Interview with Urs Weber after nine months in his new role

Dear Urs, nine months ago you started at BBT in a newly created role as COO with many tasks waiting for you. How are you feeling at the moment and how have you experienced these nine months?

I’m doing well and I’m motivated. Thank you for asking.

The nine months at BBT have been an exciting journey for me. The entire team gave me a warm welcome, which made it much easier to get started. I am very grateful for that. The wide range of tasks gave me the opportunity to understand the company in its entirety and quickly familiarize myself with the processes. Overall, it was an instructive and challenging time and I look forward to continuing to make a positive contribution to BBT’s success.

As the new COO, you have taken over the management of the Life, Enterprise, Health and Care divisions and therefore all of BBT’s software solutions. What insights have you gained?

Taking on responsibility for the Life, Enterprise, Health and Care divisions is an exciting challenge and I see great potential. Above all, we want to focus more on product strategy, product innovation and cross-divisional collaboration next. The collaboration with the teams from the various product areas is extremely rewarding. All of this makes me very confident that we will continue to be successful together.

It is also new for the employees in these areas to have a COO who represents their work and concerns on a cross-divisional basis in the Executive Board. What has changed, been added or intensified as a result?

The introduction of a COO has certainly brought changes for everyone. The most important change is that all products are now under one roof. As a result, we now have a more comprehensive view. For me, this is the basis for close cooperation in order to benefit from each other and exploit synergies. In my view, this is the key to BBT’s continued success.

On the one hand, you had to establish your new position as COO in the BBT microcosm, and on the other, you had to assert yourself as the new Chief in the areas that report to you and tackle a great deal more. What were your biggest challenges in this dual role?

The biggest challenge is the dual task in and of itself. By that I mean establishing myself in the overall context of BBT and at the same time operating in the specific areas. Finding the right balance was and still is a challenge.

By «tackle a great deal more» you probably mean that it’s a triple task (laughs/Ivana smiles). Yes, not forgetting the many operational issues.

Did you have a vision when you started? If so, is this vision still the same? How are you pursuing it and why?

From conversations during the application process at BBT and from the assessment task that I was allowed to present at the end, I was able to guess where the shoe pinches. That’s why, when I started, I had the vision of optimizing processes, driving forward products and their innovation and promoting collaboration between the divisions. This vision remains unchanged. As I mentioned above, I am convinced that this is the key to success.

I pursue this vision by continuously looking for ways to improve and relying on the expertise of the teams.

BBT turned 27 this summer. In three years, the company will leave its twenties behind. Where do you see the BBT product range then – and what is your own role in the company? Idealizations allowed.

In three years’ time, I see BBT as innovative and one of the leading providers on the market. I see my role in the company as continuing to build bridges between the different areas to ensure seamless collaboration. Ideally, I would like BBT not only to be successful in three years’ time, but also to be perceived as an inspiring and sustainable company. As a «best place to work» that supports its employees and offers its customers demonstrable added value. Because we are successful because our customers are successful.

Thank you very much, Urs, for taking the time for this interview. We are glad to have found you.

The interview was conducted by Ivana D’Addario, Marketing Manager at BBT.