Every year, we recognize inspirational and dedicated leaders across the company at our Electrolux Awards. Our 12 global Leadership Award finalists, nominated by our employees, share what leadership means to them.
Celia Yu, General Manager, Taiwan
What is the important piece about being a leader?
“First is to have a clear vision that people can understand. The second is to build trust – if there is trust, your team will work with you in the same direction and will be transparent in sharing their feedback.”
Derek Haley, Operations Director, Australia/New Zealand
What is leadership for you?
“The leader should sit on the bottom, not on the top. It’s about helping and supporting my teams so they can deliver what they set out to achieve.”
Matt Gram, Senior Director, End to End Demand Flow, North America
What is leadership for you?
“It’s about people. It’s about providing clarity on what the priorities are and why they are important. Clearly defining and communicating the culture they want to build within the team, and holding themselves and the team accountable to that.”
Dennis Schenk, Senior Development Engineer Manager, North America
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
“I take a lot of time to talk to my team about the “WHY” instead of directing them what to do – because sometimes they have better ideas; they just need to be clear what the end goal is,”
Thomas Jankevics, VP Business Unit Consumables & Accessories
What do you think is a characteristic of a great leader?
“You have to work cross-functionally while going in the same direction. Build relationships, ensure that the team has the right focus, means and are being accountable.”
Hanna Nilsson, Head of Global Tax & Accounting
What is leadership for you?
“Leadership is not about giving instructions to people. It’s encouraging people to perform at their best and setting up the right environment where this can happen.”
Paweł Szczepaniak, R&D Dish Care Laboratory Manager
What do you think is a characteristic of a great leader?
“Great leaders embrace diversity and openness. You try to understand people’s differences, know their motivations, then help them do things that will inspire them.”
Filippo Milanese, SVP Global Purchasing Fabric & Dish Care
What are you most proud of as a people leader?
“Seeing my former team members grow and take on leadership roles. My role as a leader is to spot their potential and give them the right exposure and opportunities.”
Pavel Potapov, General Manager, Russia
What is the important piece about being a leader?
“Build a culture where your people know you are not just giving orders, but they see you working on real things. You are standing with them through tough circumstances.”
Roman Rublyovskyi, Plant Manager, Ukraine
What are the characteristics of a great leader?
“A great leader coaches and supports the team, but also is not afraid to ask for help from the team members. We will be able to move fast if we are transparent and share key information to each other.”
Ana Paula Liz, Commercial Sales Manager, Latin America
What is leadership for you?
“People are the most important part in an organization, they make a difference. As a leader my mission is to take care of them. Working together, transparently … listening, teaching, exchanging experiences and engaging people’s growth.”
José Machado, Plant Director, São Carlos
What is leadership for you?
“Leaders should be results-focused. But it’s impossible to get the results without thinking of the people. Leadership is about finding the right people, developing them and engaging them to achieve their best.”
