to Indonesia in November.
What brought you to Melchers and why the decision for Indonesia?
After now more than 5 years in Hong Kong I made the decision to leave Hong Kong and start in a new position for my employer. This was more a decision pro-Germany, rather than against Hong Kong, since this city will always have a special place in my heart.
After some time in Germany, I came to the conclusion that I still had the urge to gather more experience and business knowledge abroad. At the same time, I wanted to keep my connection to Bremen and thought about it for a while. I do have a connection to Melchers and it has always been a dream for me to work for such a prestigious and well-respected company. This really developed during these talks with the management middle of 2022. Even with my family bonds, I had little contact with Melchers before, but now the point came where everything fit together and so I joined Melchers in August 2022.
Indonesia itself wasn't really the subject at the beginning for me, since I had a very brief experience in Indonesia, which was mostly related to vocational visits.
Nevertheless, the position as the Managing Director was offered to me and I didn't need to think about it for long. After my experience in Hong Kong and in Asia, I was eager to go abroad again to face some new challenges. I am now looking forward to my tasks in Jakarta.
Have you noticed any cultural differences between Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Germany?
Absolutely, I would say that Jakarta is just as different from Hong Kong as it is from Germany. Indonesia is of course, as the world's largest Muslim country, on the one hand for religious reasons noticeably different. On the other hand, the mentality of the people is completely different than in Hong Kong or in Germany. My time and experience in Indonesia are still very brief, nevertheless, the cultural differences are significant. In any case, to me this is very exciting since there are huge local differences, culture I got to know in Bali is again completely different than that in Jakarta. Indonesia is a huge country, it is a 3.5 hours flight from east to west, which is further than from Bremen to Turkey. That's why I'll need the next few months and years to figure out these cultural structures In detail, but I'm looking forward to it.
Has Melchers changed compared to previous stories from the family? How?
As I said, I have a family connection to Melchers and if I were to say that the topic of Melchers did not play a role in some form in my childhood would be a lie, but they were less than what you might expect. My father is of course glad that I have found my way to Melchers, but it must be said that my father was mainly responsible for other Markets in Asia. I am now going into the Indonesian market and that is completely different from what he did. Of course, we have talked about Melchers now and then, but most of the stories and examples he told me from the past I can't really apply to myself.
In the past, when he started, it was a very classic agency business, digital services weren't even in their initial stage. Also, times have changed completely. Melchers is over 200 years old and has a huge amount of history. Melchers strength has always been to adapt and redevelop itself. especially in the trading business, stagnation or standstill is a step backward. That's why the business can change insanely in 10 years The business my father actively left 5 years ago is already a different one today. So, it is good and necessary that a new generation comes along and maybe brings some new approaches and ideas. At the same time, one must not forget to learn a certain amount of expertise from the previous and older generation. This is why the exchange with other Managing Directors, Country Head, and other Employees is so important to me.
What goals do you want to achieve in the future? Are there already things you would like to change?
I started on 1st August and first spent four weeks here in Bremen getting to know the Melchers Tech Export specifically and Melchers in general. Melchers is very diverse and, within 4 weeks, you only get a glimpse to even understand who is where and how the individual divisions operate.
Afterward, I went to Jakarta for three weeks and was able to get a first picture for myself. Now it's a matter of talking to my employees, to get a better impression, which will lead me to set up goals for the short- and long-distance future.
One of my goals is communication between the markets, i.e. accessing the expertise and know-how of the other countries, in order to learn and potentially adapt to Indonesia. In other words, not only to work with principals throughout Europe but also to access markets and products within Asia. Melchers branches work very specialized in their respective markets, which is absolutely necessary, as the markets are so different I believe that in the future and also through digitalization, you can cooperate much more with each other to see how other branches function and are set up.
It is also important for our agency business that we provide the best possible after-sales and service not only to our principal but also to our customers We have to be well-positioned as a strong partner for our principals in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Additionally, you also have to create structures that not only sell products for someone but also offer a service afterward in order to strengthen the relationship and trust. Additionally from our sales side, we are not only driven by the product portfolio we provide but also to look and ask what our customers need, even if it is not in our portfolio at this stage. This is key to building not only a relationship but to establish Melchers Melindo Indonesia as a long-term and trustworthy partner.
A current topic: Indonesia has the world's largest nickel deposits and is therefore the ideal production location for the German automotive industry. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo wants to make the country attractive as a production location, also by imposing export restrictions. Are there opportunities for Melchers here if many carmakers are going to Indonesia?
There are definitely opportunities for us, but it's not just about producing batteries from the nickel deposits and exporting them to Germany. Production, for example, requires a lot of energy, i.e. oil and gas in some form, of which there are natural resources in Indonesia. We are active in the oil and gas industry. At the same time, we also work together with the automotive industry in terms of software technology and can contribute even more.
E-mobility is an absolute trend topic, but one must not forget that other countries and companies and invested heavily into this industry in Indonesia for years. The most important thing is not to wait, but to position ourselves correctly now. This means that you can act rather than react. You have to position yourself accordingly beforehand. I also think that in general Indonesia wants to open up more and more in the future. Not only in terms of nickel deposits, but also in other areas. Thus, Indonesia creates naturally also an incentive for German enterprises, one may not forget that Indonesia is a giant market with a population of 280 million.
With the current uncertainties surrounding China countries in Southeast Asia become more and more an alternative in the near future. Not only for Vietnam and Thailand but also for Indonesia. In my view, there will be a huge development within the next years and it is on us, to see, discuss and adapt to these new situations and potentials.
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