Christian began his career in the logistics industry over 35 years ago in Hamburg, Germany. After moving to South America early in his career, he has now spent most of his professional life working throughout the Americas region. He has been at Hellmann for 15 years, in multiple leadership positions, and is currently working as Branch Manager, Chicago in the US. 

Hi Christian, you joined Hellmann 15 years ago. Tell us about your career background and your journey at Hellmann so far. 

I started working in the industry over 35 years ago as an apprentice at the Port of Hamburg in Germany. At the age of 23, I left Germany and moved to Caracas, Venezuela for a Customer Service and Operations position. I went on to live in Latin America for 18 years, where I met my wife and became fluent in Spanish. I later moved to the US and joined Hellmann as Branch Manager, Miami 15 years ago. After 5 years, I was promoted to Country Manager of Hellmann Chile where I led 4 branches and 340 people. 14 months ago, I relocated back to the United States as Branch Manager Chicago, which includes the Automotive and Healthcare Control Towers.

What are your main responsibilities in your role? 

As branch manager, I have full P+L (profit and loss) responsibility for the Chicago hub. This includes operations for air freight, sea freight, customs brokerage, and warehousing. I also work on the development of the vertical markets for Automotive and Healthcare. My main goal in this position is to make Chicago the best and most profitable operation of Hellmann US.

Why Hellmann? 

The overall company culture of Hellmann is what stands out the most to me. The entrepreneurial environment leaves room for creative solutions and empowerment within teams. Also, with a flat management structure, there are only little hierarchies at Hellmann, and everyone is encouraged to be a leader. This goes hand in hand with the amazing opportunities for internal promotions and personal growth within the company. Personal and career growth is something I have experienced myself throughout my journey at Hellmann and I am incredibly grateful for that. 

How has working at Hellmann helped you develop personally and professionally?

I have learned that stepping out of your comfort zone shapes your character and personality. Good things never come from comfort zones. If we want success, we must get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Also, handling pressure is not easy and, although everyone manages it differently, I do not accept negative energy from anyone, I focus on staying with a positive mindset which I believe is the key to happiness and success.

What is your favorite part of the job? 

You never know what to expect in the morning, which is what makes the job so fascinating! The need to adapt quickly to ever-changing economic challenges in different markets keeps my days interesting. But all in all, I believe our F.A.M.I.L.Y is truly the best part of my job, my colleagues are very diverse in their work experience as well as culturally, that is the beauty of working with a global team where everybody learns from each other.

What are your main objectives at your branch for the new year?

For the new year, I want to get more involved in sales because the business opportunities in the Midwest are enormous. I also aim to align and stabilize functions that are not controlled directly within the branch operations but have been delegated to remotely located teams within Hellmann. The focus is to bring stability into our operation to be able to take on new business and keep on growing sustainably and profitably.

What do you do for fun?

I used to be a marathon runner and did full 26 miles (42 km) races in three continents: Europe, North America, and South America including the Galapagos Islands. I was also part of a running group at Hellmann Miami and participated in a 100-mile relay race in the Florida Keys, “Keys 100”, from mile marker 100 in Key Largo down to mile marker 0 in Key West. After knee surgery in 2016, I had to stop running and switched to cycling, so last year I did over 4,300 miles (7000 km) on the bicycle. 

I am also an “Off-Road” fanatic. I owned 4 different Jeeps between my years in Venezuela and Miami and was a member of the “Miami Off-Road-Club” for several years.

Thank you for your time, Christian!