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The new COO at DMK Baby – Marc Mahl

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11.12.2020
Dr. Marc Mahl will be the new COO of the Baby Food Business Unit at DMK from January 1st. The 52-year-old comes from the health care company Fresenius Kabi.

Have you already packed your suitcase? What are your plans to relocate or will you be commuting?

Until the end of the year, I will continue to carry out the operational management of my division at Fresenius Kabi in full but yes, in my thoughts I am already packing my suitcase – I am reading a lot to get to know the new division. For the first few months, I will commute from Bad Homburg and will rent a small apartment locally in Bremen until I have found my way around and know where it is best to set up home.

My wife will continue to work at Fresenius Kabi as the Head of Global Pharmaceutical Safety and one of my sons is doing an apprenticeship in Marburg and the other is studying in Hamburg. In this regard, my family will be able to meet up either in the north or the south on alternate weekends.

 

How have you experienced the last weeks/months under the influence of coronavirus?

Well, in our private lives, we have undoubtedly all equally suffered from the restrictions: no longer being able to meet up with friends and family, not being able to attend cultural events or enjoy the great summer travelling. However, we in Germany have come through the crisis really well overall up to now.

In my division, we had more work than ever and we were regularly in the office and at the plants because at Fresenius Kabi we produce relevant drugs for seriously ill COVID-19 patients. One example of these is Propofol which is required for the sedation of COVID-19 patients on ventilators – being able to meet the rapidly increasing demand under the given circumstances worldwide was a challenge for our production sites and logistics, a challenge that we mastered but also will not forget that quickly either.

“Pre-COVID”, I usually did 2 long-haul trips a month in order to work with my teams in the US, China, India, etc. – now suddenly that was only possible in virtual form. Although that could be managed very well with regard to content, I did miss the personal interaction with my colleagues on site very much.

 

What are you looking forward to most at DMK?

I am looking forward to the new company, the new colleagues and the opportunity to learn new things and to be able to contribute with my professional experience to the success of BU Baby.

With Humana and Alete, DMK has two great brands in its portfolio. At the same time, the basis for future growth has been laid with the pioneering investment in Strückhausen. The task of optimising this area with regard to profitability and growth in turnover and managing it as its COO greatly appealed to me.

The conversations that I’ve been able to have as yet with the management and colleagues in the DMK Group have shown me that ambition, the will for success and a positive corporate culture go together – that has motivated me to move to DMK. I am looking forward to 1 January 2021 very much.

 

How are you experiencing the phase now between two jobs?

This phase between two jobs is not particularly easy because I would preferably like to start with the new division straight away tomorrow. However, I have promised Fresenius that I will manage my division here in a professional manner until the end of the year and hand it over in top condition to my successor – and that is what I will do. After 20 good and eventful years at Fresenius, that goes without saying for me. I am leaving colleagues and first-class experts that I have grown very fond of and with whom I have spent a great deal of time and solved problems. I cannot deny that the personal farewell from these people is more difficult than I thought it would be.

If you had to describe yourself – which Marc Mahl can the colleagues in the baby food division look forward to?

I would describe myself with the following traits:

     

  • I work for people and with people
  • I am always alert to the future
  • Figures, data and evidence are important to me as aids in my decision making
  • I want to win with my team!
  •  

Let me explain that a bit.

A company provides the framework and the goals for the employees but my experience tells me that you always go the extra mile for somebody who challenges, encourages and praises you and enables you to achieve exceptional things. That is why it has always been important for me to also get to know my employees and colleagues well as people and to create a positive environment so that every individual can give their best for their company. That is then really fun and it brings long-term success.

So that everybody knows what is expected of them and what they can contribute, a clear direction and an excellent strategy are of course required. In day-to-day business with its challenges, you can sometimes be so engrossed that you only work on short-term topics. It is therefore important to me that the team does not lose sight of the long-term goal and aligns all activities in the day-to-day business to that goal.

In order to be successful as a team, honesty and precision are required – only with the correct and reliable facts as well as comprehensive specialist know-how can you take the right decisions in the team. I am meticulous and demanding there, and I am already looking forward now to the discussions with the colleagues of BU Baby and the other BUs.

I am not a manager who has to run a marathon at the age of 50 plus or does extreme sports as a hobby – I am a family-oriented person, enjoy photography at lot and look after my garden. But I am ambitious when it comes to achieving a leading market position in a profitable way for the company where I work - this goal has been clearly set.

I look forward to it!

 

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