During my degree, I was able to write my semester dissertation for MAN Diesel & Turbo: the introduction of a method for the risk assessment of our large diesel engines. It was a demanding task – and MAN rewarded my efforts with new and exciting challenges. For my thesis, I travelled to India to develop a new product development process for our commercial vehicle division. In 2009 I entered the trainee program, where I learned about a large number of new areas in a short space of time. The international deployments left the greatest impression on me. For example, I coordinated our truck tests on site in Brazil together with our people in Munich. My job as the communications interface between Brazilian and German colleagues showed me how important it is to have social competence in combination with specialist knowledge.

It allows us to communicate on a single level and pursue out goals together.If you can adjust quickly to new situations, MAN offers you opportunities for personal and professional advancement. With us, change is routine.

Three months into my traineeship my supervisor said to me, “How do you feel about improving our supplier relations in Spain?” That was my first international deployment, and it wasn’t the last either. While I was a trainee I managed several projects aimed at optimizing purchasing at MAN Truck & Bus. This gave me the chance to prove that I could solve problems myself and operate confidently in unfamiliar territory. Later I was involved in establishing the joint venture in India, and because there were few existing structures it was like being a pioneer – challenging and exciting at the same time. Since the beginning of 2009 I’ve been responsible for product planning for vehicles built in China for other growth markets. If you’re open to learning new things every day, you’ll make an impact at MAN.

As an engineer I’ve been fascinated by turbines and compressors ever since my student days, so as far as I was concerned, MAN was the obvious choice. As it happened, the company exceeded my expectations. A week after I started, I took on a very responsible role as the service engineer for France. It was the kind of job I’d always dreamed of – and that was only the beginning. Later I became the Regional Service Manager for North Africa, the Middle East and the Caspian Sea region. MAN continues to offer everything I could want from an employer: a dynamic organization that puts into practice the values that make it so successful. Even in a globalized world, at MAN the individual is still valued.

Congratulations from the board when I passed my exams, a bouquet to celebrate the birth of my daughter – every employee counts.
If you stay true to yourself in the midst of change, you’ll be supported to reach your full potential. Being yourself will open many doors.