Sparks Electrical News April 2015

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sparks
ELECTRICAL NEWS april 2015
contractors’ corner 3
It always seems impossible until it’s done
Burkhard Grensemann.
THISmonth’s personality is Burkhard Grensemann,
the newly appointed country sales director for
the Bosch Power Tool division at Robert Bosch in
Midrand.
After 24 years with Bosch, Burkhard’s suc-
cess is tied to the fact that he is a champion of
the brand and passionate about marketing. A
strategic thinker, Burkhard identifies his vision
for the company, articulates this concept to the
sales team and inspires them to work together
towards a common goal. He motivates his team
by empowering themwith appropriate strate-
gies, guiding without controlling and leading by
example. A great communicator and facilitator,
Burkhard inspires respect by‘walking the talk’.
Sparks: Where were you educated?
BG: I studied at the University of Applied Sci-
ences Pforzheim in the state of BadenWuerttem-
berg , near to Stuttgart, Germany.
Sparks: How long have you been involved in the
electrical industry?
BG: I have worked for the Bosch Power Tool divi-
sion in Germany and in South Africa for 24 years
in various marketing and sales positions.
Sparks: When and where did you start your
career?
BG: In 1992, I startedmy career at the Bosch
Power Tool headquarters in Leinfelden-Echter-
dingen 10 km south of Stuttgart.
Sparks: What are the greatest changes you have
seen over the years?
BG: The greatest changes have been the rapid
technological progress and the development of
social media platforms. The‘Internet of Things’
is fast changing the world as we know it. Smart
devices allow interconnected communication
betweenmachines, objects or humans, and are
able to trigger automated responses – provid-
ing challenges as well as significant commercial
opportunities.
This significantly impacts all major industries
and a mind shift and process change is needed to
deal with this phenomenon. I believe this is not
an evolution but a revolution.
Sparks:What major projects have you worked on
and what is your greatest accomplishment?
BG: In Germany, I was responsible for the global
marketing activities within the Bosch Lawn and
Garden product portfolio. Amajor project was
developing the concept for the company’s partici-
pation at the GAFA fair in Cologne, which is one of
the biggest garden and tool fairs in the world.
I worked with the Bosch advertising agency to
develop a new global marketing campaign for
our electric garden tool range, which included
TV, print and point-of-sale (POS) activities. I
have enjoyed working with a teamof top class
professionals to successfully drive sales growth in
southern Africa.
Sparks: Have you won any awards?
BG: The Power Tool division evaluates quarterly
submissions from all marketing and sales divi-
sions globally. The competition is tough, however,
the South African teamhas won a number of
awards for outstanding sales growth, new cus-
tomer acquisitions and creative sales concepts.
Sparks:Who has been your inspiration or have
you had a mentor who has influenced your
career?
BG: I consider Derick Dreyer as my mentor. He
was the power tool sales director for many years
and retired 2008. In a nutshell, people and actions
inspire me: fromordinary people and great lead-
ers to strong competitors and colleagues as well
as my wife and children.
Sparks:What, to your mind, is one of the biggest
challenges facing the industry at this time?
BG: I would say that the lack of accountability is a
major challenge.
Sparks:What do you enjoy most about your job?
BG: It sounds like a cliché but it’s really about
people. I enjoy playing a part in improving our
internal competencies and being able to experi-
ence the personal growth of individuals in the
Bosch teamwhile achieving success by matching
products, service and excellence with customer
expectations and user requirements.
Sparks: How do youmotivate your staff?
BG: I motivate the staff by
caring about them, showing
appreciation for work well
done and taking the time to
actively coach people.
Sparks: If you could‘do it all
again’, would you change
anything? If so, what would
that be?
BG: As a global company,
Bosch is active in numer-
ous markets and offers
many opportunities and,
especially in the early stages
of my career, I would have
consciously used those op-
portunities to broadenmy
experience by working in
different divisions.
Sparks: Would you advise a
person leaving school to en-
ter the electrical industry?
And why?
BG: I believe that a career
in the electrical industry
should be on top of the list
of employment options
because this industry offers
a wide range of career op-
portunities.
Sparks: What is your advice
to electrical contractors
and/or electrical engineers?
BG: Use professional power
tools.
Sparks: What is your
favourite quote?
BG:“It always seems impos-
sible until it’s done.”- Nelson
Mandela.
Sparks: Name three things
on your‘bucket list’(things
you want to do before you
‘kick the bucket’).
BG: I amnot a bucket list
type of guy. Nevertheless, I do have plans to spend
a romantic holiday inVenice withmy wife (the kids
stay at home!); and to retire and relocate to one
of South Africa’s beautiful coastal regions. I’ll keep
the third space open because wish lists change as
life moves you along.
AF Contactors Sparks September 2013.indd 1 2013/09/06 01:57:15 PM
Vasili Kourelos (Legrand Concept Store direc-
tor); Luk Ivens (general manager, Legrand
SA); and Mark Seftel (Legrand Concept Store
director) celebrate at the opening of the new-
est Legrand Concept Store in Maboneng – a
trendy district in central Johannesburg.
Kourelos says the Legrand Concept Store
represents “a fusion of design and purpose to
re-imagine the use of power, light and data in
the built environment” and focuses on
providing solutions for engineers, architects,
developers and end-users across all sectors.
“The site for the new showroom, located
on Fox Street in the heart of the Maboneng
precinct, was chosen as it is an up-and-coming
area that is design-focused and represents the
true nature of an African City,” says Kourelos,
adding that the area is “an entrepreneurial hub
with a great energy and sense of optimism”.
Enquiries: +27 11 592 0507
A fusion of design and purpose
Personality of the Month