Management culture at MAN is particularly important to me. In a continually changing market environment we need employees who work on their own initiative, tackle jobs with motivation and promote innovation, just as we need managers who create the conditions for this to happen. Respect for employees and colleagues is what distinguishes the good manager. Especially in a company like MAN, where people from nearly 70 different countries work together, an open relationship of trust between employees and superiors is an absolute necessity for success.

The fundamental principles of MAN's management culture are formulated in our guideline, which provides a clear orientation for all managers. What is decisive is that the MAN management qualities are actively lived. I see myself as an ambassador and I'm happy to be measured against these criteria. If we work openly with one another and treat one another with respect, we will all profit jointly from the success of our company.

Of primary importance for me is the ongoing development of personnel at MAN. Because the future of the company depends on the competence of its employees. They are faced with big challenges every single day. As a global leader in technology we develop new solutions for issues that are important for the future of the world. To this end we need specialists who are able to work well in teams, across all cultural and professional borders. It's part of our job to recognise the important skills our employees have and continue developing them for the good of the company. For example, with our "Coach your future" program we promote our top talents by coaching them individually.

The coach helps the employee to realise his or her potential and use it to the optimum advantage. In helping our employees on their way to new accomplishments, we are ensuring that our company will in future still be at the top.

"MAN, that would be a good employer," I thought to myself as I drove past the MAN plant one morning and admired the new trucks. From then on things went really fast. I applied, and hardly a month later there I was, starting out in corporate development. As a physicist and passionate technician I coordinated various groups of experts who were working on the issue of production. I was the interface between the specialists and was responsible for the essential transfer of knowledge between the MAN subsidiaries. Today, as manager of Cooperation Management I control our international cooperation projects in the Commercial Vehicles business area. Our company is developing rapidly and is simultaneously adjusting to the continual changes on the global market.

In order to be able to keep up with this I enjoy great freedom of decision and I consult directly with the Board. Routine? No, that's not for us. We want to get things moving. If you like short lines of communication and value pragmatic action, you will have every opportunity at MAN.

At the end of 2008 it was official: VW Truck & Bus in Brazil was made part of the MAN Group and became MAN Latin America. The announcement of this partnership caught us by surprise, and it really was an exciting moment for all of us. Right from the very beginning, we realized that this partnership would create synergies for future projects. MAN respected our work and history. Both companies have an open-minded business approach that respects their differences and profit from each other's experience – and this has already helped to bring about improvements in joint projects! At this moment, we are working together on projects aimed at introducing the first MAN products onto the Brazilian marketplace.

I am very confident that this exchange of experiences is going to reinforce the quality of MAN's products on a global scale. Companies that approach their business partners with an open mind and show them that their opinion counts will reap the rewards in the form of commitment.