“Great! It feels immediate to be part of the Intercel family.”
An interview with Sebastian Schneider & Sven Seibel, Account Managers Germany at Intercel.
Two new account managers for the German market! Why did you choose Intercel?
Sebastian: “I have a long career as an electrical engineer in the oil & gas sector behind me. For me, this industry no longer had any real challenge and I was keen to make a move to a sector with a future. The transformation to sustainable solutions and the role of batteries in it has long held my interest. My previous sales director joined Intercel earlier and he was able to quickly convince me to make this step as well. Intercel’s ambition to enter the German market suits me. To put it even more precisely; it is the combination of the sustainable proposition and the strong international ambition that quickly convinced me.”
Sven: “After 12 years of working for the same company, that role no longer knew a challenge for me. I wanted to take a new and challenging step. I am very much looking forward to new colleagues, new customers and a new product. I really enjoy the challenge of discovering a new market and I have every opportunity for that here. The German market is nowhere near as far advanced as the Dutch market and I can take advantage of that. I want to start making a difference; learn from the progressive Dutch market and bring that knowledge to Germany.”
What finally won you over?
Sven: “I immediately had a positive feeling about the company. Intercel has a positive culture and a powerful ambition with realistic goals.”
Sebastian: “The second job interview in particular was refreshing. An open conversation about markets, business opportunities and customers. When the interview was interrupted halfway through to celebrate a colleague’s birthday, I was really overcome. How open colleagues interact and really pay attention to each other gave me the final decision.”
What was the first week at Intercel like and how would you describe atmosphere?
Sebastian: “The first week was very interesting I felt more than welcome. I got a big bunch of flowers and I hadn’t experienced that before. Great! It immediately feels like being part of the Intercel family.
Sven: “That’s how it feels to me too, an open company and any questions I had were answered immediately.”
“Germany has some catching up to do.”
You guys are getting started with Battery on Demand? What does that look like for you guys?
Sebastian: “In Germany, machines are hardly electrified. And if they are, it is with outdated technology and batteries. First and foremost, I want to work on the obsolete machines and propose state-of-art solutions with them. Of course, based on lithium batteries with cell-to-pack philosophy. But electrification of machines from diesel to electric or hybrid systems are also very interesting. It offers the user great advantages in cost, sustainability and convenience. I am now thinking especially of machines used in construction. We can very concretely copy the learnings from the Netherlands and apply our expertise and products for customers in the German market.”
Sven: “There is huge potential in the German market and in the surrounding German-speaking countries. These markets are really still lagging behind and I want to focus mainly on the electrification of machines with our customised solutions. Machines used in construction, around parks and by landscapers. There is great interest and we can help them directly.”
What do you want to achieve in the short term?
Sven: “The most important thing for now is to start building strong relationships. Convince interested parties of Intercel’s brand and value. Service is central to this, not thinking in terms of difficulties but in terms of solutions.
Sebastian: “We are at the start of important sustainable developments and we have 100% focus on that. Building long-term relationships is my first priority. ”
What does sustainability mean to you?
Sebastian: “A real transformation to sustainable solutions is important for every country, now more than ever. Since Germany still has some catching up to do, I can really start making a difference there together with my colleagues.”
Sven: “Now is the perfect timing to enter the market with our proposition. There are great opportunities to start electrifying really quickly.”
