Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work at Amazon? Are you curious about the people who work in one of the most customer-centric companies in the world?
In this month’s profile we hear more in a short interview about the career of a senior marketing manager who looks after the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for Amazon Pay and commutes between Munich and Hamburg.
How would you describe yourself in 2-4 sentences?
I am cheerful, positive, driven, curious and cosmopolitan; I laugh a lot (even about myself), play a lot of sports and come from Hamburg. I also like to travel and try to discover one new travel destination every year - next stop: Australia and New Zealand. Finally, I am a family-oriented and like to be well-organized (according to Marie Kondo).
When did you join Amazon, what is your position and how would you describe your role? Did you work in previous teams at Amazon before?
In February 2017, I joined Amazon in Luxembourg as a Senior Engagement Marketing Manager. Here I built up the engagement marketing for the Amazon devices (Kindle, Echo, Fire TV, etc.) within the EU. Since September 2017, I have been responsible for merchant and partner marketing (B2B) in the DACH region as a senior marketing manager at Amazon Pay. My mission in the role is to inspire and help merchants offer Amazon Pay to as a payment method for their customers.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I commute between Munich and Hamburg almost every weekend because of my domestic situation, so I try to maximize my time during the week with particular routines. I get up every day at 7 a.m., then either do some sport straight away (jogging, cross fit or swimming), read or deal with private matters. Around 9:00 a.m. I reach the office (1-2 days home office per week). Workwise, I try to structure my day based on daily / weekly goals derived from quarterly and annual plans and prioritize them accordingly. We work closely with our colleagues in Seattle, Luxembourg, London and local business partners on a daily basis.
What have you learned during your time at Amazon?
I have worked across various fields during my 3 years at Amazon. I think there are a number of “sub-cultures”, dependent on the business area and phase of development of the business. Overall, I like the constant desire to focus on the customer, the can-do attitude and the (generally) high level of decision-making ability.
What is your favorite leadership principle and why?
Customer obsession. According to peer feedback, this leadership principle is strong and allows me to approach topics insight-driven from a customer perspective. In the beginning, I started with a healthy skepticism about the principles and guidelines to see how intensely they are lived. After more than 3 years, I see how all 14 leadership principles are an integral part of the DNA, from the interview process to daily work. They form a strong manifesto for the organization.
What is one of the reasons you like working at Amazon Pay?
We are builders here. This area is still in a very young development stage. This allows a high degree of liberty for decision making, autonomy and creative solutions and ownership. At the same time, growth expectations are very ambitious. It’s a great balance in which I can contribute with my skills and personality.
How does Amazon support your career goals?
Amazon is a large, versatile employer and offers me far-reaching opportunities to realize my career ideas. The management culture expects a high degree of personal responsibility for your own careers. Employees write their own career paths and realize their plans - as desired, in exchange with supervisors, mentors, etc. I like this autonomy for my own career very much. However, taking the next career level is not easy and requires sustainable performance at the next higher level in order to be promoted in an evaluation process.
What is the best thing about coming to work every day? Is there a benefit about your job that might surprise people?
The continuous learning curve and the visible, personal contribution in my current role.
I have a diverse range of stakeholders with whom I work, coupled with scarce resources to be successful. This also requires a high degree of creative solution finding from me in order to achieve my goals. For this reason, I reinterpret the role by establishing scalable and automated processes and focusing on big impactful topics in order to become faster and more effective.
What are you passionate about outside your work?
Sports enthusiasm: a mix of fitness, triathlon, tennis and golf.
Family and friends: I recently became a father and maintain close contact with my friends.
Wanderlust: 1 new, large travel destination per year. Next trip: Australia and New Zealand on parental leave.
Equity markets: I have been following and investing in the stock market for > 20 years and find it fascinating again and again. I am often asked about buying recommendations and consider developing my own investment product.
What’s something most people at work possibly don’t know about you?
My perseverance, energy and discipline.
If you had a personal motto what would it be?
If you can imagine it, it’s possible! With this, I am following the view that many of our dreams can be realized and often depend on courage, timing and framework conditions. Take your personal destiny in your hand.