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Executive Managing Director Europe Distribution - Early & Primary Education
Hi! My name is Ann-Kristin. I am from Sweden, and I live in a city called Stockholm. When I was younger, I studied to become an engineer and learned all about computers. Later, I went to a special school in the United States to learn about business. Now I work for a company called Cummins. Cummins builds huge engines and machines that go inside trucks, buses, and other giant vehicles! My job is to lead a big team of people who sell these engines and machines all across Europe, in 15 different countries. My team also helps customers look after and fix their machines when something breaks.
Meet the professional
My team works all across Europe. We sell engines and machines that make electricity, called power generators. We also help clients after they have bought something – if a part breaks, we sell a new one and fix it for them. The machines we sell are very complicated, like giant puzzles! That means everyone who designs, builds, sells and fixes them needs to know a lot. I lead a team of more than 1,000 people. Some are engineers who design the machines, some sell them, some manage projects, some work in big warehouses, and some travel around to fix broken machines.
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Skills
Critical thinking
Looking carefully at how well things are going, and spotting problems and good ideas.
Teamwork
Working together with people in many different countries to make important decisions.
Leadership
Making sure everyone on the team has the right job and that we all work well together.
Planning
Deciding what matters most so we use our time and tools wisely.
Being Curious
Always wanting to learn about people and what is happening around us. This helps me understand our customers and my team
Understanding feelings
Listening to others, staying calm, and making good choices about people and the business.
Advice to take away
There are so many different subjects, jobs and paths you could choose that it is hard to give just one piece of advice. Think about what you enjoy most, at school or outside school, and how that could connect to different jobs. You might think STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and maths) are only about numbers and machines, but in my job I mostly work with people, bringing them together to solve problems! Try to talk to grown-ups who do jobs that interest you. Ask them how they got their job, what they do every day, and what they like and do not like about their job.
What job do you think you would enjoy the most? How could you find out more about jobs like this one?
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Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Also supported by Scientix®, an initiative of European Schoolnet.