Petr, now we are curious – where and how did your career as a consultant begin?
The connected planning solution Anaplan has been my hobby for a long time, initially as a consultant for external customers, then in-house as an Anaplan Business Analyst and Architect. I played these roles at both a British FMCG company and a Russian e-commerce company.
In the spring of 2022, a change of location from Russia to Turkey was announced on short notice, but it was still possible for me to continue working remotely for the e-commerce company. Despite the private changes, it was no longer exciting and challenging for me to handle only in-house topics that have a limited range of tasks and are always performed by the same team.
With all the private and geographical changes, it was time for me to make a professional change, and so it came that I looked for positions as an external consultant. In the process, however, I wanted to keep working with connected planning and Anaplan.
How did it happen that you came across valantic and applied there?
During my research, I quickly found that the topic of connected planning was not yet very widespread in Europe. As a result, I quickly became aware that valantic is one of the leading companies in this area. The job description sounded very agile to me, and the responsibilities also seemed challenging, modern, and international.
Exciting! But now you were living in Turkey, how did it happen that you joined the valantic Business Analytics team in Zurich?
In fact, I joined valantic in May 2022. The Managing Director in Zurich has been open to the possibilities of cooperation and flexible working models from the very beginning. And so it happened that I started as a freelancer, initially handling project activities in the area of connected planning. All customers were informed about my deployments in advance, and they agreed to this working model, so that I was able to get involved in various connected planning projects in German-speaking countries right away.
How did you feel about working on and with the valantic team during this time?
Communication with the team was fantastic from the start, despite the national borders. All processes within valantic also made it possible for me to get started without any problems. I never felt cut off or not “with the program” at any time, even though I only worked remotely.
One highlight was definitely that a large part of the team visited me in Turkey during a workation stay in summer 2022.
Shortly before Christmas 2022, you actually moved to Switzerland. How did this finally happen and how do you feel about your latest geographical change?
It was clear from the outset that freelance work could not be a permanent solution and was only feasible for a limited time.
The valantic team therefore made early, intensive efforts to obtain a residence and work permit for me for Zurich. After a few weeks of intensive work and a lot of bureaucracy, I had all the necessary permits for entry, including a valid employment contract.
It’s much better to be able to be on-site now. This also provides the flexibility to be on-site with customers whenever necessary. Personal interaction in the office also enriches my daily work a great deal.
In general, I feel very comfortable in Switzerland, as the country is generally very international and communication in English is possible without any problems. I have even started skiing 😊
If you think about your current role within valantic as a Connected Planning Consultant now, do you still think that it was the right step to make the change from in-house to external?
I can definitely say that it was the right career move for me! I participate in so many different customer projects and use cases, even across different industries. There is tremendous variety, and the learning curve is enormous. That would have been inconceivable for me in-house.
For me, working as a Connected Planning Consultant at valantic has been characterized thus far by the need to be able to adapt quickly to changing customer requirements and deliver high-quality results given tight deadlines. In my view, such challenges strengthen partnership relationships with customers. At the same time, the cooperation with my professional team colleagues creates an enormously efficient working environment, one that I have never experienced before.
And why do you think the topic of connected planning is so important?
Connected planning is more important than ever for me today, since it provides the opportunity to contribute to a company’s strategic direction, develop a comprehensive understanding of its processes, and collaborate with stakeholders from different industries. Especially now, in an uncertain and rapidly changing economy, business planning plays a crucial role in helping companies anticipate potential risks and opportunities, prepare for them, and adapt to changing market conditions.
Thank you for these exciting insights, Petr!
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