Let's meet Bianca: from PreMaster to being responsible for growing mobility services in the US

I started my career at Bosch Service Solutions in August 2016 as a PreMaster in Product Management, supporting the eCall and Concierge services. Then I completed my Master's degree in International Business and Intercultural Management, including a semester abroad in Colombia. I have always found it exciting to work globally and with different cultures. I wrote my Master's thesis at Bosch Service Solutions, about the expansion of eCall to India. The focus was on the comparison between the German and Indian work cultures and their opportunities and how to overcome potential challenges. After submitting my thesis, I joined the mobility team as Sales and Business Development (BUD) manager and worked within the topic of fleets and was the responsible presales for global tenders.

I've always wanted to work abroad and expand my knowledge in the process. My superiors supported me a lot in realizing this next step. The American market offers great opportunities for Bosch Service Solutions, therefore my assignment to support the Sales and Business Development team there was the logical step.

My focus is on growing sales in the American region with our existing mobility service portfolio like eCall or Stolen Vehicle tracking. Also, another important element is to develop new services for and with our customers like for example the Child Presence Detection (CPD). For this service I am the Product Owner and I have been working on for a while now. Due to upcoming legislation, CPD is set to grow in the USA over the next couple of years, and I will oversee its launch and further developments. With good understanding of products and our Bosch Service Solutions' processes I am acting as the interface of the mobility team in the USA to facilitate the launch and future sales. This is a win-win situation.

At the moment, I'm mainly working on acquiring new customers for our mobility service portfolio and on the Child Presence Detection project. The focus is on Asian and new car manufacturers.

Child Presence Detection is about protecting children or pets in vehicles from potential harm. Unfortunately, it happens frequently that they are left behind in cars that become too hot and the children are injured or even die. To avoid this in the future, a law was passed in the US (Hot Cars Act), which requires the car manufacturers to equip their vehicles with appropriate technology and systems (e.g., sensors) from 2025 onwards. Also, a third-party emergency service provider shall get involved in the third stage of escalation. In the case of our clients this will be performed from us to reach different contact persons or the emergency dispatchers to save the child in the car.

There is already a similar initiative in Europe. However, US the legislation will become legally binding, whereas in the EU it is only a recommendation by the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) organization.

Find out more about our CPD service

In my opinion, the American market is very dynamic and digital. Flexibility is a top priority in the USA. I have observed a hands-on mentality among my American colleagues and noticed that a lot of things are about business, not just in the workplace. But that's also how you get into conversation very quickly and easily – the classic small talk. I like it very much. At this point, a little tip: When the question "How are you?" comes up, it's a kind of greeting to start a conversation. No one expects a detailed answer from you.

Being able to work flexibly remotely is very important to me. It's great that I can do the same in Fort Lauderdale. In the beginning, I went to the office almost every day. It was important to me to be well received in the team and the organization, to understand the structures and to settle in properly. In the meantime, I have found a good balance and go to the office three to four days a week, otherwise I work from home. What I really like is the fact that Fort Lauderdale is an operational site, so I get to see how our services are delivered. The conversations with the customers and the experience of the service design helps me a lot. Now I am able to understand the day-to-day challenges of our operations much better. Apart from that, I feel very comfortable in the office, which is also due to my nice colleagues who welcomed me very warmly right from the start.

If you feel like it, you should definitely take this step, because you can only win. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware that you are immersed in another life and that you will face a lot of new challenges.

The most important tip from my side would be to focus on settling in the job, and to really work on building up a social network outside of work — especially if you go abroad alone. To feel comfortable and make the best use of your time abroad, you should surround yourself with like-minded people. Therefore, I can really recommend expat networks or sports clubs as an opportunity to make new contacts.