Always on the move – A day in the life of Sonja Kart?usch @DENIOS France.

Meet Sonja Kart?usch – Head of Marketing & Purchasing in France! Sonja has already been with DENIOS for 15 years now. With her on board, DENIOS France has grown in many ways, and, conversely, she also feels that she has gained valuable experience and expertise through her diverse activities there. The success of DENIOS FR speaks for itself: In December, GC set a new record for incoming orders – more than 30 million euros. She explains to us in this interview how this was achieved and why the will to progress plays just as important a role as empathy.

Sonja, what exactly is your job at DENIOS?

Sonja: "At the French site in Nassandres, which now employs around 100 people, I am head of the Marketing and Purchasing department – as part of the management team. My responsibilities here include purchasing in the areas of engineered solutions and catalog products, product management, database management, content management and e-business."

How does a typical working day start for you and when does it end?

"There is no such thing as a typical working day for me! Due to the different departments which I am responsible for, there are always very different topics. Yesterday, for example, I dealt with sales prices for the catalog, today with Google Ads and AB tests on our website, and tomorrow we will be negotiating steel prices for the framework agreements in steel purchasing. "

What do you particularly like about your job?

Sonja: "On the one hand, it is the enormous versatility: since I have been here, I have been involved in almost every activity in my team myself at one time or another. That is why I have a good insight into overarching contexts and functions. But also, the optimization and market potential in my job are something I like very much: I work according to the motto: Standing still is death, so it is important for me to make a difference, to dare or try out something, even to make mistakes.?

Just because something is difficult does not mean it cannot be changed. Of course, I try to pass this spirit on to my team. That brings me to the third major motivator in my job: my team! I think it is really great to see how everyone in my team develops and grows – and of course takes on this spirit of progress and new beginnings."

Are there any milestones or events that you remember particularly fondly?

"In the long term, how enormously have we grown! We have invested in the site, created posts, created departments. But none of this would have been possible without the good work of the people who simply did a great job. A personal highlight for me was also taking on the additional role of Head of Purchasing in 2021, which opened the world of production to me – an area that plays an important role at our location. Another major milestone in Covid times was the turn towards digital business: 55% of our orders are now placed via our web store or contacts via the website. From previous sales of 45,000 euros per year, sales there have increased to a proud 16 million euros – a great result!"

What would you say: has France become your new home, or do you still see yourself as German?

Sonja: "Germany remains my home country. However, the focus of my life is in France now, where I am more acquainted with the professional world. I think I take the best of both countries and make 'my own mix' out of it. I rather feel European than just German or French. I live by the motto: If I am open to the world, then the world is open to me."?

Do you have a favorite French quote?

"'On ne voit bien qu'avec le c?ur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux' – Antoine de Saint Exupéry (Der kleine Prinz). This means as much as that one sees well only with the heart. The essential is often invisible to the eye. Although I am a rather rational and structured thinking person, I think it is equally important to live and work in harmony with your gut feeling – and to be convinced of what you are doing! Because no matter what we do: We work with people and for people. In addition to all the improvements and lived entrepreneurial agility, this also means being empathetic and thus really understanding our colleagues and customers. This of course applies to the B2B area, too."

Thanks for this great interview! We are so happy, that you are part of our DENIOS Team!