Interview with Alexander Salim

Thomas Tscherrig (TT): Congratulations, you joined the Executive Board of bmpi on 1 January 2021. Why?

Alexander Salim (AS): The bmpi has always pursued a variety of ideas and projects. Then, two years ago, we were told that we had too little management capacity for this and that we should expand the management. That appealed to me. As a result, I was able to gradually take on more responsibility. In addition, our new investment reporting engine Cinnamon Reporting was created during this time. So we had reached a point where we needed to expand the management team.

TT: How will you contribute to the management?

AS: My responsibilities lie in the areas of consulting and marketing. One must not forget that we are still an SME, which requires a high degree of flexibility, so I will also contribute where the need arises. Nevertheless, we want to move into the future with a more focussed division of responsibilities within the Executive Board.

TT: What topics are you focusing on this year?

AS: Our employees who work directly for clients have an above-average knowledge of the sector and are very independent. Furthermore, in addition to our core competence, client reporting, we want to address the topic of ESG in greater depth. On the one hand, because it has gained momentum again, but above all because the focal points of responsibility and sustainability have always occupied us as a company. We need to exploit the advantages mentioned in consulting, and I will do my utmost to achieve this. Furthermore, we want to work on our external perception, on the one hand because of our services and on the other hand for the recruitment of new employees, because I am convinced that bmpi is an exceptional employer.

TT: What is exceptional about bmpi?

AS: I have been working for bmpi for more than 5 years now and have not encountered anything comparable so far. The first thing that stands out is the transparency, from the business figures to the wages. And by that I don’t mean aggregated figures, but full insight. Many companies, even young ones, present themselves very openly to the outside world, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, you quickly come up against limits. We may not be perceived as such from the outside, but we live it all the more. What I also appreciate very much is that all colleagues treat each other as equals and with a lot of respect. I would say that we are ahead of the times as far as the points I mentioned are concerned.

TT: How did you experience the exceptional year 2020?

AS: This year was a challenge for everyone and therefore we are all the more grateful that our services were in demand. We quickly adapted to the requirements of our clients. As luck would have it, we rolled out Office 365 right before the crisis, which means we were ready for the many days in the home office. I was amazed at how quickly our employees got organised. I believe that the home office has now definitely established itself and that this will continue even without COVID-19. Nevertheless, social interaction should not be underestimated and I would be happy if we could get back to normal this year.

TT: What potential does the bmpi have for the future?

AS: The bmpi has great potential. On the one hand, we have the right employees and on the other hand, we are part of the digitalisation. Our new product Cinnamon Reporting has emerged precisely from this foundation. We have to manage to convince more customers because we can really offer added value here. Reports can be created with little effort and the operation is very lean. This type of product arises from so-called “turn-key projects”, i.e. projects where we provide the entire team and carry them through from A to Z. We see great potential in such projects. We see great potential in such projects.

TT: Finally, what do you do when you are not working?

AS: My wife and I are parents of two school-age sons. I like to spend time with them and my friends. I also go jogging, am a member of the local gymnastics club, read magazines and watch the occasional Netflix series (grins).

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