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After my university studies, I was aiming to start a job in a global company. I had the opportunity to join Allianz Mexico as an Underwriter for the Engineering line of business. I worked as such for one and a half years and later I was requested to start underwriting risks for the Property line of business.
Later on, I got myself involved in a part-time EMBA while still working for Allianz Mexico. After my graduation, I was in charge of the underwriting area focused on small and medium sized clients which was not fully developed at that time. Since I was working for a global company, I wanted to have professional experience abroad and be in contact with different people coming from different cultures of the world. All that I did not have in the local company. Suddenly, I got the opportunity to come to Allianz Re as Engineering Underwriter which offered a global and extremely international perspective of the insurance business.
The culture of Germany is quite different to that where I come from. There are some behaviours and ways of being which I think are the same, for example business dress code, table manners. Nevertheless there are some surprisingly different behaviours compared to those of Mexico: punctuality Germans being very frank and direct in their communication, respect for nature and the environment, exhaustive planning for everything. You also experience some situations that are not known to you but you get used to them. For example that shops and supermarkets closed on Sundays and holidays.
My expectations about Germany? I did not have any special ones. I had the chance to travel to Munich and other German cities several times for some trainings and seminars while working in Mexico. Because of this, I had the opportunity to learn new things about Munich, Germany and its culture which at the end attracted me enough and made me consider moving here.
And what about the Allianz Culture? I feel that, within the international environment of this global company, more things can be achieved. When you take the best from different cultures, you get a wider mix of opportunities and solutions which in turn helps the company strive amongst its competitors and through tough economic cycles. I think the major challenge is then to overcome communication problems because of the diverse cultures and languages that the company possesses through its employees.
I like my job because it is not static, new challenges come everyday and I have the opportunity to learn good things from people that come from different parts of the world.
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