Not a standard case

One year instead of four – that's how long Mario Straub took part in Geberit's talent development programme before the trained design engineer with a Master's degree in Business Engineering received an attractive offer: to head the technical support at Geberit's Slovenian plant in Ruše.

The right match
Such a quick promotion is not the norm, but in this case it was a stroke of luck for both sides. Because when the position became vacant in Slovenia, a specialist with leadership flair was needed. With his professional experience – prior to Geberit, he had led the mechanical design department in a mechanical engineering company for many years – those responsible saw Mario Straub as the ideal internal candidate. And he was also interested in this career move and accepted.

“Production should be able to produce“
With his team of around 40 people, Mario Straub ensures that “the employees in the plastics processing plant can focus on production.“ The technical department provides the necessary equipment, carries out plant planning and ensures that the machines and injection moulding tools are maintained. The team is also responsible for ensuring that quality standards are met and that the health and safety of employees is guaranteed.

On the same wavelength
To this day, he has not regretted his move abroad. The fact that Slovenian and Swiss culture are very similar also helped him to settle in quickly. “We have the same values and a similar way of working,“ says Mario Straub. What's more, the corporate culture is also a unifying factor: “Geberit has managed to anchor its values so deeply in the organisation that they are lived.“

Only his language skills are only progressing “with moderate success“. Fortunately, he manages without words when it comes to the Slovenian ‘national sport’, which Mario Straub enthusiastically enjoys: mushroom picking.