As Aico's first German-based employee, we asked Thilo Waetzold to share with us how he has experienced the journey so far and what it's like to work for an international company with employees scattered around Europe.

I have been working at Aico for almost seven months now - and almost 100% from the home office. As I described above, we are still in the process of establishing ourselves in the DACH region. This refers to the three German-speaking Central European countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. 

So far, the team based in Germany is small, consisting of just two people - my sales colleague and me - so we don’t yet have a dedicated office where we can get together and plan our days and strategies.  

Critical communications 

With this in mind, it is even more important that we have the opportunity to regularly exchange information during the work week via Teams. And, of course, it’s important for morale and future planning that we can share success stories and talk through less successful meetings with each other. The necessity of this regular exchange is just as important as the communication between the different Aico locations in Europe.  

In addition to our headquarters in Espoo near Helsinki, my colleagues are located in Riga, Latvia and the United Kingdom. Working together with people from different backgrounds is something I value most in my job and at Aico. The mutual appreciation and support you experience here are omnipresent.

The keys for success

In my role as Sales Executive, I am responsible for the sales of our Aico Financial Close platform in German-speaking countries. This includes acquisition activities, conducting customer presentations and commercial contract negotiations. I also represent Aico at various industry events within the DACH region to raise awareness of the Aico brand name and to network with like-minded people.  

In order for me to be successful in my role and ultimately support the success of Aico as a business, I need to handle many moving parts that must align perfectly.  

Critical aspects of this include: 

Some final thoughts on my first steps

In my opinion, anyone who thinks they can be successful as an individual is mistaken. At the end of the day, an organisation can only be successful and grow as a team in which each member is valued for his or her individual knowledge and skills.  

I have never regretted the step to becoming part of the Aico family and I am happy every time I can travel to beautiful Finland on business and visit my colleagues at HQ.  

The responsibility for this exciting task that I have been given, as well as the trust of my colleagues at Aico, motivate me every day and fulfil me personally as well as professionally.