AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE RISING STARS

What was your first automotive job and why were you interested in the industry?
My first automotive job was with Lynk & CO. I started as a consultant supporting the carve-out of Lynk & CO from another Geely entity in 2017. Later, I was responsible for our business office. I’m a car enthusiast, so gravitating toward the automotive industry came naturally. However, the decision to move from a consulting job to Lynk & CO was purely driven by the opportunity to make an impact on the industry and challenge its established players.

Your greatest achievement?
Hands down, it was my efforts in leading Lynk & CO’s European launch project and getting us to market on time. It was a fantastic period of my career and I truly enjoyed supporting all our talented people involved in that project. I wanted to ensure they had a clear path to market and were given the ability to execute their respective workstreams. I still get a rush thinking back to the final meeting when all pre-sales emails went out and we started to see orders coming in.

What was your biggest failure and what did it teach you?
I joined Lynk & CO using a very naive Big 4 consulting approach, expecting this would work seamlessly in my new position. I remember one very distinct failure where I was tasked with developing a process framework. I went completely overboard on structure and complexity. It was harshly rejected. This was a valuable lesson in stakeholder management and scope definition. Ironically, process management is currently one of my team’s core functions, so I guess I re-gained the trust.

What is your current challenge at work?
Managing the company’s growth in the different European markets from strategic, organizational and financial perspectives. Being an enabler to fuel this growth while at the same time ensuring that we don’t overleverage our financials is a challenge, but it’s a fun one.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Don’t focus on winning every battle. Instead, keep your mind on the bigger picture.

What advice would you give to a person considering a career in the auto industry?
What an exciting time to join this industry. With everything happening on a market level, retail strategies and the technology domain you will have many areas where you can contribute. I would advise to initially get a position where you are allowed to understand the full value chain. Try not to specialize too early. Having that 360-degree view from start to finish will help in any future position.

What job do you really want to have in the future?
I would like a job where I can continue to have an impact on both the company I work for and the industry as a whole. I believe we are embarking on the most transformative time yet and I hope to continue to be part of pushing the envelope with new products, services and business models.

What do you do to relax?
I consider myself a bit of a nerd. I love to pick a random topic and try to learn as much about it as I can within about a week. This takes my mind off of work and makes me great at trivial pursuit.

What is your dream location to live?
That would definitely be California.

What is your favorite driving song?
It’s “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran.

What was your favorite road trip and why?
In 2019 my wife and I embarked on an amazing road trip that took us through California, Arizona and Nevada. It had everything from beaches in southern California to hiking the Grand Canyon. We topped it off with drinking wine in Napa Valley.

What was your first car?
A 1986 Audi Coupe GT.

Current car?
A Lynk & CO 01.

If you were a car, which one would you be?
A Mercedes Benz S-Class. It’s a bit overengineered yet very comfortable.