First name: Tobias
Time at EDAG / year hired: 04/2019
Title: Director E/E
That is a tough question to answer… I am a very curious person who likes the adventure of solving complex issues, but also likes being challenged. I had four career paths in mind: becoming a lawyer, to have the ability to fight for people’s rights; a medical doctor; a fighter pilot, who must be physically and mentally fit to operate such complicated systems, or an engineer. Upon first glance, I know, engineering does not sound as exciting as the other options, but I have gotten the opportunity to run very complex, challenging engineering projects where I can fight for my team. Engineers are seen as problem solvers who ‘can fix every problem’ and this has always fascinated me. I always wanted to find the best way to solve complex problems that would help improve society, or accelerate the growth of the company, and when the opportunity presented itself, I took it.
The whole application process was a great experience for me. I applied for a completely different position that EDAG was offering, out of curiosity to just see what would happen. They invited me in a heartbeat for an interview and they had already figured out that I best fit in the: Program “eDrive and Energy Systems”. Suddenly, I had an interview with my future manager and mentor Aron Deutschlaender. When he called me the first time, I almost hung up on him because I thought it was someone doing a survey. When he mentioned ‘EDAG’ I was like “pheww.. almost hung up on my future boss at the first call...”. The interview with him and now sadly deceased Volker Fink went well. EDAG hired me and the rest is history.
Well not quite history though…. A new opportunity opened up when EDAG was looking for an E/E Director for the US market. I always wanted to work abroad again, that’s how I ended up in Troy Michigan, the center of the US Automotive Industry.
It’s the people. That may sound a little outworn, but it is true. I have had the pleasure to work with many great minds from multiple countries and departments and everyone is always willing to help and share so we can get a great project done together. Another reason the work at EDAG is interesting to me is the fact that I can make a positive impact on the company and the people I work with. The variety of programs we run gives you a unique inside the market and different technologies, so no two days ever look the same. At EDAG Group, you can take as much responsibility as you want which allows you to drive change yourself, which has been a great aspect of working there. Having the possibility to add your own touch to the department and the company is a great feeling and shows how one can develop and express themselves.
A typical workday consists of activities involving my team, first by getting them set up for what is about to come. There is a strong need to interact with clients and internal departments to strategize on how to setup projects and implement future growth strategies. Other aspects of my daily work routine include tasks around how we market ourselves, managing the department financials as well as other administrative activities. Talking to our clients on a regular basis is a must to ensure the delivery and quality of work for once but also establish a good, transparent relationship with the people in the industry. In order to expand the business, we need know exactly how our clients and the market are moving. Aligning strategic considerations and next steps with the upper management that ensure the future success of the company is a regular activity of my job. It is always the best when there are challenging projects where I can dive deep into the technology and be able to pivot if I need to handle my management responsibilities.
Outside of work, I enjoy working out, mountain biking, or driving my classic car. There are so many fun sports and activities out there that I love doing so I am pretty much into everything where I can be challenged and active. Volleyball for instance is a great game to play and I easily get competitive. Other things I frequently do is cooking with friends, go and explore new places where I try to capture the scenery and atmosphere in a picture.