How did you find your way to ESL, when did you start to work and at which position?
I started working for ESL 9 and a half years ago. At that time, I was looking for a new opportunity after having collected some working experience in the client service domain. Branca Petrovic, my previous employer’s former business partner who was managing our Zurich agency at that time, contacted me and invited me to apply for a language travel consultant position. After my job interview at the head office in Montreux, I knew right away that this was the right place for me. I didn’t have to think too much, I quickly decided to join this unique company.
What’s your current position at ESL and how did you get there, which development did you follow?
I am currently responsible for the Swiss German agencies as a Regional Manager. For the first 3 and a half years I worked as a language travel consultant, before taking over the Office Manager position of our Zurich agency in 2010. In the meantime, I had the chance to be very much involved in creating and managing a new product line for ESL, before I took over even more responsibilities with my new role as Regional Manager in January 2011.
What do you like about working at ESL and what do you think has been key to ESL’s success in the last 20 years?
The Regional Manager role at ESL is very diverse: I am very much involved in recruiting, training, sales, marketing, leading, managing and strategic decisions. Even after all these years at ESL, there are still challenges and new things to be learnt every day. This is a fact I specifically like about my current position. As a company, ESL is a unique mini-universe of different mentalities, cultures and languages and, thanks to my job, I made many friends all around the world. The relationship amongst the colleagues and with our partners is truly a one-of-a-kind and endowed me with numerous unforgettable moments. There is a certain inimitable spirit at ESL, which is definitely a key success factor for this company. Additionally, being able to find creative solutions, being very close to our clients’ needs and being progressive made this impressive growth possible, turning a Swiss start-up into an internationally operating company.
Philipp Hari
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