When you’re innovating, sometimes missing out a few steps can pay off. At least, that’s what Frank Hagemeier learned when he moved from his native Netherlands to Beijing a year-and-a-half ago to become the CEO of Siemens’ China Mobility Division.
Listen below to hear about the challenges Frank faced at the helm of an entirely foreign organization — or scroll down to read the highlights of our chat.
On the workplace culture shock
“A typically Dutch way of managing teams is to compromise, to find a way in the middle that satisfies everyone. Well, that didn’t work very well in China at all. I quickly learned that they expect clear direction from their CEO. You can listen, you can ask, but you have to make a clear decision to proceed.”
On China’s history of innovation
“In the last twenty years, China has gone from a country with literally no landlines to having one of the most technologically advanced mobile infrastructures on the planet. They’re leapfrogging through technical development.
When it comes to transportation systems, which is the field I’m in, it’s gone the same way. For years the country operated on an old train network — and then they suddenly advanced to having one the largest and longest high-speed train networks in the world. China now operates 60% of the world’s high speed train networks.”
On starting from scratch
“Until 2000, there weren’t many metro systems in China, so they decided to build them in over 40 cities from nothing. Compare that to cities like London, Amsterdam and Paris, where an average of one kilometer of new track is installed each year. In China, the innovation is quick, the acceptance of the innovation is quicker, and the implementation of the innovation is even quicker.”
At Siemens, Frank Hagemeier is responsible for the Mobility Division in China, where his main responsibility is positioning Siemens in the biggest transportation market in the world. He lives with his wife and three children in Beijing. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Words: Vanessa Keys
Illustration: Harry Tennant
