Patrick is already well known in the group after taking part in several international projects, especially in logistics.
Sonepar: Patrick, please tell us something about your career at Sonepar.
P.H.: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to go into detail about my career here, which offers a fairly good example of how you can use the group’s network to accumulate experience. Studying mechanical engineering and business administration offered me a solid background for working the first two years as a consultant for Roland Berger Consulting. After another five years in the Mitsubishi Group, where I was in charge of logistics development in Eastern Europe, I joined Sonepar Deutschland to support logistics at Holding Company level.
Sonepar: What exactly did you do in that function?
P.H.: Basically, you can summarize it as supervision and project management of the major logistic projects in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, along with the new Sonepar West and Otto Kuhmann CDCs and regional optimization focused on quality, cost and productivity. After we achieved high picking and shipping accuracy, productivity in the CDCs and in the transportation chain was our target over these last 2 years.
Sonepar: How did you manage to get in contact with other Sonepar companies?
P.H.: To start with, since I was used to operating on an international level, I was given the opportunity to join the Sonepar Junior Committee.* I learned a lot at the time from colleagues around the world and I built up a valuable network of contacts. It was a period I found extremely enjoyable and beneficial. And then, I worked in several international logistics expert teams to support other companies in developing CDC concepts, from startup until final integration.
Sonepar: You mean the ILC, the International Logistics Committee?
P.H.: Indeed, a very effective team led by Patrick Salvadori and founded 2 years ago by General Management in order to support the group’s large investments in logistics and to initiate know-how sharing among specialists. In this committee, all participants benefit from cross-border know-how transfers—not only the country operations we supported, but also the individual team members.
Sonepar: And now you have been working in the South of Germany since last July. Was it the weather and the mountains that drew you there?
P.H.: Exactly: skiing and enjoying the scenery was the reason. No, seriously, after 5 years working at Holding Company level, I seized the opportunity to step into the position held by Klaus Pflüger, who is retiring, as General Manager for Finance and Logistics.
I obviously leaped at the opportunity to shape the future of one of Sonepar´s largest regional companies, with more than 1,000 people in 44 branches, together with my colleague Stefan Stegemann, who is in charge of sales and purchasing. Although I will be maintaining my international function in the ILC and my consulting role in some projects, my national tasks and responsibilities will be gradually handed on to other competent people in the organization so that I can devote adequate time and management attention to this exciting challenge.
*Sonepar Junior Committee or SJC: an independent, impartial think tank, with each group consisting of about ten managers under 40 years of age from various countries.
