Deizisau, October 2020 – The French trade publication “Animal Distribution Magazine” crowned the managing director of the EHEIM Group as the manager of the year in its annual poll.
The “Animal Distribution Magazine”, published by Média & Jardin – Groupe J, is the renowned trade magazine covering all animal matters in France. It is primarily aimed at dealers, sales representatives, suppliers, manufacturers etc. in the pet industry. Based on an annual poll, it also presents the coveted “Animal Challenge Awards” for various product groups in different categories. The industry's manager of the year is also selected. This year, the vote went to EHEIM managing director Ibrahim Mefire Kouotou.
The “Animal Distribution Magazine” introduced its readers to Ibrahim Mefire Kouotou in its September issue and asked him for a few statements.
Here is the article by Aurelie Bracaval:
“People come first in every decision made”
Ibrahim Mefire Kouotou joined Eheim in 2002 and has served as the company's managing director since 2016/17. He was also appointed a Senator of the German Economy in 2019. He is a down-to-earth person who supports his staff and helps them to develop their skills.
Order taking, strategy setting, management tasks as the head of product management, marketing manager... Ibrahim Mefire Kouotou studied business management and is highly experienced in each job at EHEIM. He is therefore familiar with the various problems and issues, and can identify the needs of his employees in specific situations at a very early stage.
INCREASING TEAM COMPETENCE
Since he joined the company in 2002, the teams have remained the same. However, he has recently overseen abundant improvements in the company’s overall performance. Mefire Kouotou explains his management strategy in his role as managing director:
“I don’t want there to be too much hierarchy within the company. I have reduced the levels within the organisation and fostered cross-functional cooperation. The employees feel more integrated within the company dynamic.
This has allowed us to increase our transparency, speed of service, creativity and the ability to quickly react to the wishes of our customers. EHEIM has succeeded in improving its overall performance by encouraging the teams to step out of their comfort zones. It is only human to be fearful of making mistakes when presented with a new situation or challenge. Fear often undermines a person’s will. You have to support employees, ensure that they communicate with each other and improve their own skills. To do this, you have to take the required time.
People make mistakes. When this happens, the key is to find solutions to remedy the situation so that you can continue to make progress.” He also adds: “Personally, I have always believed that hard, sustainable work pays off”. I derive happiness and motivation from the results of a job well done.”
MAINTAINING FAMILY INCOME DURING A PANDEMIC
In the current pandemic, Mefire Kouotou has decided not to resort to reduced work hours. He explains his reasoning for this:
“You have to stay close to people during difficult times. I decided not to implement reduced work hours provided that this would not harm the company in any way. As a result, we were able to continue with our work while observing the lockdown and the necessary social distancing measures. I asked myself: How will the staff remember these times? I did not want to reduce their salaries. They are under enough pressure to cope right now as it is and they also enjoy less freedom of movement. Families need their salaries to pay rent. In Germany, employees only receive approx. 60% of their salary when working reduced hours, while people in France receive 84%. Therefore, business carried on as normal. Employees whose work permitted it were occasionally allowed to carry out their duties from home. The EHEIM brand was therefore also available to its customers during the lockdown, consequently reinforcing the company’s positive image. “
For Mefire Kouotou, people come first in every decision made. For this reason, he also attaches great value to a personal touch.
“Our credibility rests on ensuring our customers are never disappointed. Their wishes must be respected, and we need to be capable of finding requisite solutions or providing them with the information that they are looking for. The field of aquaristics remains highly technical. It is much more difficult to sell aquaristic products than rodents or pet food nowadays, yet the vendors’ abilities are often not fully appreciated”, says Ibrahim Mefire Kouotou.