Victor Gurgu, Service Line Manager Order to Cash – Michelin Corporate Business Services
“I am Victor Gurgu and I’ve been working in Michelin for almost 17 years. I started in the factory in Victoria/Floresti PH as Quality Manager, then as Production Manager. In 2015, I joined Michelin Corporate Business Services Center (Michelin CBS – which was just starting its journey), as Purchasing Service Line Manager. Two years later, I became the Service Line Manager for Order to Cash, managing Sales Administration and Logistics.
I am an engineer with more than 15 years’ technical expertise in Production. Switching to Shared Services took me outside my comfort zone. There were a lot of challenges: in production most of the time things are straightforward; in services, they are intangible, and sometimes you don’t see immediately what isn’t working.
My advantages: Lean manufacturing experience from the production side – it motivated me to take best practices from industry and transpose them into Michelin CBS. I already had managerial experience, even if my new team had a different profile than my previous ones. I am not a believer of the manager as an expert – I think the manager should create a context for the team and its development. What helped me in building trust and empowering my team is listening, being close to people, learning from mistakes and not looking for scapegoats.
I think the new generation is very educated and they need to understand the “why” behind all things; they have this great curiosity and they will not hesitate to challenge you. But they are very willing to develop themselves (sometimes at a strikingly accelerated pace), and I think the world of Shared Services can offer them the experience and the exposure they need to grow as professionals.”
Mihai Ganea, Operational Leader, Sales Administration – Michelin Corporate Business Services
“I am Mihai Ganea, Operational Leader in Sales Administration in Michelin Corporate Business Services. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s in Online Marketing. I think the industry chose me – I started here with an internship and I never left. I feel a part of the growth of Michelin in Bucharest. When I started, there were ~40 persons in the SSC; now there’s more than 700.
Michelin offers multiple career opportunities in various areas: Finance, Purchasing, Sales Administration, Logistics, Personnel. The commercial headquarters for Central Europe are also in Bucharest, so you have even more options to grow. I started as an intern in Sales Administration and I had several roles: Analyst, Expert, Coordinator; now I am an Operational Leader – I evolved from a technical role into a managerial one.
I think the skills that helped me grow are: problem solving, initiative, adaptability, communication. I am always looking to improve; I am never afraid to take a challenge and I always think about our clients. In the future, digitalization will have a big impact on this industry and I plan to prepare for that.
This industry has a lot to offer from a professional perspective, but also from a personal one. It helps you develop your skills and become a better individual. It can be an option for all of us, regardless the age or educational background. My colleagues graduated technical universities or foreign languages and they are all doing a great job.”
https://www.absl.ro/careers-in-business-services-michelin-corporate-business-services/
