#07_Thomas Hungerland,Senior VP South East Asia, Taiwan, HK, Daimler Financial Services, Singapore

Leadership Backstage

Thomas Hungerland is Senior Vice-President at Daimler Financial Services. Currently he lives with his family in Singapore and is responsible for the region South East Asia, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. He began his professional career at Daimler a few decades ago in Germany and later worked as a leader in UK and in France before he took his position in Asia a few years ago. All these stations, he recalls, helped him raise his awareness for cultural differences and for how company cultures evolve. He explains that "Leadership is a contact sport and that every great athlete in the world has a coach". That’s why he has been working with a coach for 20 years now, taking each time a moment to step back and reflect during each new big professional change he was facing. Delegation and trust were one of the first things he learned in his management role but also understanding the meaning and purpose of what we do. He admits, that he likes to be liked and that he attaches a big importance to having a clear and good relationship with people he works with. For him emotional intelligence and communication are key for the success of a leader and for the team. Thomas gives also insights into his expat life, and reflects about the challenges and the chances his international career meant for his family and especially for his children.