The ECCO Director comes from Tønder – like his girlfriend Kirstine who moved to Indonesia with the couple’s 2 year old daughter. Here he went to school before he travelled to England, Singapore and Australia to educate himself further within management.
What is your area of responsibility as Production and Technical Director?
My primary responsibility lies within the operational; the technical department which is responsible for the final development of shoes, the quality department, the lab, the factory’s maintenance of machines, production flow and implementation of Lean are some of my many areas of responsibility.
Why did you choose to become an ECCO trainee?
ECCO was right around the corner and many of my friends and family worked at ECCO. ECCO has always fascinated me because it is a family business and owns the entire value chain from tannery to stores. When I started in ECCO I thought I wanted to work with design and marketing, but when I travelled to one of ECCO’s production units in Indonesia I became fascinated with the drive that I experienced in the production environment.
What did you gain from your time as an ECCO trainee?
As a trainee you get the chance to try a lot of different things and get a taste of the real world. It gives you a good understanding of what goes on in the different departments in a company and you learn how the business works. During my time as a trainee I got to meet a lot of people who are a valuable network for me today. As a trainee I got to stitch my own shoes, make my own leather and run a small part of the production. In other words I got a broad business insight.
Would you recommend the trainee programme to other young people?
Absolutely! Being a trainee in ECCO is an amazing opportunity to test your abilities in a big, versatile, international organisation. As a trainee you are constantly exposed to something new and when you finally think you understand what you have to do you are moved to something completely different. If you can see the fun and positive in constant learning and not being an expert you can slowly build your competences until the day where the traineeship ends and you need to go out and prove what you’ve learned.
What does it take to take the leap from trainee to director?
I don’t think there is only one recipe, but respect for other people and the will to learn new things is always a good starting point. It is important to have respect for all employees and their function and understand how the different processes are connected. Drive and curiosity to try new challenges also doesn’t hurt.
Apply to become an ECCO trainee
ECCO is currently looking for ambitious trainees for enrollment in 2017. Send your application today!
About ECCO
ECCO, a world-leading brand of shoes combining style and comfort, has built its success on great design, leather quality, and innovative technology. ECCO is one of the few major shoe manufacturers in the world which owns and manages every aspect of its leather and shoe productions and its retail sales. ECCO is among the largest producers in the world of high-quality leather, which is used in ECCO’s shoes and own production of leather goods and is also sold to several leading luxury brands. Today, ECCO products are sold in 87 countries in more than 3,300 ECCO shops and shop-in-shops and at more than 14,000 sales points around the world. The company is family-owned, founded in Denmark in 1963, and employs more than 19,000 people worldwide. www.ecco.com