Take 5 with Avi Kahn, Member of the Executive Board, Hilti Group

Avi Kahn, Member of the Executive Board, Hilti Group, "took five" with First American's Amy Weader to chat about his career, leadership philosophies, and the future of the industry. Read more below:

Amy: Avi, thank you for joining us! To start off, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Avi: Sure, I have been with Hilti for almost 17 years now. I started in an entry level position in field sales. Here, 90% of our management positions are filled from within and that really benefitted my career. Six roles and 16 years later, my last role was CEO for North America and since the beginning of 2020 I have been a member of the Executive Board.

On the personal side, I am originally from Israel. My family is from the US and had immigrated there, but I came back 17 years ago when I met my wife at Lehigh University. We are now married and have two boys. The four of us are preparing for a move from Dallas, Texas to Switzerland for my new role.

Amy: Congratulations on the role and the move. It’s great to learn that Hilti has a philosophy of promoting from within. What did you learn from those early stages of your career?

Avi: In my very first role I was selling to interior finish contractors in the San Francisco Bay area. I would demonstrate our products and explain ways to improve safety and productivity with Hilti solutions. I was brand new to construction, it was the first time I had ever been on a jobsite! But teamwork is one of our core values, and I really enjoyed the team I was on. I found those two and a half years very rewarding and I use the experience I gained from seeing what people actually do in the field almost every day.

Amy: What principles would you say guide your leadership today?

Avi: My second favorite job was the next role I had: Regional Manager for San Diego and Hawaii. I loved sales, but a first-line manager is also a rewarding job because you build very close relationships with your team. You are in the fight with them, out on the road, failing and succeeding together. As a leader, I have found that being close with your people and making sure they know you are truly invested in them leads to outstanding results.

The other piece of my leadership strategy is instilling a performance-oriented culture. As I gained more and more leadership experience, I realized that for me, and many of the other high performers I know, the best leaders are the ones that push their teams to be better every day.

Amy: Hilti has received attention for your efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. I know that this is something many manufacturers are thinking about and some struggle with. Can you share what has helped you and Hilti get to where you are today?

Avi: For us, the first step was to make diversity and inclusion a prominent part of our business strategy. It’s not a side initiative, it’s the top and we believe it will make us a better company.

For example, with gender diversity, there is evidence that gender diverse teams perform better. We also know that 51% of the population is female and that 51% of the employment in manufacturing and construction is not female. For a company like us who is looking to promote from within and wants to expand, we must make it an attractive place to work for everyone.

On the hiring side, it really comes down to having a diverse candidate pool. If you have a diverse group to start from, as managers promote and develop their teams, they will naturally be diverse as well. We never use our industry as an excuse. There are diverse candidates out there that want a career in manufacturing and construction at a values-oriented organization. The challenge is to find them and attract them to the company. We realize that this is not a one-year initiative; it doesn’t improve in big steps. You really have to be methodical and stay the course with this journey.

Amy: We have taken on similar initiatives focused on equality at First American. It’s certainly a long-term commitment but it is great to hear that some of your efforts are starting to pay off in that department. What else do you think makes Hilti unique?

Avi: We are an innovator in the industry. That’s our niche, it’s in our blood. Bringing new technologies and processes to life through our direct sales force is who we are to our customers. This type of business requires a long-term mindset that I believe also sets us apart. We are still family-owned and heading into our 80th year. There are many family-owned companies but the trust in long-term thinking is unique and it showed in 2020 as we managed through the impact of COVID-19 with a future outlook in mind. It also carries through to our corporate culture, which is why people choose to join our team. Once you are in and integrate successfully into the company, you tend to stay because our core values really aren’t a poster on the wall, they’re things we live out every day.

Amy: That’s great to hear. Speaking of innovating, we are often working with clients on projects that help them achieve that as well. What is your take on automation and the future of manufacturing at Hilti?

Avi: As I mentioned, developments in new technology are part of our strengths. We have developed a BIM (building information modeling) enabled job site robot that can take on some of the most strenuous and challenging aspects of a construction job.

Safety also comes into play with automation. We just announced our first wearable human augmentation exoskeleton which allows you to work overhead, at shoulder height, and above while greatly reducing strain and fatigue.

Overall, I think that embracing this new technology is crucial for firms of any size. As I look to the future for Hilti, I am very confident in the direction we are going in. I believe we will continue to be a direct sales force because we see our direct customer relationship as critical to our success. We aim to be their best partner today and I think we will continue to expand those relationships beyond the role of hardware provider to include software and other services over the coming years.

Amy: And that’s five! Thank you, Avi, for sharing your experiences and insights with us today.

Avi: Wonderful, Amy. It was my pleasure to speak with you today.

To learn more about First American Manufacturing Finance, visit: faef.com/Manufacturing