Insights and Experiences from the Talent Development Journey

The Talent Development Journey has been a transformative journey for participants across the globe. Through a blend of individual development plans, regional talent events, and comprehensive mentorship, participants have gained invaluable insights and skills.  

Challenging & Meaningful Development Plans 

Michael Kienegger, Head of Value Business & Professional Services, based in Switzerland shared with us: “Creating my Individual Development Plan challenged me to think about my strengths and weaknesses. This enabled me to create a meaningful plan for myself, which I could actively work on in the individual sessions with the mentor, but also on the program days”. 

Real-world applications and executive insights 

Michael noted, “The most transformative aspect for me was working with real data on our current challenges in the EMEA region and seeing the different approaches of the executives. This was one of the highlights of the whole program for me”. 

Balanced Skills Development 

“The Future Executive Program guided me perfectly through my areas of development. It covered a good mix of soft skills and business skills,” Michael added. 

Structured and Comprehensive Program 

He emphasized, “The program with the individual modules was well and sensibly structured. I can’t think of anything that I would change. I particularly like to emphasize the commitment of the Senior Leadership Team.” 

Mentoring and Personal Growth 

Regarding mentoring, Michael shared, “We had many topics I wanted to cover, and we did. Additionally, we discussed the daily challenges, that provided me with other perspectives from my mentor. We always had an exciting exchange and a good connection with each other, as we have both changed Ingram Micro countries. His open, direct approach and his advice on my personal career development were particularly valuable.” 

Diverse & Collaborative Buddy Groups 

Michael concluded, “I think we were a diverse group of participants, in terms of countries and roles. I found the collaboration in preparation for our final assignment, open discussions during the buddy meetings, and hearing about the challenges that other countries were facing was so exciting”.