Tristan Ross

"Be bold!"

"As a trainee in HR, I started my career in the logistics industry, which included working on a number of projects in Asia. My career path then took me via the medical technology industry, through Europe-wide IT-related projects, to Konica Minolta, where I now work as Digital Transformation Lead. After almost two years with the company, I applied for the TIP. I liked the idea of working with colleagues from other countries again. Seeing people with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds come together on a project really appealed to me, as in previous jobs I'd enjoyed supporting projects across Europe and working beyond national borders. With the company motto 'be bold' in mind, I took the plunge and applied, with the support of my manager. We discussed beforehand how much of my time the project would take, and she agreed that I could invest working hours in the project as needed.

And then it all started: the proposed projects were presented at an event, and we were invited to apply for the one we were most interested in. I chose a project involving AI-supported video solutions because, at the time (as now), I saw this as a future market. Colleagues from various locations in Germany, the UK, Denmark and Japan were also interested in the project, and we were thrown together as a team. There were regular check-ins with all the project teams, where other nationalities were also represented. There we discussed whether there were any showstoppers or topics where we were stuck. Otherwise, we organised ourselves, divided up the team and decided who would be responsible for what. For example, I took on data protection and gathered lots of information to make sure that we took legal aspects into account in our planning, and that our project was realistic. We then met as a team every fortnight and discussed our progress – sometimes virtually, sometimes in person."

My recommendation – just do it!

"One thing I've learned is that developing a good idea into a real product can be more difficult than you might think. There were many good ideas in the various project teams, but only a few made it to the realisation stage. Even though our project didn't make it to that stage, it was still very exciting to be involved. It was great to meet colleagues in person, at the closing event, for example, which was attended by European management team members who had supported the project teams. It made me realise once again just how important the Transformation Innovation Programme is within the company and how much visibility you get. The experience encouraged me to adopt the motto "be bold – just do it!" If you have a good idea, you should pursue it and try to realise it, even if it seems unrealistic at first. The project team that won back then, for example, developed a chatbot – an idea that sounded unrealistic in 2020, but was successfully delivered."

Openness and commitment are essential

"I don't think it matters who you are, the only quality you need is an open mind: for topics, for people, for projects; and, most importantly, for healthy debate and different opinions. Otherwise, simply come as you are: whether you're shy or talk a lot, or how good your English is – it's not important. You just have to be keen to take on a new project and invest the necessary time in it. You should coordinate well with your manager in advance, prioritise accordingly and show commitment."