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Welcome to K Voices, where we bring you closer to the people behind Kirchhoff Automotive.
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I'm your host, Natasha Philpot, and today I'm joined by Giza, who manages administrative functions in Hungary.
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With over a decade at Kirchhoff Automotive and a career that spans consulting, international business, and leadership, Giza brings a unique perspective on both work and life.
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From growing up in a very different world under communism, where travel was limited and everyday items were scarce, to leading complex business functions today.
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Giza shares how these early experiences shaped his mindset.
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We also dive into what family means to him, from raising four children to being part of a large, close-knit, extended family, plus the values and connections that carry through both his personal and professional life.
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This is an extra special episode because it's our first time doing a video episode.
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So Isa, uh thank you so much for being uh the first colleague willing to try this out and welcome to the show.
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Thank you very much.
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It's a pleasure that I can start this.
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To start us off, let's go back to the beginning.
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You have so much history here with the company.
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Can you tell us what brought you here in the first place and what you do on a day-to-day basis?
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I started a career as a consultant.
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And uh after a couple of years, I basically joined Automotive.
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So I can tell in the 35 years of work history, I almost entirely worked in in automotive.
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So it was not a surprise that I arrived at Kirchhoff in 2014.
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Just before joining, I've been doing uh interim jobs.
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I was an interim manager and actually was requested by the board to join as an interim to Kirchhoff.
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And uh finally, after a couple of rounds of negotiation, uh actually I got an offer from the board to join as a final managing director.
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Ah, the company was actually doing quite badly at that time, so it was in a bit of a crisis, sudden growth, new technology, sales was increasing heavily or very suddenly.
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Also, uh number of employees increased.
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Uh the company switched from medium category cars to premium category cars.
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So there are a lot of changes, and this change management was I would say not successful.
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So I was invited to the company.
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What would be the thing which attracts to me to join this company?
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Yeah.
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And I was like, I felt like a broker, you know.
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When I look at the share, you know, that it doesn't look too good, but what why could this be attractive to me?
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Yeah.
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Basically, after meeting some members of the board, and uh I had a visit of the of the plant here in Hungary, it turned out that there are some great opportunities.
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I mean, the parts itself which were manufactured in the plant, there were premium cars, premium customers, you know, nice people.
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So, you know, in my head, I was thinking through after the first couple of interviews, you know, what could be the problem here?
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And maybe it's a it's a challenge to find out and maybe you can put this back on track.
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Yeah, so you were you were called in to save the day and turn things around.
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Yes, I'm I'm I'm pretty proud that I was not maybe the engine for that, but I was one of those who started the engine, and with the help of a great team, actually, because it was a great teamwork of all the people over here, I would turn around the company.
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So really proud.
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It's like also my baby, I can tell.
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Yes, definitely.
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And so what has kept you here after all those years now, now that you're in a in a better position?
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I'm very much uh in my private life, I'm very much family-oriented.
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I have four kids, uh, actually all grown-up kids, but LSC multiple children.
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And uh this is the first company on my my CV, actually, which is uh which is a family-owned company.
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So beforehand, I was working for companies which were stock exchange or uh public companies, and I was uh working very far away from the owners.
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Yeah, and uh what was very interesting is that I could physically see the owner, physically see the top guy.
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So the proximity from the owner is basically zero.
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So and my prior prior companies, you know, to get a decision, it was like a very long, long, long process, and we couldn't really recognize who's on the top of the company here.
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There is basically zero proximity.
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So that that's one thing.
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And the other thing is that the fact that this is also like a big family, you know, the family-owned company.
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Every time when we participate on the leadership team meeting at the year-end, we are like a big family with all the corporate people.
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Yeah.
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We're good good friends.
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I think it's it's one of the key things to have a very successful company.
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So we are behaving like uh a big family, and it's pretty much matching to my private life as well.
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Right, because you do have a very big family.
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As you said, you have four children.
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One of your children even works with you at the company.
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I'm very proud of him.
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He's the the second son.
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Actually, he he joined Kirchhoff a couple of years ago already, and I'm very proud of him.
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He's a mechanical engineer, so he works at the uh maintenance uh department as a maintenance engineer.
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And I think he's doing quite well.
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He keeps the proximity from me, okay?
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He's uh he's let's say uh works on his own.
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I think performs pretty well.
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So I'm very proud of him.
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And you guys don't carpool?
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No, no, no, no.
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He he goes separately because he already separated from us.
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Four four kids, out of four kids, three already moved away.
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Right.
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He has his own home and he's traveling independently to the company.
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He cannot work home office like I can.
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I mean, like my type of job allows me to work one, two days per week out of home.
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Right.
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Yeah.
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He has to be in the plant.
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Right.
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So yeah, you you can't carpool.
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No, no chance.
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No chance, no chance.
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But family, as you said, is very important to you.
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It plays a big role in your life.
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You have a large extended family as well, and you have uh a spot where you gather together every summer.
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Tell us more about that.
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Great grandfather, uh, a hundred years ago, he bought uh a piece of land at the Lake Boloton, which is the Sea of Hungary.
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The Sea of Hungary.
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Yeah, that's the largest lake, I think, in maybe in Europe, Central Eastern Europe or Europe, but um it's a big, it's a big lake, yeah.
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So great location.
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Hundred kilometers by I don't know, 20 kilometers, so so quite quite big.
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And he purchased the land there and it had a property, uh, as I said, 100 years ago.
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Then it was taken away after the world war because he was high-level official in one of the ministries.
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And at that time, these these these people got penalty after the after the world war, let's say.
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So it was taken away, then they had to sell parts of that.
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And step by step, us, I mean, my generation, we are the the grandchildren, our generation is step by step repurchasing that uh that property.
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So now these days, I think more of 20 properties in the same street, basically.
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Oh my god.
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We're gathering, as you said, we're gathering every summer, end of July, beginning of August.
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We have coffee, let's say, occasion at different sites of these 20 sites, where you see 60 people, let's say, or even more 70.
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And then we can discuss, you know, what happened last year, what will happen next year, you know, who is going out, who's dating whom, etc., etc.
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So all the big things.
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It's like a family reunion all summer long.
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Yeah, some of the families these days they live outside of Hungary.
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I normally say they 50% of the family doesn't pay tax in Hungary.
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Uh they live in Denmark, and Brussels, and Belgium, and Germany, Austria.
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So every summer they come uh, let's say, to Hungary to uh to entertain.
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These are the holidays normally I have.
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And then basically listening to the children, who are the great-grandchildren, it's like the babble of voices.
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Because some children speak three languages Danish, English, Hungarian, and and they learn actually a lot from each other.
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So one of the things, if you asked, you know, what brought me in my career step by step forward, it's like a little bit like like football, the language is by the way, a little bit like in football, you in each situation you can score a goal if you're ahead of the others.
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And for me, really the language is the the important uh knowledge is uh, let's say the system change when I started my career, which brought me ahead of the others.
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So I was always in first line because I spoke English, German, and Russian as well.
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So this this is one of the reasons I was ahead of the others.
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And um I think if I can recommend something to the new generations in a country where you have only nine million inhabitants, like in Hungary, and with the language of Hungarian, which is only spoken in Hungary, yeah, you know, we have to learn languages.
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That that is a key thing to connect with others.
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Right.
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Yeah, no, it's very important and uh super helpful.
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You mentioned that you learned to speak Russian.
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Is that because you had to learn that under communism?
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It was it was mandatory.
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As I said, you know, it's the the the system changes we call, or the um the fall of the iron curtain, you know, it's basically when I ended my studies, so I studied in the socialism or communism, and I basically started work in the early capitalism in Hungary.
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Wow.
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And I couldn't use a lot of things from my studies, you can imagine what we learned in the socialism.
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So there are a lot of strange things that happened, and one of the strange things was that we were it was mandatory to learn Russian.
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But good thing in the bad thing is that through Russian, you know, I gained some knowledge in the other Slavic languages.
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So later on during my career, I was uh Eastern European controller of a big uh multinational company, I was seconded to Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and I I could understand those uh languages a little more easily because of my Russian background.
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Wow.
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So when Hungary was under the communism, how did that affect your life growing up?
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Well, that was uh maybe the worst for me that we were you know cut off from the Western countries.
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We had relatives in in Western Europe, but we had no chance to visit them because we only had that red, it's it's quite irony, a red passport.
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And the red passport was only valid in the socialist or communist countries.
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Oh my god.
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And there was a privilege to have a blue passport was valid for Western Europe, but you you know, we had no chance to get that.
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Only members of the the Socialist Party uh could get that uh passport.
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So basically, we couldn't travel.
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I had one chance to travel in '86 to visit uh uh my relatives in Switzerland.
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I could only travel with my grandma because then they made sure that I'm not going to leave the country with my family.
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Okay.
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So that was the key to return, yeah?
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Key to return.
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But other things, other than traveling, of course, there were no elections.
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Another interesting thing is that we've been waiting to buy a car in the socialism.
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It was a big thing.
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So you ordered the car and you had to wait 15 years to get that car.
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What?
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15, one five, one five, yes.
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I feel like it'd be obsolete by then if there'd be a new car by then.
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We got the masterpiece of the Eastern German car industry, a Trobon.
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For it, that was my first car.
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It was a usable.
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So I bought that.
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It was it's not really true because I bought that as a used car when I graduated.
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But uh, but for a new car, you really had to wait 15 years.
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Same for a landline, a phone landline.
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We've been waiting 15 years to get the landline, and we got it, and it was a twin line.
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Twin line, you know what it means?
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No, what is that?
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It means that for for a certain period of time you cannot speak because your twin, you're sharing a line with someone else.
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Oh, and when he speaks, you know, your line is busy, huh?
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Oh, it's crossed.
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Oh and you don't know, and you don't know who is your peer, you know, who is your twin.
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Yeah, you don't know, so you cannot knock on the door, stop really weird stories, but also food.
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I mean, like uh a lot of things were not available to us, which are simply natural for my kids, for example.
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Nutella or a banana or orange, you know.
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Uh sometimes for Christmas, our Christmas gift was a chocolate.
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Is it just one chocolate?
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That was a big thing.
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It was a really big thing, yeah.
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In the 70s, early 70s, let's say.
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But I guess if you don't know any better, you were happy with that.
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We were really happy.
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Very happy about that.
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Yeah.
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Oh, and then once you got to experience a bit more freedom, how did that feel?
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Like it was almost like a new world for you.
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Absolutely, absolutely.
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Actually, you can imagine my first company or started working, this consulting company, only foreign people.
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Okay.
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Only foreign people.
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So the the low-level, let's say, assistants were Hungarians, but uh from the first, let's say, leader level, they were only foreigners, you know, expatriates who worked there.
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And we started to use our English knowledge, which we have not been using in the past.
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We started to learn really, you know, on the job, speaking to these people.
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I spent all my life with them, private life, going to pubs after work.
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It was a big family as well, if I can say like that.
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Very interesting period of my life.
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And then even in our private uh time, we we traveled with with those uh great friendships, even lasting until now.
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And uh we were spending our private uh time as well together in in China.
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We traveled in '94.
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I traveled to China.
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I went to Hong Kong when Hong Kong was still British, you know, the last last year in Iforce and Macau and places like that.
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And and I, you know, what was you asked, you know, what was the change.
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I really much appreciate that uh to those expatriate friends I had because they helped me in this.
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I mean, got we made friends, they could afford a lot of things I couldn't afford.
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And basically they were sharing my cost.
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So I only had to pay 50% when we traveled.
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They paid 50% of my cost.
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Wow, that's so kind.
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And this is because I told the story that you guys, you know, until the end of the 90s, I couldn't travel.
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Wow.
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Sorry.
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And they said, okay, Gaza, now you will travel with me.
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That's so kind.
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Are you still friends with them?
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Yes, you still maintain friendship.
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I told the US US, one guy from Los Angeles just visited me um a couple of months ago.
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They're already retired.
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I was supposed to be retired, by the way, because maybe in 65 I will retire.
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But yeah, they visited me and it was a great time to uh reunion.
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Yeah.
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That's so nice.
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So when you're not working, um, do you still enjoy traveling?
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I know you like to windsurf as well.
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How did you get into that?
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In 84, so still with it in the socialism.
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My dad, who was an inventor, an engineer as well, like my son, he got really crazy about windsurfing because some German tourists who visited Lake Belaton, they brought windsurfs with them to to Lake Baloton.
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And he was watching them, he made photos and and stuff, and then he copied all this all this stuff and started to DIY, you know, do-it-yourself stuff.
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And he he year by year he was improving uh the construction of these uh surfs.
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And uh I can tell you in a couple of years he made such a good quality that I was I became uh the the the the number one the let's say the champion of Hungary with this DIY stuff in between 84 and I think ninety several years.
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I mean once I even went to uh Kiel Weeks to Germany, uh an international contest, and I got fifth, I think.
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So very nice things, but then I had to stop it because of because of the working, yeah.
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It started working in '91.
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It's absolutely chanceless to continue that.
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Yeah.
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So you don't win surf in your free time anymore if you got a chance.
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Kept skiing.
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Uh skiing was complementary to surfing in a winter sports for for wind surfing.
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So I kept that and I go out with my family every winter.
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Actually, it's we we mix it also with the visit of our relatives in Austria because we have relatives in Austria.
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So we visit them and and we make a reunion out there.
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Oh, that's so cool.
00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:24.320
What is it that you love about skiing so much?
00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:28.799
It's down here skiing, so it's alpine skiing, not uh cross-country skiing.
00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.799
Um I like speed techniques.
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:35.759
We have um, I haven't told you, we have with my brothers, we have a family club.
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.480
Oh family club is called after a name.
00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.480
So my name is Geza Kurt Vieshi.
00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:44.799
Kurt Vieshi in English it means pear, something connected to the pear.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:46.240
Oh, I didn't know that.
00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:48.639
The dog is called pear as well.
00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:50.480
Oh, that's so cute.
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:52.879
And this club is called Pear Club.
00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.480
Let's say if I translated that.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:00.559
And and the club itself is actually like a foundation or a sports club, private club.
00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:09.039
It is uh taking care of young kids in between the age of three and eighteen to teach them skiing and teach you teach them sailing.
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:10.319
Oh, that's so interesting.
00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:11.359
Summer and winter.
00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:21.759
So so basically, end of July, beginning of August, when we have this reunion with the family, there's a private occasion when the family is is is sailing on Lake Balaton.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:27.119
So we teach the little kids how to sail, and my kids are volunteer on those camps actually.
00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.680
So it's like helping the little guys, cooking for them.
00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:33.119
Wow.
00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.720
So who's running it?
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:35.920
Like, do you run that?
00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.680
Well, it's the the family club.
00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.680
Okay, so everybody volunteer, everybody's country.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000
There's a fee to to participate on that.
00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.839
So it's also to external kids, so they live out of that basically.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.559
Wow.
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.759
And they organize ski events in the winter time as well.
00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.720
So normally I go with uh with them as well.
00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:55.759
Uh the family.
00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:57.200
That's so nice.
00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:59.359
I I find that so cool.
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:00.079
Yeah.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:01.599
You're a man of wonder.
00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:08.480
I'm just the fund fundraiser of this of that uh sports club because I cannot work actively in that.
00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.200
It's it's it's a full-time job, basically, what they do.
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:12.000
Yeah.
00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:23.200
So you just help on the side because you are so busy with all your responsibilities, your current role at spans, finance, HR, IT, procurement.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.519
How do you manage to handle all those responsibilities?
00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.359
It's funny to say like that.
00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:35.599
I always used to be a finance executive, so just focusing on the classical finance functions.
00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:39.839
But at the same time, I I keep myself, my personality is pretty versatile.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:45.519
So I like to do things parallel and like to engage myself in a lot of things.
00:18:45.680 --> 00:19:01.039
And actually, that's one of the factors which I pretty much like in the current engagement that I'm taking care on top of the classical functions, I'm taking care also on HR, taking care of the the IT as well as management and uh procurement, a little bit of sales administration.
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.400
So it's pretty much matching to my let's say personality.
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.279
I really do what I do what I like to do.
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.039
Yeah, you have your hand in in a lot of different areas.
00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:12.960
So you are wearing many hats.
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.319
You have a lot on the go, which is great.
00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:19.279
It's exciting and also learning.
00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:25.279
So beforehand, I was not that active in HR, let's say, and and and procurement.
00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.119
And HR is a good example.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.440
It's a very challenging thing nowadays.
00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:42.720
Everywhere in Europe, I could tell, because of the diminishing of the population, it's it's a challenge in each country to find the right input and retention as well, to retain the employees and then be better than the it's it's the same thing, by the way.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:44.640
Uh what I mentioned with the languages.
00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.039
You have to be better than the other players.
00:19:47.359 --> 00:20:17.359
And you have to find the right techniques on the HR area, and and this is what we're working on together with the HR manager, to find the right tools, how to retain the employees and programs, uh, you know, caring of the employees, uh, mentoring, coaching, training, uh, change the mindset of the people, how, for example, Z and X generations need to work or cooperate with each other, how we can you know match the different uh mindsets, the different kinds of thinking of the people.
00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:27.519
So it's a very complex story, and I'm very thankful to our child manager that uh she brought that thing uh close to me and she allowed me to play this role.
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:32.160
So I I I learned really a lot on that, and it's very interesting, it's pretty much motivating.
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.839
Yeah, yeah, you get to do something every day.
00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:41.119
It's my longest employment in my career history, actually, Keir Shop.
00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:42.559
I stick to the company.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:43.920
That's a testament.
00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:53.759
I find a lot of the guests on the podcast are long time, long-term employees, and I'm always just so curious what is it that keeps them here?
00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.640
What is it that that you love the most about your job?
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.480
Well, I I as I said, in it's changeable, it's versatile.
00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.400
So I I really enjoy that.
00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.599
And and I think I have a very good team here.
00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:08.400
I have worked together with 33 employees.
00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:15.759
Uh and uh what I'm really proud of is that the the voluntary fluctuation within my team is very, very rare.
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:23.599
And I managed to construct a team who are really cohesive, they really work together, they're really motivated to do the job.
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:30.160
And um, I didn't speak about myself because I have um, let's say, a management credo, uh, and that is empowering.
00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:39.440
I'm I'm the type of manager who is empowering because I think that secures creativity, that um helps the employees to make decisions on their level.
00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:41.279
So they learn how to make the decisions.
00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.799
And I think it's also key in the retention, which I mentioned just before.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.319
So I think they will feel the independence, you know, they will be happier.
00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.119
It's like when you change from communism to capitalism.
00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.279
When you feel the independence, you feel good.
00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.319
Same thing here.
00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.480
A little bit you need to provide some some independence to have this feeling.
00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:02.319
By the way, the counter The other side of the story is micromanagement.
00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:04.319
I hate micromanagement, for example.
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:05.839
It doesn't work for me.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.720
And I I I don't think it brings you further.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.720
It doesn't have retention at all.
00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:11.440
Right.
00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:13.200
That's a good comparison, though.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:15.039
That that's spot on there.
00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:31.519
And you guys, uh the Hungry team, you recently received a special award and you were the face of it on our LinkedIn page of the business super brands title, which is a recognition given to companies that stand for credibility, reliability, and strong brand development.
00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.920
Can you tell us what that means to you and the team being recognized like that?
00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:37.599
Actually, it's a very funny thing.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:41.920
I asked uh the question because I I didn't know what was the basis of the decision.
00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:55.759
And they came back to me and they said there's a an independent committee who's watching all the companies operating in Hungary, and they are selecting always the top uh companies based on financial performance.
00:22:55.839 --> 00:23:02.400
They even look at the feedbacks on on Google and the employee of arts, you know, how do they award the company?
00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:04.240
What do they say about it?
00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:11.920
They they look at you know how we are present in different kinds of associations, whether we are doing uh the employer branding on the right track as well.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.440
So many, many factors.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:15.359
And at the end, uh there is a voting.
00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:19.519
And through this voting, uh they voted for for K-Shop, and I'm really proud of that.
00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:21.759
Wow, that's so special.
00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:36.000
And you got to be the the face of it, you got to hold the award and yes, I tell you yes, I was taking taking over this uh this prize, but I can I can tell you also there is demonstrative uh things in the background.
00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:44.400
So, for example, if you compare our fluctuation, which is not zero, of course, but if you compare it to the industry standard, we're really doing a good job.
00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:50.480
Really doing still in this difficult time, you're still better than the industry average.
00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:54.000
And that demonstrates that we are somehow on the track.
00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.440
Yeah, no, definitely.
00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:56.240
That's awesome.
00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:58.240
Also, employee feedbacks.
00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:09.680
We have uh each year uh an employee uh uh feedback uh session when a lot of questions they can uh raise and and they can answer a lot of things and they can evaluate the company.
00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:15.839
And our our employees are really participating in this, so we have 70, 80 percent of participation rate.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:19.200
So all people go there and you know express their opinion.
00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.480
And the average result is is, I think, very good.
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.839
So outstanding result uh compared to the industry average.
00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:30.559
Wow, that's awesome! Very uh noble and noteworthy.
00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:33.359
Something to definitely be proud of.
00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:42.960
And yeah, looking back now at your journey here over the years, from your early life to where you are now, what lessons stand out to you the most?
00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.319
Interesting question.
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.200
What lesson?
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:46.240
A lessons learned.
00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:48.000
Any lessons, yeah.
00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:51.519
Lessons learned that you know, I'm a very communicative guy.
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.240
One of my secret weapons is communication.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:56.160
This is how I dominate, by the way.
00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:01.599
So I learned really also to listen in the right moment when I have to listen and don't dominate the others.
00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:02.160
Right.
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:03.279
Listen and yeah.
00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:08.240
So my colleagues say, I have actually I show you there are little stones in this basket.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:16.640
And it can happen on meeting that I put this on the table, and every minute when I talk, they take away one stone, and all the stones disappear.
00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:17.279
Finish.
00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.000
I cannot talk.
00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.359
That's it, you're done.
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:20.480
It's like a timer.
00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.640
I cannot talk, it's like a timer, yeah.
00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:35.839
So so lessons learned is like you know, it's it's something, you know, maybe through this channel, I apologize for my colleagues that uh were really hurt when when I spoke too much and dominated the time and killed the meetings.
00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:39.200
You just have a lot of info to share, a lot of stories.
00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:41.359
Oh, yeah, oh yeah, sure.
00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:46.240
So I have one final question for you that I ask everybody on the show.
00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.039
What is your dream car and why?
00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:51.119
I my dream car is family cars.
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:52.559
I cannot have another choice.
00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:55.359
With four children, you have to have a big car.
00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:57.519
So my dream car is a is a V Class.
00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.359
That's a V class.
00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:00.319
It's it's a mini bus.
00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:01.279
It's a minivan.
00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:02.960
I like that.
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.160
That's the first answer we've got like that on the show.
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:06.640
I like it.
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:16.559
Since I'm with Kirshoff and and I'm really thankful to the decision makers in this respect, I'm I'm operating the fifth of uh such a minivan.
00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.519
Wow.
00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:25.119
I I just got that because I said, well, I have a big family, so may I have a bigger car, maybe a van, and you don't have a dog.
00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:27.359
You didn't have a dog, so I need a lot of space.
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.000
And they allowed me to do that, so I'm very much appreciated.
00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:38.559
Yeah, no, you would think you would get like uh people always say they want a Porsche or a convertible, but yeah, no, mini bus.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:39.200
Like that's great.
00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.400
How do I fit my dog?
00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:42.960
How do I fit my dog into that?
00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:44.960
Yeah, you can't forget about the dog.
00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:47.279
Most important, what kind of dog is it?
00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:52.640
It's a mix of spaniel and uh visual, which is a pointer, maybe.
00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.119
Yeah, point.
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:53.759
Okay.
00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:56.240
So it's it's a crazy dog, huh?
00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:56.960
It's like me.
00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.720
How man's best friend?
00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:01.440
How old?
00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.240
He's 11.
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:07.440
Actually, he's as old, almost got the dog when I joined Kirchhof.
00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:08.240
Wow.
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:11.920
It's an old dog, but it's very, very, very active.
00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:13.039
Two active dog.
00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:17.200
If you ask me what other sports I'm doing, I'm doing dog walking, okay?
00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:18.480
Two times per day.
00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.759
Let's see, well, like six kilometers per day.
00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:23.599
Active walking.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:25.279
It's a very, very active dog.
00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.240
Wow, I should get a dog, get my steps in.
00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:30.319
That's a good good way to get exercise.
00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:31.839
It's not real walking.
00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.400
This is like running almost power walk.
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:37.119
Power walk, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:40.640
Love it.
00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:42.799
So especially with the pointer.
00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:45.039
So you need to get the pointer if you want to be active.
00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:45.519
Yeah.
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:48.240
It's a big dog, it's like a 20 kilogram dog, you know.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:49.599
My gosh.
00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.200
I gotta transition.
00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:55.920
I only have cats, so I gotta move move over to the dog side.
00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:59.039
So cute.
00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:04.960
Well, Lisa, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:08.960
Before we wrap up, is there anything you wanted to share with the colleague?
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.200
I think I told everything, so I don't have anything.
00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:12.319
You're out.
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.440
The stones are out.
00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:15.599
Burnout, completely burnout.
00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:16.640
We're done.
00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:17.200
We're done.
00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:18.319
Well, thank you.
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.519
Thank you so much.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:29.839
And to our listeners, if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow along on KNet and stay tuned for more conversations with colleagues from across Kirchhoff Automotive.
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.599
Until next time, thanks for listening.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:05.120
Welcome to K Voices, where we bring you closer to the people behind Kirchhoff Automotive.
00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:11.599
I'm your host, Natasha Philpot, and today I'm joined by Giza, who manages administrative functions in Hungary.
00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:21.679
With over a decade at Kirchhoff Automotive and a career that spans consulting, international business, and leadership, Giza brings a unique perspective on both work and life.
00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:30.399
From growing up in a very different world under communism, where travel was limited and everyday items were scarce, to leading complex business functions today.
00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.320
Giza shares how these early experiences shaped his mindset.
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:46.320
We also dive into what family means to him, from raising four children to being part of a large, close-knit, extended family, plus the values and connections that carry through both his personal and professional life.
00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:51.439
This is an extra special episode because it's our first time doing a video episode.
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:58.479
So Isa, uh thank you so much for being uh the first colleague willing to try this out and welcome to the show.
00:00:58.719 --> 00:00:59.439
Thank you very much.
00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:01.439
It's a pleasure that I can start this.
00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:04.400
To start us off, let's go back to the beginning.
00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:06.319
You have so much history here with the company.
00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:12.239
Can you tell us what brought you here in the first place and what you do on a day-to-day basis?
00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:14.959
I started a career as a consultant.
00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:18.879
And uh after a couple of years, I basically joined Automotive.
00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:24.640
So I can tell in the 35 years of work history, I almost entirely worked in in automotive.
00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.239
So it was not a surprise that I arrived at Kirchhoff in 2014.
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:31.920
Just before joining, I've been doing uh interim jobs.
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:38.400
I was an interim manager and actually was requested by the board to join as an interim to Kirchhoff.
00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:46.799
And uh finally, after a couple of rounds of negotiation, uh actually I got an offer from the board to join as a final managing director.
00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:59.599
Ah, the company was actually doing quite badly at that time, so it was in a bit of a crisis, sudden growth, new technology, sales was increasing heavily or very suddenly.
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:01.920
Also, uh number of employees increased.
00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:06.799
Uh the company switched from medium category cars to premium category cars.
00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:11.680
So there are a lot of changes, and this change management was I would say not successful.
00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:13.759
So I was invited to the company.
00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:18.479
What would be the thing which attracts to me to join this company?
00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:19.039
Yeah.
00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:22.159
And I was like, I felt like a broker, you know.
00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:28.960
When I look at the share, you know, that it doesn't look too good, but what why could this be attractive to me?
00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:29.439
Yeah.
00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:40.639
Basically, after meeting some members of the board, and uh I had a visit of the of the plant here in Hungary, it turned out that there are some great opportunities.
00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:47.280
I mean, the parts itself which were manufactured in the plant, there were premium cars, premium customers, you know, nice people.
00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:54.879
So, you know, in my head, I was thinking through after the first couple of interviews, you know, what could be the problem here?
00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:59.280
And maybe it's a it's a challenge to find out and maybe you can put this back on track.
00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:03.520
Yeah, so you were you were called in to save the day and turn things around.
00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:17.919
Yes, I'm I'm I'm pretty proud that I was not maybe the engine for that, but I was one of those who started the engine, and with the help of a great team, actually, because it was a great teamwork of all the people over here, I would turn around the company.
00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:19.360
So really proud.
00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:21.840
It's like also my baby, I can tell.
00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:23.680
Yes, definitely.
00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:30.479
And so what has kept you here after all those years now, now that you're in a in a better position?
00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.800
I'm very much uh in my private life, I'm very much family-oriented.
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:40.240
I have four kids, uh, actually all grown-up kids, but LSC multiple children.
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:47.120
And uh this is the first company on my my CV, actually, which is uh which is a family-owned company.
00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:56.560
So beforehand, I was working for companies which were stock exchange or uh public companies, and I was uh working very far away from the owners.
00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:03.680
Yeah, and uh what was very interesting is that I could physically see the owner, physically see the top guy.
00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.879
So the proximity from the owner is basically zero.
00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:16.959
So and my prior prior companies, you know, to get a decision, it was like a very long, long, long process, and we couldn't really recognize who's on the top of the company here.
00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:19.120
There is basically zero proximity.
00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:20.480
So that that's one thing.
00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:26.560
And the other thing is that the fact that this is also like a big family, you know, the family-owned company.
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:33.199
Every time when we participate on the leadership team meeting at the year-end, we are like a big family with all the corporate people.
00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:33.759
Yeah.
00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:35.439
We're good good friends.
00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:39.759
I think it's it's one of the key things to have a very successful company.
00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:44.800
So we are behaving like uh a big family, and it's pretty much matching to my private life as well.
00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:47.759
Right, because you do have a very big family.
00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:49.680
As you said, you have four children.
00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:52.720
One of your children even works with you at the company.
00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:54.480
I'm very proud of him.
00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:56.160
He's the the second son.
00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:01.120
Actually, he he joined Kirchhoff a couple of years ago already, and I'm very proud of him.
00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:06.319
He's a mechanical engineer, so he works at the uh maintenance uh department as a maintenance engineer.
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:08.319
And I think he's doing quite well.
00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.560
He keeps the proximity from me, okay?
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.600
He's uh he's let's say uh works on his own.
00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:15.040
I think performs pretty well.
00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:16.079
So I'm very proud of him.
00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:17.600
And you guys don't carpool?
00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:18.639
No, no, no, no.
00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:21.439
He he goes separately because he already separated from us.
00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.040
Four four kids, out of four kids, three already moved away.
00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:25.439
Right.
00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.519
He has his own home and he's traveling independently to the company.
00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.560
He cannot work home office like I can.
00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:38.720
I mean, like my type of job allows me to work one, two days per week out of home.
00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:39.120
Right.
00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:39.439
Yeah.
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:40.800
He has to be in the plant.
00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:41.439
Right.
00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:43.600
So yeah, you you can't carpool.
00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:45.120
No, no chance.
00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:46.720
No chance, no chance.
00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.680
But family, as you said, is very important to you.
00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:51.279
It plays a big role in your life.
00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:58.560
You have a large extended family as well, and you have uh a spot where you gather together every summer.
00:05:58.720 --> 00:05:59.839
Tell us more about that.
00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:08.000
Great grandfather, uh, a hundred years ago, he bought uh a piece of land at the Lake Boloton, which is the Sea of Hungary.
00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:09.360
The Sea of Hungary.
00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:18.879
Yeah, that's the largest lake, I think, in maybe in Europe, Central Eastern Europe or Europe, but um it's a big, it's a big lake, yeah.
00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.120
So great location.
00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:26.240
Hundred kilometers by I don't know, 20 kilometers, so so quite quite big.
00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:32.800
And he purchased the land there and it had a property, uh, as I said, 100 years ago.
00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:38.079
Then it was taken away after the world war because he was high-level official in one of the ministries.
00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:43.199
And at that time, these these these people got penalty after the after the world war, let's say.
00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:46.000
So it was taken away, then they had to sell parts of that.
00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:54.720
And step by step, us, I mean, my generation, we are the the grandchildren, our generation is step by step repurchasing that uh that property.
00:06:54.879 --> 00:07:00.800
So now these days, I think more of 20 properties in the same street, basically.
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:02.000
Oh my god.
00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:08.319
We're gathering, as you said, we're gathering every summer, end of July, beginning of August.
00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:17.199
We have coffee, let's say, occasion at different sites of these 20 sites, where you see 60 people, let's say, or even more 70.
00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:26.160
And then we can discuss, you know, what happened last year, what will happen next year, you know, who is going out, who's dating whom, etc., etc.
00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:27.600
So all the big things.
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.480
It's like a family reunion all summer long.
00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:35.360
Yeah, some of the families these days they live outside of Hungary.
00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:39.920
I normally say they 50% of the family doesn't pay tax in Hungary.
00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:45.600
Uh they live in Denmark, and Brussels, and Belgium, and Germany, Austria.
00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:50.160
So every summer they come uh, let's say, to Hungary to uh to entertain.
00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.240
These are the holidays normally I have.
00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:58.160
And then basically listening to the children, who are the great-grandchildren, it's like the babble of voices.
00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:07.120
Because some children speak three languages Danish, English, Hungarian, and and they learn actually a lot from each other.
00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:21.600
So one of the things, if you asked, you know, what brought me in my career step by step forward, it's like a little bit like like football, the language is by the way, a little bit like in football, you in each situation you can score a goal if you're ahead of the others.
00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:32.879
And for me, really the language is the the important uh knowledge is uh, let's say the system change when I started my career, which brought me ahead of the others.
00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.960
So I was always in first line because I spoke English, German, and Russian as well.
00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:41.120
So this this is one of the reasons I was ahead of the others.
00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:56.320
And um I think if I can recommend something to the new generations in a country where you have only nine million inhabitants, like in Hungary, and with the language of Hungarian, which is only spoken in Hungary, yeah, you know, we have to learn languages.
00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:58.720
That that is a key thing to connect with others.
00:08:59.039 --> 00:08:59.279
Right.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:03.039
Yeah, no, it's very important and uh super helpful.
00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.000
You mentioned that you learned to speak Russian.
00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:10.559
Is that because you had to learn that under communism?
00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:12.320
It was it was mandatory.
00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:28.240
As I said, you know, it's the the the system changes we call, or the um the fall of the iron curtain, you know, it's basically when I ended my studies, so I studied in the socialism or communism, and I basically started work in the early capitalism in Hungary.
00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:28.639
Wow.
00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:33.759
And I couldn't use a lot of things from my studies, you can imagine what we learned in the socialism.
00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:39.919
So there are a lot of strange things that happened, and one of the strange things was that we were it was mandatory to learn Russian.
00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:46.000
But good thing in the bad thing is that through Russian, you know, I gained some knowledge in the other Slavic languages.
00:09:46.080 --> 00:10:01.360
So later on during my career, I was uh Eastern European controller of a big uh multinational company, I was seconded to Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and I I could understand those uh languages a little more easily because of my Russian background.
00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:02.240
Wow.
00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:08.080
So when Hungary was under the communism, how did that affect your life growing up?
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:13.600
Well, that was uh maybe the worst for me that we were you know cut off from the Western countries.
00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:22.639
We had relatives in in Western Europe, but we had no chance to visit them because we only had that red, it's it's quite irony, a red passport.
00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:27.440
And the red passport was only valid in the socialist or communist countries.
00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:28.480
Oh my god.
00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:35.360
And there was a privilege to have a blue passport was valid for Western Europe, but you you know, we had no chance to get that.
00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:39.679
Only members of the the Socialist Party uh could get that uh passport.
00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:41.279
So basically, we couldn't travel.
00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:47.440
I had one chance to travel in '86 to visit uh uh my relatives in Switzerland.
00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:53.919
I could only travel with my grandma because then they made sure that I'm not going to leave the country with my family.
00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:54.399
Okay.
00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:57.519
So that was the key to return, yeah?
00:10:57.759 --> 00:10:58.639
Key to return.
00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:02.960
But other things, other than traveling, of course, there were no elections.
00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:08.000
Another interesting thing is that we've been waiting to buy a car in the socialism.
00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:09.200
It was a big thing.
00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:13.200
So you ordered the car and you had to wait 15 years to get that car.
00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:13.600
What?
00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:16.000
15, one five, one five, yes.
00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:19.679
I feel like it'd be obsolete by then if there'd be a new car by then.
00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.159
We got the masterpiece of the Eastern German car industry, a Trobon.
00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:25.600
For it, that was my first car.
00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:26.399
It was a usable.
00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:28.159
So I bought that.
00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:32.960
It was it's not really true because I bought that as a used car when I graduated.
00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.159
But uh, but for a new car, you really had to wait 15 years.
00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.480
Same for a landline, a phone landline.
00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:43.039
We've been waiting 15 years to get the landline, and we got it, and it was a twin line.
00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:44.559
Twin line, you know what it means?
00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:45.440
No, what is that?
00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:53.279
It means that for for a certain period of time you cannot speak because your twin, you're sharing a line with someone else.
00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:56.399
Oh, and when he speaks, you know, your line is busy, huh?
00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:57.600
Oh, it's crossed.
00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:01.840
Oh and you don't know, and you don't know who is your peer, you know, who is your twin.
00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:06.799
Yeah, you don't know, so you cannot knock on the door, stop really weird stories, but also food.
00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:13.440
I mean, like uh a lot of things were not available to us, which are simply natural for my kids, for example.
00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:17.200
Nutella or a banana or orange, you know.
00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:20.240
Uh sometimes for Christmas, our Christmas gift was a chocolate.
00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:21.519
Is it just one chocolate?
00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:23.360
That was a big thing.
00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:25.279
It was a really big thing, yeah.
00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.840
In the 70s, early 70s, let's say.
00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.679
But I guess if you don't know any better, you were happy with that.
00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:33.039
We were really happy.
00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:34.399
Very happy about that.
00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:34.720
Yeah.
00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:40.159
Oh, and then once you got to experience a bit more freedom, how did that feel?
00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:42.240
Like it was almost like a new world for you.
00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:43.759
Absolutely, absolutely.
00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:50.159
Actually, you can imagine my first company or started working, this consulting company, only foreign people.
00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:50.639
Okay.
00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:51.759
Only foreign people.
00:12:51.919 --> 00:13:02.240
So the the low-level, let's say, assistants were Hungarians, but uh from the first, let's say, leader level, they were only foreigners, you know, expatriates who worked there.
00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:06.399
And we started to use our English knowledge, which we have not been using in the past.
00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:10.240
We started to learn really, you know, on the job, speaking to these people.
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:14.960
I spent all my life with them, private life, going to pubs after work.
00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.720
It was a big family as well, if I can say like that.
00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:20.559
Very interesting period of my life.
00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:28.240
And then even in our private uh time, we we traveled with with those uh great friendships, even lasting until now.
00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:33.039
And uh we were spending our private uh time as well together in in China.
00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:34.320
We traveled in '94.
00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:35.279
I traveled to China.
00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:43.679
I went to Hong Kong when Hong Kong was still British, you know, the last last year in Iforce and Macau and places like that.
00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:47.679
And and I, you know, what was you asked, you know, what was the change.
00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:53.039
I really much appreciate that uh to those expatriate friends I had because they helped me in this.
00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:57.120
I mean, got we made friends, they could afford a lot of things I couldn't afford.
00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.200
And basically they were sharing my cost.
00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.279
So I only had to pay 50% when we traveled.
00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.919
They paid 50% of my cost.
00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:08.000
Wow, that's so kind.
00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:13.600
And this is because I told the story that you guys, you know, until the end of the 90s, I couldn't travel.
00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:14.159
Wow.
00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:14.879
Sorry.
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:17.200
And they said, okay, Gaza, now you will travel with me.
00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:19.120
That's so kind.
00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:20.720
Are you still friends with them?
00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.559
Yes, you still maintain friendship.
00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:29.120
I told the US US, one guy from Los Angeles just visited me um a couple of months ago.
00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:30.720
They're already retired.
00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:35.519
I was supposed to be retired, by the way, because maybe in 65 I will retire.
00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:40.000
But yeah, they visited me and it was a great time to uh reunion.
00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:40.559
Yeah.
00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:42.159
That's so nice.
00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:46.799
So when you're not working, um, do you still enjoy traveling?
00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:49.279
I know you like to windsurf as well.
00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.120
How did you get into that?
00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:55.120
In 84, so still with it in the socialism.
00:14:55.279 --> 00:15:08.799
My dad, who was an inventor, an engineer as well, like my son, he got really crazy about windsurfing because some German tourists who visited Lake Belaton, they brought windsurfs with them to to Lake Baloton.
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:17.840
And he was watching them, he made photos and and stuff, and then he copied all this all this stuff and started to DIY, you know, do-it-yourself stuff.
00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:23.200
And he he year by year he was improving uh the construction of these uh surfs.
00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:39.039
And uh I can tell you in a couple of years he made such a good quality that I was I became uh the the the the number one the let's say the champion of Hungary with this DIY stuff in between 84 and I think ninety several years.
00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:45.840
I mean once I even went to uh Kiel Weeks to Germany, uh an international contest, and I got fifth, I think.
00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:51.200
So very nice things, but then I had to stop it because of because of the working, yeah.
00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.519
It started working in '91.
00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.080
It's absolutely chanceless to continue that.
00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:56.639
Yeah.
00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.159
So you don't win surf in your free time anymore if you got a chance.
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:01.440
Kept skiing.
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:06.879
Uh skiing was complementary to surfing in a winter sports for for wind surfing.
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.480
So I kept that and I go out with my family every winter.
00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:16.799
Actually, it's we we mix it also with the visit of our relatives in Austria because we have relatives in Austria.
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:19.519
So we visit them and and we make a reunion out there.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:21.519
Oh, that's so cool.
00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:24.320
What is it that you love about skiing so much?
00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:28.799
It's down here skiing, so it's alpine skiing, not uh cross-country skiing.
00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.799
Um I like speed techniques.
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:35.759
We have um, I haven't told you, we have with my brothers, we have a family club.
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.480
Oh family club is called after a name.
00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.480
So my name is Geza Kurt Vieshi.
00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:44.799
Kurt Vieshi in English it means pear, something connected to the pear.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:46.240
Oh, I didn't know that.
00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:48.639
The dog is called pear as well.
00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:50.480
Oh, that's so cute.
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:52.879
And this club is called Pear Club.
00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.480
Let's say if I translated that.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:00.559
And and the club itself is actually like a foundation or a sports club, private club.
00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:09.039
It is uh taking care of young kids in between the age of three and eighteen to teach them skiing and teach you teach them sailing.
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:10.319
Oh, that's so interesting.
00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:11.359
Summer and winter.
00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:21.759
So so basically, end of July, beginning of August, when we have this reunion with the family, there's a private occasion when the family is is is sailing on Lake Balaton.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:27.119
So we teach the little kids how to sail, and my kids are volunteer on those camps actually.
00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.680
So it's like helping the little guys, cooking for them.
00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:33.119
Wow.
00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.720
So who's running it?
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:35.920
Like, do you run that?
00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.680
Well, it's the the family club.
00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.680
Okay, so everybody volunteer, everybody's country.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000
There's a fee to to participate on that.
00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.839
So it's also to external kids, so they live out of that basically.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.559
Wow.
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.759
And they organize ski events in the winter time as well.
00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.720
So normally I go with uh with them as well.
00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:55.759
Uh the family.
00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:57.200
That's so nice.
00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:59.359
I I find that so cool.
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:00.079
Yeah.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:01.599
You're a man of wonder.
00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:08.480
I'm just the fund fundraiser of this of that uh sports club because I cannot work actively in that.
00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.200
It's it's it's a full-time job, basically, what they do.
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:12.000
Yeah.
00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:23.200
So you just help on the side because you are so busy with all your responsibilities, your current role at spans, finance, HR, IT, procurement.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.519
How do you manage to handle all those responsibilities?
00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.359
It's funny to say like that.
00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:35.599
I always used to be a finance executive, so just focusing on the classical finance functions.
00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:39.839
But at the same time, I I keep myself, my personality is pretty versatile.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:45.519
So I like to do things parallel and like to engage myself in a lot of things.
00:18:45.680 --> 00:19:01.039
And actually, that's one of the factors which I pretty much like in the current engagement that I'm taking care on top of the classical functions, I'm taking care also on HR, taking care of the the IT as well as management and uh procurement, a little bit of sales administration.
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.400
So it's pretty much matching to my let's say personality.
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.279
I really do what I do what I like to do.
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.039
Yeah, you have your hand in in a lot of different areas.
00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:12.960
So you are wearing many hats.
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.319
You have a lot on the go, which is great.
00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:19.279
It's exciting and also learning.
00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:25.279
So beforehand, I was not that active in HR, let's say, and and and procurement.
00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.119
And HR is a good example.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.440
It's a very challenging thing nowadays.
00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:42.720
Everywhere in Europe, I could tell, because of the diminishing of the population, it's it's a challenge in each country to find the right input and retention as well, to retain the employees and then be better than the it's it's the same thing, by the way.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:44.640
Uh what I mentioned with the languages.
00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.039
You have to be better than the other players.
00:19:47.359 --> 00:20:17.359
And you have to find the right techniques on the HR area, and and this is what we're working on together with the HR manager, to find the right tools, how to retain the employees and programs, uh, you know, caring of the employees, uh, mentoring, coaching, training, uh, change the mindset of the people, how, for example, Z and X generations need to work or cooperate with each other, how we can you know match the different uh mindsets, the different kinds of thinking of the people.
00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:27.519
So it's a very complex story, and I'm very thankful to our child manager that uh she brought that thing uh close to me and she allowed me to play this role.
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:32.160
So I I I learned really a lot on that, and it's very interesting, it's pretty much motivating.
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.839
Yeah, yeah, you get to do something every day.
00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:41.119
It's my longest employment in my career history, actually, Keir Shop.
00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:42.559
I stick to the company.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:43.920
That's a testament.
00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:53.759
I find a lot of the guests on the podcast are long time, long-term employees, and I'm always just so curious what is it that keeps them here?
00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.640
What is it that that you love the most about your job?
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.480
Well, I I as I said, in it's changeable, it's versatile.
00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.400
So I I really enjoy that.
00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.599
And and I think I have a very good team here.
00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:08.400
I have worked together with 33 employees.
00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:15.759
Uh and uh what I'm really proud of is that the the voluntary fluctuation within my team is very, very rare.
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:23.599
And I managed to construct a team who are really cohesive, they really work together, they're really motivated to do the job.
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:30.160
And um, I didn't speak about myself because I have um, let's say, a management credo, uh, and that is empowering.
00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:39.440
I'm I'm the type of manager who is empowering because I think that secures creativity, that um helps the employees to make decisions on their level.
00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:41.279
So they learn how to make the decisions.
00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.799
And I think it's also key in the retention, which I mentioned just before.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.319
So I think they will feel the independence, you know, they will be happier.
00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.119
It's like when you change from communism to capitalism.
00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.279
When you feel the independence, you feel good.
00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.319
Same thing here.
00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.480
A little bit you need to provide some some independence to have this feeling.
00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:02.319
By the way, the counter The other side of the story is micromanagement.
00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:04.319
I hate micromanagement, for example.
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:05.839
It doesn't work for me.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.720
And I I I don't think it brings you further.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.720
It doesn't have retention at all.
00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:11.440
Right.
00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:13.200
That's a good comparison, though.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:15.039
That that's spot on there.
00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:31.519
And you guys, uh the Hungry team, you recently received a special award and you were the face of it on our LinkedIn page of the business super brands title, which is a recognition given to companies that stand for credibility, reliability, and strong brand development.
00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.920
Can you tell us what that means to you and the team being recognized like that?
00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:37.599
Actually, it's a very funny thing.
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:41.920
I asked uh the question because I I didn't know what was the basis of the decision.
00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:55.759
And they came back to me and they said there's a an independent committee who's watching all the companies operating in Hungary, and they are selecting always the top uh companies based on financial performance.
00:22:55.839 --> 00:23:02.400
They even look at the feedbacks on on Google and the employee of arts, you know, how do they award the company?
00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:04.240
What do they say about it?
00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:11.920
They they look at you know how we are present in different kinds of associations, whether we are doing uh the employer branding on the right track as well.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.440
So many, many factors.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:15.359
And at the end, uh there is a voting.
00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:19.519
And through this voting, uh they voted for for K-Shop, and I'm really proud of that.
00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:21.759
Wow, that's so special.
00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:36.000
And you got to be the the face of it, you got to hold the award and yes, I tell you yes, I was taking taking over this uh this prize, but I can I can tell you also there is demonstrative uh things in the background.
00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:44.400
So, for example, if you compare our fluctuation, which is not zero, of course, but if you compare it to the industry standard, we're really doing a good job.
00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:50.480
Really doing still in this difficult time, you're still better than the industry average.
00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:54.000
And that demonstrates that we are somehow on the track.
00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.440
Yeah, no, definitely.
00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:56.240
That's awesome.
00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:58.240
Also, employee feedbacks.
00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:09.680
We have uh each year uh an employee uh uh feedback uh session when a lot of questions they can uh raise and and they can answer a lot of things and they can evaluate the company.
00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:15.839
And our our employees are really participating in this, so we have 70, 80 percent of participation rate.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:19.200
So all people go there and you know express their opinion.
00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.480
And the average result is is, I think, very good.
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.839
So outstanding result uh compared to the industry average.
00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:30.559
Wow, that's awesome! Very uh noble and noteworthy.
00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:33.359
Something to definitely be proud of.
00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:42.960
And yeah, looking back now at your journey here over the years, from your early life to where you are now, what lessons stand out to you the most?
00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.319
Interesting question.
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.200
What lesson?
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:46.240
A lessons learned.
00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:48.000
Any lessons, yeah.
00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:51.519
Lessons learned that you know, I'm a very communicative guy.
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.240
One of my secret weapons is communication.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:56.160
This is how I dominate, by the way.
00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:01.599
So I learned really also to listen in the right moment when I have to listen and don't dominate the others.
00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:02.160
Right.
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:03.279
Listen and yeah.
00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:08.240
So my colleagues say, I have actually I show you there are little stones in this basket.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:16.640
And it can happen on meeting that I put this on the table, and every minute when I talk, they take away one stone, and all the stones disappear.
00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:17.279
Finish.
00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.000
I cannot talk.
00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.359
That's it, you're done.
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:20.480
It's like a timer.
00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.640
I cannot talk, it's like a timer, yeah.
00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:35.839
So so lessons learned is like you know, it's it's something, you know, maybe through this channel, I apologize for my colleagues that uh were really hurt when when I spoke too much and dominated the time and killed the meetings.
00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:39.200
You just have a lot of info to share, a lot of stories.
00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:41.359
Oh, yeah, oh yeah, sure.
00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:46.240
So I have one final question for you that I ask everybody on the show.
00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.039
What is your dream car and why?
00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:51.119
I my dream car is family cars.
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:52.559
I cannot have another choice.
00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:55.359
With four children, you have to have a big car.
00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:57.519
So my dream car is a is a V Class.
00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.359
That's a V class.
00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:00.319
It's it's a mini bus.
00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:01.279
It's a minivan.
00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:02.960
I like that.
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.160
That's the first answer we've got like that on the show.
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:06.640
I like it.
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:16.559
Since I'm with Kirshoff and and I'm really thankful to the decision makers in this respect, I'm I'm operating the fifth of uh such a minivan.
00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.519
Wow.
00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:25.119
I I just got that because I said, well, I have a big family, so may I have a bigger car, maybe a van, and you don't have a dog.
00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:27.359
You didn't have a dog, so I need a lot of space.
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.000
And they allowed me to do that, so I'm very much appreciated.
00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:38.559
Yeah, no, you would think you would get like uh people always say they want a Porsche or a convertible, but yeah, no, mini bus.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:39.200
Like that's great.
00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.400
How do I fit my dog?
00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:42.960
How do I fit my dog into that?
00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:44.960
Yeah, you can't forget about the dog.
00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:47.279
Most important, what kind of dog is it?
00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:52.640
It's a mix of spaniel and uh visual, which is a pointer, maybe.
00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.119
Yeah, point.
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:53.759
Okay.
00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:56.240
So it's it's a crazy dog, huh?
00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:56.960
It's like me.
00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.720
How man's best friend?
00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:01.440
How old?
00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.240
He's 11.
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:07.440
Actually, he's as old, almost got the dog when I joined Kirchhof.
00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:08.240
Wow.
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:11.920
It's an old dog, but it's very, very, very active.
00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:13.039
Two active dog.
00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:17.200
If you ask me what other sports I'm doing, I'm doing dog walking, okay?
00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:18.480
Two times per day.
00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.759
Let's see, well, like six kilometers per day.
00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:23.599
Active walking.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:25.279
It's a very, very active dog.
00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.240
Wow, I should get a dog, get my steps in.
00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:30.319
That's a good good way to get exercise.
00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:31.839
It's not real walking.
00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.400
This is like running almost power walk.
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:37.119
Power walk, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:40.640
Love it.
00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:42.799
So especially with the pointer.
00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:45.039
So you need to get the pointer if you want to be active.
00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:45.519
Yeah.
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:48.240
It's a big dog, it's like a 20 kilogram dog, you know.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:49.599
My gosh.
00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.200
I gotta transition.
00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:55.920
I only have cats, so I gotta move move over to the dog side.
00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:59.039
So cute.
00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:04.960
Well, Lisa, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:08.960
Before we wrap up, is there anything you wanted to share with the colleague?
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.200
I think I told everything, so I don't have anything.
00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:12.319
You're out.
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.440
The stones are out.
00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:15.599
Burnout, completely burnout.
00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:16.640
We're done.
00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:17.200
We're done.
00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:18.319
Well, thank you.
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.519
Thank you so much.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:29.839
And to our listeners, if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow along on KNet and stay tuned for more conversations with colleagues from across Kirchhoff Automotive.
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.599
Until next time, thanks for listening.
