What does a controller do at GEZE, Mr Eren?

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration when he was 22, he knew: “I've studied enough; now I want to do something practical”. A Google search brought him to the advertisement for a “Business Trainee” at GEZE, and he applied right away. “At the time I wasn’t familiar with GEZE, although I am from close by in Esslingen. I just knew that I definitely didn’t want to be just another number in some big group company. Individuality and legroom are very important to me”. He found both of them quickly, as the daughter of the former managing director, Andrea Alber, was sitting at the table with him during his second interview. “I thought it was a really positive sign that a member of the owning family was involved in the hiring of a trainee, and actually showed interest in me. It was clear to me how important the younger generation is here, as well as how flat the hierarchies truly are”.

During his 12-month initial training phase, Hayri Eren often saw how trainees are taken seriously, and how important their work truly is. “I moved through all of the departments relevant for me as an economics graduate. Finance, Human Resources, Purchasing, Supply Chain, GEZE Service – I liked Controlling the best, however, because I always had an affinity to it”. He was faced with some difficult tasks when the former Head Controller was absent for a long period of time during the company’s planning phase. “As a trainee, I was allowed to take on important coordination tasks for the planning of GEZE GmbH. These are experiences that help you grow”. By then, he knew what he wanted to do in the future: Controlling, in particular digitising planning and reporting processes.

His role: Business Consultant

Hayri Eren has a clear idea of the role he and his team want to play. “We are internal data service providers for our business areas and subsidiaries. You can tell this is the case because we don’t call ourselves controllers – instead, we are business consultants”. His team is always on board when the company introduces new processes or optimises existing ones. “We address the content for the reports with departments, identify suggestions for action, and try to participate in controlling tasks”. For Eren, who has a degree in business administration, this means diving deep into areas that are outside of his expertise, like Engineering. “Ultimately, controlling is always involved as the top of the pyramid. Everything that any department does ultimately needs to be analysed in some way – that’s where we come into play”.