| BeLux,
12
July
2019
|
12:30
Europe/Berlin

Belgian Business Controller and Aspiring Expat: the Kuehne + Nagel Story of Bernard

In the desert city of Dubai, Bernard perfectly blends in the multicultural crowd largely consisting of businessmen and women living the expat life. The so-called "city of gold" is also home to Kuehne + Nagel’s UAE headquarters located in the enormous logistics district. Although the Belgian Business Controller is here for a holiday, he also has a side mission: visit his Dubai colleagues, the company’s massive warehouses and the regional finance department.

For Bernard, moving abroad for work is ranking high on his career goals and the Dubai visit offered him a chance to get a feel for working at Kuehne + Nagel abroad. Finance Director Kamila, whose story struck a chord with Bernard, supports his ambition. “Already during my job interview with Kamila I honestly told her that I intend to build an international career, and she – with her Polish nationality and work experience in several countries abroad– was very supportive of that”, Bernard recalls. “This left a great impression on me and apparently I had made a good impression as well because I could start my job in the company a few days later.”

A worldwide presence was one of the prerequisites in Bernard’s search for a new employer. Opportunities for growth and development were another. The role of Business Controller in Kuehne + Nagel BeLux offered both. “In this role I’m both a financial guard dog of our contract logistics site as well as a business partner of the site manager. Critically analysing processes and decisions on a financial level is key in making our site thrive and my experience as a financial analyst helped a great deal in that”, Bernard clarifies.

As part of the Management Team, he also has a front-row seat overlooking the developments of contract logistics, ranging from improvement projects to facility-related decisions. According to Bernard, “the challenge in this position is striking the right balance between critically questioning each decision that has a financial impact – which is the case for almost everything – and at the same time supporting the site management in their visions.” But despite this difficult task, the talented Business Controller takes great satisfaction in standing close to the business as an adviser from a financial perspective.

Nowadays, Bernard is a familiar face in most of the local offices. “Although my usual office is in Geel, I try to work from Antwerp at least once per month to see my colleagues from the Finance department. And all Business Controllers from the different contract logistics sites gather every two months in a different site to share experiences, which I think is great”, he says. His open-mindedness and entrepreneurial spirit make him a great fit for Kuehne + Nagel BeLux, and in the future perhaps also for a Kuehne + Nagel office abroad!

Would you also like to work in a company that supports your ambitions? Check our career portal on https://jobs.kuehne-nagel.com

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