Working abroad

„Jede Kultur ist anders. im Ausland arbeiten und leben verändert den Blick auf’s Land massiv. In Deutschland schauen wir gerne auf die Risikoseite, die US-Amerikaner haben ganz klar die Chancen im Blick. Dies mit Neugier und Offenheit zu erleben, eröffnet ganz neue Herangehensweisen“, sagt Markus Schmauder. Ein Interview aus der Reihe #peopleinournetwork.

That’s an easy question, I am fascinated with internationality! When I was a child and whenever school allowed it, I accompanied my father, who worked for a printing company, on his journeys to trade fairs I was in Hongkong, Brazil, Malaysia and Singapore – and it had always been clear to me that I wanted to live and spend some time working abroad one day. In 2010 I got the opportunity with LBBW, so my family and me moved to New York. For the next five years,  I headed the Corporate Desk and Institutional Banking at LBBW New York Branch and provided our financial instruments mainly to the American subsidiaries of German companies.

I am very happy when I can show our products and competencies to our international clients – and when they make use of it.

I heard about the German Centres in the early 2000s, when I was a corporate advisor in Böblingen. I had a customer who developed production sites, that time the first common one for Daimler and Chrysler in China. Right before his departure to China, we had a chat and I invited him to visit German Centre Beijing. A week later he called me and told me that he had rented an office at the German Centre for his local project team.

Until today, I am proud that we have this product “beyond banking” and provide a platform, where companies easily and quickly find know-how, space and networks that help to navigate in a foreign country. The client did not expect that – and I was really happy about this eye-opening-experience.

The disrupted supply chains and the question of where can I sell my product when markets collapse are causing real stress. The supply chains are no longer about the price, but about the much more existential question of whether I can get a part at all. Sales is about opening up new markets and diversifying, because the goal is still to utilize existing production facilities to capacity and to preserve jobs.

A lot of advice, expert knowledge and country know-how is necessary and I see many companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, who currently have little capacity and their own know-how for this. When working abroad, you will figure out that one thing has been working quite well for a long time, and especially in the German Centres. It is the exchange, mutual support and cooperation between the German companies that have their offices there. I believe that we will see this much more here in Germany in the futur. Companies that have previously seen each other as competitors will look for solutions together to deal with the big global challenges.

Everybody is able to do the simple stuff. I am exicted when things are getting tricky! One example: During the tough lockdowns in many countries, it was sometimes impossible to send documents from A to B. Letters of credits threatened to expire. Such situations motivate me to look for alternative solutions and to provide a helping hand. Luckily, I benefit from the vast experience and know-how of my colleagues  abroad and in Germany in such situations. Giving as much as possible, especially when it gets difficult, that’s my understanding of good customer care.

I discuss a lot with my corporate customers about new markets and noted that there is a big interest in Africa, especially Subsahara Africa. At LBBW, we finance one or the other business that came about occassionally than by a structured sales approach. For many companies, Africa is a blank area on the map, linked with many questions regarding security, corruption, infrastructure or the “right” place to be. A German Centre with its market experience and networks reduces the risk and the obstacles for companies when tapping into a new market. So, why not anywhere in Africa?