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Expats share their experiences about breaking into Hyderabad’s work and culture with Rebecca Lee
Name: Helge Gallinger Origin: German National Year arrived: 2003 Occupation: Principal of International School of Hyderabad (ISH). Responsibilities: Being the Educational CEO of the school. Experience: Helge has worked in international schools for over 25 years, but ISH, he says, is one of the better ones. He explains that “ I n t e r n at i o n a l schools are a very transient environment as people are always coming and going. This sometimes can happen unexpectedly and cause a crisis.” But other than that, “it is a fun and inspiring job especially being in Hyderabad during its boom period. If you miss this moment, you'll miss it all," he says.
Philosophy: "I'm not philosophical but I feel it is important to take advantage of the positives around you and work on the negatives."
 Name: Mike Kamminga Origin: The Netherlands Year arrived: 2006 Occupation: Mike works as a Director for Netherlands based company W3 Industries, which specialises in the technical realisation of websites and web applications and helps clients all over Europe. Responsibilities: Co-founder of the company and involved in managing the offshore facility centre in Hyderabad. Experience: Mike explains that his initial difficulties were "mainly language barriers, cultural differences, and a different educational system but after a couple of months I got used to most differences and developed a way to handle projects with my Indian staff in a different way in order to accomplish results. I also learned to look at many things in different ways, that help me understand behavioural patterns and the religious sentiments of people. I mainly learned that things are just different here.”
Mike's focus is on making the company grow and they are growing bigger with every passing month. "There are still many challenges ahead and I'm confident we'll meet those!"
Philosophy: "I don't really live by any particular philosophy because I believe you should be flexible and react differently in different situations."
 Name: Elizabeth Origin: Born in Germany, lives in America Year arrived: 2006 Occupation: Tax Director, US Deloitte firm, Hyderabad Responsibilities: Leads a team of 92 multi-state tax professionals and is helping to develop their technical, technological and overall business skills. Elizabeth has also taught US taxation at three universities in Hyderabad and is the Deloitte Women's Initiative Leader in India.
Experience: "It is one of the best experiences of my life," explains Elizabeth. The best part is working alongside her team of fantastic and intelligent professionals who have grown tremendously and have expanded the multi-state tax services provided to US clients. "I have also grown tremendously by stepping out of my comfort zone." For example, she spoke in front of 850 women during the launch of the Deloitte Women's Initiative in India. She is extremely passionate about the Women's Initiative and adds that “our goal is to recruit, retain and develop our women into leaders so we can increase the percentage of women at Deloitte."
Philosophy: "I work with an open door policy, I think it's very important that my team feels comfortable coming into my office and talking about whatever is on their mind and I think that they do."
 Name: Andy Hall Origin: England Year arrived: January 2007 Occupation: Working for UNU-Merit & LINK organisation. Responsibilities: Coordinating the global network for the academic researchers of South Asia and Africa and running the Hyderabad based office. Experience: Andy works with a team of researchers from Indian and all over the world with the goal of advancing the understanding of innovation for a new rural economy in developing countries. "Our research has become world famous since starting the office in Hyderabad. We've catapulted to the front line of our field and I believe this is because we are in the heart of the issues we address." He explains, "The researches in our team need to be very proactive, they thrive on doing their own thing."
Philosophy: "On the company side, we believe the world could run more successfully. What drives us is the belief that 'the world could be better for everyone.'”
 Name: Fredrick Dart Origin: France Year arrived: 2006 Occupation: Director of Alliance Francaise Hyderabad. Responsibilities: To promote French culture and language through French classes and cultural events in the city. Experience: Fredrick's time in Hyderabad has been a great learning experience, from “overcoming the chaotic traffic to learning more patience and serenity in life.” He finds himself learning as much about Hyderabad's culture as he is teaching about his. “There is a lot of energy and optimism here,” he declares. The teaching techniques he applies in India revolve around a lot of involvement in conducting projects and encouraging initiatives. Philosophy: "Take it as it comes." |
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