A day in the life of… Iván Arredondo, branch manager food at LASC Panama

A day in the life of… Iván Arredondo, Regional Industry Manager Food, Panama

Six years ago, Iván Arredondo (35) joined the marketing department at the Support Center in Panama, quickly standing out as one of its most talented members.

It all started with pots and pans. Iván Arredondo launched his professional career with an apprenticeship at Imusa, the leading cookware manufacturer in Colombia. Spending his life at the stove was not what the exuberant Colombian was dreaming of, however. After majoring in electronic engineering and business at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia, he worked for various companies in several key positions such as maintenance, sales support and marketing. During this time he gained valuable expertise and experience in the field of process automation.

In 2008, Iván Arredondo joined the Endress+Hauser Latin American Support Center (LASC) in Panama City, where he held the position of Business Development Manager for the food and beverage industry until 2014. He subsequently became Regional Industry Manager for the food and beverage industry in Latin America at the beginning of this year. “Iván is an example of perseverance and motivation for our entire team,” acknowledges LASC General Manager Eduardo Sequera.

Trends and feedbacks In his new position, Iván Arredondo is responsible for the development of this important industry. He implements product and industry strategies and identifies longterm market trends to provide feedback to the production centers and international industry networks. He also develops local marketing activities such as new products, services and solutions. “With his contagious energy, he helps us to understand what being part or the Endress+Hauser family really means”, his co-worker Osmel Reyes says.

His daily routine involves technical presentations, training, developing tailor-made customer applications (mostly together with the customer) and documentation – at least when he is not on a business trip: Iván Arredondo travels for around 25 weeks of the year, visiting customers and partners in 24 countries in the Caribbean Islands and Central and South America. That’s why he tries to enjoy most of his free time with his family. “I am in love with my dreams. I am married to success and have an affair with life,” he says. He then speeds off with Valentina, his brightly-polished 950cc chopper-style motorbike.

A typical 6:30 a.m. Arrival He veriworking day fies the day’s scheduled activities and reads the latest Das Tagebuch vom Mittwoch, 4. Juni 2014 industry news. Here he concentrates on international developments, major investment announcements and important events that could impact his strategies. 7:20 a.m. Prioritizing After checking Salesforce.com, he plans his day. That could include developing marketing 5:00 a.m. Rise and Shine campaigns, finding answers Iván Arredondo begins to technical questions, markethis daily routine by preing activities and prioritizing paring a cup of Colomcontacts with customers. bian hot chocolate, after which he wakes up his two children, or at least tries to. The young est is a real challenge in this respect! 10:00 a.m. Networking Iván Arredondo has printed out his market report for sharing with colleagues. This is one of the most important activities for the LASC office: sharing information with the team while continuously looking for ways to improve the operation.

On the fast lane: A powerful motorbike makes the journey to and from work a pleasure for Iván Arredondo.

12:00 p.m. Break time It’s time for lunch, which is also an opportunity to interact with his colleagues. He feels right at home with the team and really enjoys talking about economics, politics and global events. 1:00 p.m. Preparation He prepares for a customer meeting. The seminar will focus on marketing solutions in the food and beverage industry. Before leaving he gathers up demo instruments, brochures and success stories. 3:35 p.m. Presentation Iván Arredondo has one overriding objective when leading a seminar: to help local customers gain competitiveness with effective, innovative solutions and products of outstanding quality. 6:00 p.m. Calling it a day The industry manager returns home for another very important task. As a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible with his family. The quest for excellence should be pursued both in the office and at home!