Then and Now
About Anders
What is your current role at Nefab, and what do you enjoy the most with your job?
I am globally responsible for Nefab´s Telecom & Datacom customer segment. What I enjoy most in my job is the global environment where I get to interact with people from around the globe every day and gain the experience of doing business in different cultures.
How does a regular day at work look like for you as EVP Telecom?
Well, since I work out of San Jose, California with time difference of -9 hrs to Europe and -16 hrs to Asia, I normally start my day at 6:00 - 7:00 AM with Lync or WebEx meetings with Europe until around 9:00 AM when Europe goes for dinner, then customer or internal meetings in North America up until around 4:00 PM when Asia wakes up… and then a few Asia calls before ending the day…
What do you appreciate the most about Nefab?
Nefab is a “large, small company” with an impressive geographical footprint, but not with such big organizations per country, meaning that employees pretty quickly get to try on large responsibilities which I think is quite rare. Nefab is also very good at giving young people a chance to take on more responsibility, which also gives our customers a feeling for how we keep up with the latest trends and technologies out there.
You started as a trainee in 2002, and now you are part of Nefab Group’s Corporate Leadership Team, can you tell us about how you got to where you are today?
Nefab is good at giving young people chances to take part in projects around the world. I ended up going to China for what was supposed to be a 1-year assignment, but in the end, I stayed for 7 years and got experience from sales management in Asia, as well as managing one of Nefab´s largest Local Business Units in South China, which included a large manufacturing operation. This gave me a solid understanding of working in low cost countries, where most of the manufacturing is done for tech equipment such as Telecom radio units and Datacom servers. My years in Asia built a solid foundation that made it quite natural for me to say yes when Nefab formed the plan to create a global segment team for Telecom & Datacom.
What is your overall impression of the Global Trainee Program?
The global trainee program is a great way for newly graduated students to come into Nefab, because during the trainee year, you get to experience many different parts and functions within Nefab, and I think it builds a great fundamental understanding for what type of company Nefab really is. It also gives you great opportunities to build your global network.
You have been manager for several trainees during the years, what advice would you give looking to get the most out of the program?
Nefab is a truly global company but it is not easy to build up the network of contacts you need unless you take that initiative yourself and actively seek to meet people in various parts of the organization. My main advice is to try to grow your network as much as possible while being a trainee. During the program, you have the chance to meet senior people from many different functions, and this network of contacts will be very valuable to you as you take on new challenges within Nefab.
Why would you recommend someone to join Nefab’s Global Trainee Program?
It is a great chance to work in a truly multicultural environment with great opportunities to grow fast!