Our values

Just give it a go!

“I’ve become pretty German,” says Hasnaa Sarroukh with a smile. The Morocco- born physicist has been living in Berlin since 2002 and works for OSRAM in Specialty Lighting. She has a family with two daughters, and she really enjoys the work she does with her team of colleagues and developing HID automotive lamps. Hasnaa has settled into Berlin well and has even obtained German citizenship. But it was not easy: it took a lot of time and energy, the courage to take risks – and a willingness to leave her personal comfort zone.

That’s because when Hasnaa left France to come to Berlin in 2002, she barely knew anything about Germany, “and I didn’t speak a word of German.” She left Morocco to study in France, where she went on to complete a PhD. The language and culture there were familiar to her, as were the professional and private environments at the university. Germany was supposed to be an adventure: Hasnaa wanted to freelance in a research project at OSRAM, limited to a period of 18 months. But with her open manner and her courage to explore unknown territory, many of her colleagues became supporters: “They made it so easy for me to settle in; there is a lot that I owe to my former boss in particular.” This allowed Hasnaa to quickly feel at home in Germany. The limited period of 18 months turned into a permanent position. And then, on top of everything else, she fell in love: Hasnaa met her future husband, from Lebanon.

Returning to France or even Morocco was not an option, which meant that integration and communication became even more important – at the baker’s in the mornings, for instance, but especially with her colleagues. “We primarily spoke English during the research project – not a problem. But now the meetings were in German, and I didn’t understand anything.” This annoyed Hasnaa and undercut her feeling of self-worth. So, she crammed up on German, busied herself with the German “rules of the game” – and soon got used to them. “I might have been able to climb the career ladder much quicker and more easily in France,” she says. “But the challenges I have faced in Germany and in my job have made me stronger, and I have grown.” Her colleagues kept giving her encouragement, Hasnaa says, like when she was thinking about going back to full-time work despite having two children. “Just go for it, my boss said, hitting the nail on the head: just try new things – because what do you have to lose?”

Flexible and creative

Spontaneity plays a major role for him in both his personal and his professional life. Michael Hansen from Copenhagen is a Lighting Designer in Sales at Lighting Solutions. In his spare time, he does improvisational theater, or improv, which he has been pursuing for years. In improv, there is no script to follow. Instead, the actors spontaneously respond to each other. “Whenever I do improv, I have to pay very close attention, listen carefully and be open for whatever happens next,” Michael says. These skills are not something you can learn overnight; they require training. Once you have them, though, they really pay off – and not just on stage. They also come in handy at meetings with colleagues or when Michael meets with the architects, lighting designers, electricians and customers he advises.

“I try to be open to what the customer is telling me. I don’t judge – I listen. That way, I resist the temptation to immediately force my opinion on the other person,” Michael says. He has often seen at meetings how valuable it is for everyone to keep developing an idea instead of cutting it down to what is “doable” or flattening it out entirely. “Openness really gets the creative juices flowing,” Michael says.

This also includes dealing with mistakes. Blunders bring spice to improv, because they literally force the actors to take action and become creative on the spot. “The best way to get out of a dead end is by working together,” Michael says, drawing a connection to everyday working life. “Isolated departments and inflexible, narrow-minded thinking don’t benefit anyone. And if something doesn’t go to plan, it’s not a problem, don’t panic. It’s an opportunity to make the best of the situation. In improv, those are precisely the moments that earn you the loudest applause from the audience.”

Trust and responsibility

Clouds of smoke begin to rise, a burning smell forms and only an earsplitting noise prevents something worse from happening. We are talking about building fire safety. Smoke detectors that trigger an alarm in the event of fire are widespread. But does it even have to get that far? No, says Anant Aggarwal, R&D Manager at Innovation Americas in Beverly, Massachusetts. Together with his colleagues from Corporate Strategy and Digital Lumens, he saw a business opportunity for OSRAM – and took the initiative. He began by rallying for a new kind of sensor technology, which he is now developing and advancing with his team.

The starting point for Anant’s project is fire prevention. Together with his team, he develops sensors that are integrated into lights and trigger an alarm once a hazardous hotspot is detected in the given environment. “But an idea is only good if you then turn it into reality,” Anant says. “Fortunately, my management had an open mind and quickly gave me the green light to develop a prototype.”

For Anant, having the trust of his management is key to his success. “A lot has changed over the past few months. The willingness to take risks has grown, which is great.” Anant also likes to give his employees the freedom to implement their ideas on their own. He firmly believes that nothing good can come of a manager who micromanages. “Once the goals have been jointly set, employees need the space to independently make them a reality,” Anant says. Anant takes the trust placed in him and shows it to others. But he still bears responsibility for the overall endeavor. And what if the project fails? “Then I’ll take responsibility for it when dealing with others outside the team,” Anant says. “And we will learn from our mistakes as a team and do things better next time.”

Enthusiasm for new things

From his home island of Lesbos to Athens, then on to Boston, Kentucky and Eichstätt, and then Munich: “I’ve already been through a number of different stations in my life,” Chris Kazazis says. “ The constant changes haven’t always been easy. But I’m not complaining. At the end of the day, this is what I wanted.”

In the 21 years that the 50-year-old Greek has been working for OSRAM, professional change has been a constant. He began researching chemical coating processes, then worked as a development engineer in halogen lamp manufacturing and is now the Head of Electrical Control Gear Product Management at Digital Systems. “I like really learning the ropes of new fields of responsibility,” Chris says. “But, there always comes a point where I feel like doing something new, trying out a new activity.”

Chris benefits from his talent of interacting with other people: it does not matter whether they are his customers, colleagues in manufacturing or his bosses, Chris adapts to them and speaks their language – in English, German or, of course, Greek.

“But I didn’t just want to deal with technical issues – I’ve always been interested in economic contexts,” he says. That is also why his boss at the Cherry Hill Research Center in Boston noticed him and encouraged him to do an MBA. “This additional qualification broadened my horizons,” Chris says. “Since then, whenever I think about technical issues, I always have the economic aspects in mind as well.”

He and his two team colleagues in Munich therefore know that traditional electrical control gears do not have a future in the medium term. They have been working intensively with LED technology for some time now so that they will be able to keep applying their expertise in the future as well – in the “new world,” as Chris says: a world he is looking forward to.

Courage to take risks

Chinese cities are transforming at staggering speeds. Areas that were once nothing but countryside are now blooming into cities within just a few years. These developments are providing business opportunities for OSRAM and the Lighting Solutions (LS) Business Unit – “if you have the courage to seize them,” says Kathy Jiang, Senior Project Manager in Shanghai. “This requires us to show strong adaptability and change faster in order to break new ground.”

LS used to sell luminaires and control systems in China as “package deals.” However, that often did not quite meet customers’ needs. “We needed more flexibility,” explains Kathy. Two and a half years ago, the LS team in China therefore decided to start offering control systems separately. It was a big, bold step, followed by others. At first, LS colleagues further developed the control systems and adapted them to specific customer requirements. In the meantime, they have even launched SymphoCity for the Asian market – a multifunctional control platform with hardware and software for smart city applications. In Dali in southwest China and in other cities, the platform makes it possible for administrations to manage streetlights centrally, cost-efficiently and effectively. But SymphoCity can do much more: “Control systems related to security, environmental concerns, energy and communications can be integrated into the platform. As a result, we have tapped into an entirely new market segment,” Kathy says and adds: “The only way to stay ahead of the competition is through a positive attitude and constant innovation.”

Of course, risks and mistakes are unavoidable moving forward. “We discuss them openly with our suppliers and customers, and look for solutions together,” Kathy says. “Doing so helps us continue improving our products and services.” After all, LS management encourages the team to take calculable risks and embrace change.

Always on the move

It is a good thing that Angela Choi is a morning person, because her swim practice starts at 6 a.m. – three times a week, no less. Practice consists of swimming 1,000 meters in different strokes. “Not only is it fun, but it’s good for the back and it relaxes me,” Angela says. Afterward, she makes her way through the hustle and bustle of the megacity of Seoul and arrives punctually at the office, where a mountain of work awaits her. Angela is a Marketing Manager for Emitters, Lasers and Sensors at Opto Semiconductors. Among other things, she is responsible for Samsung Electronics, a particularly large customer with very high standards, in the field of 3D sensor technology.

The OSRAM team in South Korea has 21 colleagues. Frequent business trips to other countries and juggling several things at once are all part of the job for Angela. Besides handling the marketing for her projects, she also cooperates with sales, research and development, and quality assurance. She skillfully manages all of these tasks and is exceptionally successful in her work. Together with an international team from Opto Semiconductors, Angela won the prestigious ORANGE Award for employees in 2016 for developing an innovative iris scan, which has been revolutionizing the mobile device industry. “Holding the award in my hands was the best moment of my career. It’s great to work with passion toward a common goal as part of a team,” Angela says. She has also won the “Best Sales Excellence” award for Opto Semiconductors in the APAC region four times in the past eight years. Colleagues and customers alike praise the 41-year-old’s passion and infectious energy with which she turns obstacles into success stories time and again. Her secret?

“Careful planning,” Angela says. “And as soon as I set a goal, I start to act.” There is only one exception to this rule: “My children, who are ten and six. They come first, even if they occasionally mess up my schedule.” Angela’s husband also has a demanding career, so keeping home life in order requires a sophisticated system – and help from Angela’s mother. Even so, it is always challenging. “It helps that I enjoy the work I do for my family and my career, and that I do those jobs with passion,” Angela says. “It keeps me on my toes and makes me happy.” Just like her regularly scheduled visits to the pool. Her bathing suit always comes along on trips, too.

From message boy to boss

Ricardo Leptich has been working for OSRAM Brazil for 23 years. He started out in 1995 as a 16-year-old message boy. He later went on to work in the Marketing department and in Sales, taking on roles such as market analyst, coordinator, manager and sales director. Since 2016, he has been the CEO of OSRAM Brazil, overseeing Latin American sales of automotive products as well as professional and industrial applications in Specialty Lighting. He has set himself new tasks time and again. His capacity for growth and ability to take on new tasks are the qualities that have enabled 39- year-old Ricardo to get so far in his life. “I’ve always been open to new things during my career, and I’ve often sought out challenges,” he says. “Whenever I saw a weakness or a business opportunity somewhere at OSRAM, I knocked on my bosses’ doors and said ‘Have you seen this?’”

Ricardo has been promoted seven times, and OSRAM has honored the successful work he has done by presenting him with several awards. “If you want to change something, you have to show initiative,” Ricardo says. “It’s not enough to only do what is asked of you.”

And so, naturally, he has also become highly active in many ways as CEO since the Ledvance spin-off. OSRAM São Paulo has moved out of a building from the 1950s (“with original furniture!”) into a modern office. This is where around 40 colleagues now take care of the import and sale of high-tech products from our Specialty Lighting, Digital Systems and Opto Semiconductors Business Units. In the past, departments were often cut off from each other, whereas they now work closely together – the doors of the office are open. This is important to Ricardo. Once a month, the entire team meets to discuss business results and outlooks. In order to strengthen cohesion in the team even more, events such as family days have been established, where parents can show their children the workplace. And in order to make working life easier for employees, there have been improvements to social benefits. “This is the way that we want to keep going,” Ricardo says. “Change is especially successful when it’s supported by all employees.”