Stephan Strauss has recently taken over as chairman of the Executive Board at EUROMOVERS Worldwide Alliance, the global moving network.
Here, Steve Jordan talks to him about his new role and his plans for the organisation’s development.
Stephan is 49 years old. He’s been in the moving industry for over 27 years, most of his working life, first with DMS-International Germany where he completed his apprenticeship and founded the company’s office in berlin, a time with Interdean where he had his introduction to sales, Comtrans in Bonn, and most recently with Gebr. Roggendorf, where he worked for 17 years and became the company’s managing director. Born in Munich as the son of a diplomat, he had a very early introduction to the international moving industry, pin-balling around the globe following his father’s work, before settling in his native Germany.
He has taken over the EUROMOVERS role from Thomas Juchum, who remains with the organisation to focus on quality management. Before taking over from Thomas, Stephan was on the Board of Directors and vice president of EUROMOVERS International for over 11 years.
Stephan said that he is “absolutely convinced” about the EUROMOVERS product which he looks at not so much as a tonnage exchange network but as a sales tool. “You don’t join EUROMOVERS because of the tonnage,” he explained, though the members do exchange considerable business between themselves. “Our philosophy is to use EUROMOVERS to help corporate sales. Business that I wouldn’t have a chance of securing as a separate company, I can get as part of a network with 87 locations worldwide.” Stephan believes that the network provides its members with an opportunity to compete on a world stage with their multinational competition.
He believes that the network has the capacity to grow, up to a point. “I don’t want to extend it more that 50% from where it is now,” he said. He calls himself a ‘heart’ person, by which he means he treats everyone as individuals, regardless of race, culture or religion. He wants to extend the network, but with people who follow the philosophy of the organisation, that people come first ...
Photo: Stephan Strauss, Chairman of the Executive Board, EUROMOVERS.