Martina Dudle, you are the Chairman of the Board of Attesta Schweizer Zertifizierungsgesellschaft AG. How did you come to this position?
I was in a comprehensive HR position at a major Swiss bank for many years before moving to the SME sector. In addition to operational HR tasks, I managed the project office for various future and overall bank projects and gained important insights into strategy work early on. I had the opportunity to take on a leading role in various committees and associations and was able to gain valuable experience in leading employees and teams over the years.
With the foundation of Attesta, I was elected to my current position on the Board of Directors. I was very pleased that management and investors consciously chose a woman at that time. I was also aware from the outset that I was taking on a major task and therefore responsibility.
Manuel E. Rickenbach supports me on the Board of Directors. An extremely experienced Swiss SME entrepreneur with international experience and extensive tourism know-how. The Board of Directors is complemented by our Board of Experts, which consists of members with specific and comprehensive expertise, at the highest level of research and development.
As a doer and sportswoman, I like challenges. My motivation to join Attesta's Board of Directors was and is the opportunity to work together on current topics. To be able to implement new insights gained in a way that is appropriate for SMEs and well Swiss, and to make a difference.
What fascinates you about your job?
It's the exchange and the opportunity to gain insight into a wide variety of companies and industries and to talk at management level about the topics that are relevant from an ISO perspective. I am in contact with decision-makers, experts in their field - and learn how they respond to the challenges of the day. In what I consider to be an extremely challenging time, which is characterized by uncertainty, complexity and a shortening of the half-life of solutions.
I am always fascinated by the many ways in which Swiss SMEs, supported by a systematic ISO management approach, respond to challenges and seize opportunities.
Where do you see advantages as a woman in management?
I have always enjoyed working with active and dynamic personalities. I appreciate the pragmatic, direct approach and a solution-oriented approach. It's this "can do" attitude, which is very often coupled with a very well-developed self-confidence - just like athletes in top-class sports. Heated discussions, due to disparate opinions and different points of view, can stimulate negotiations if they are conducted constructively.
My strength is to listen, to mediate and to put myself in my counterpart's shoes in order to understand. We all wear our "own glasses" through which we view the world. As a 54-year-old businesswoman, mother and former ski racer, I have different skills or "filters" than my colleagues - I see this as added value for our team.
What do you see as the barriers to implementing ISO?
I believe that the image of ISO is still very much tainted with heavy attributes. Over-documented systems that are not lived because maintenance takes too much time and resources. I understand the respect towards the implementation of an ISO management system. At the same time, I am convinced that ISO can create effective added value today. Management is more involved and sensitized to the important issues through the requirements of the standards. To improve continuously increases the quality and helps the company to align itself successfully in the long term and to remain competitive.
Contact me for a non-binding discussion on the introduction of an
ISO management system. I am looking forward to it.
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