Jan 28, 2022
EMEA Recruitment was pleased to welcome Marco Aspesi, the SVP Global Head of Internal Audit, Risk & Internal Control at Hitachi Energy, to the podcast.
“Make sure you work when you need to work, but you rest when it’s time to rest, because it doesn’t work otherwise.”
Marco spoke to Paul Toms following a challenging period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite finding it difficult to welcome newcomers into his team remotely, Marco enjoys nurturing young talent and watching them give everything they have to their role. It has even encouraged him to reflect on the early stages of his own career.
Taking the time to think is “critical” for Marco, who carves out time a couple of afternoons in the week to dedicate himself to thinking and learning. He’s had to teach himself to prioritise, empower and trust his team, and communicate effectively to get to this point. Hitachi Energy’s departure from ABB last year was demanding, but Marco insists we must all find time to rest.
We delve into Marco’s career successes, from his background in the Big 4, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) qualification and his current role as Head of Internal Audit. He has always been driven by his curiosity to learn and enrich his skills; he believes that opportunities come naturally when you have the right attitude.
Looking back at the start of his career, Marco explains the difference in finding a job in Italy in the 1990s compared to today. He sent “hundreds” of hand-written letters to employers, which landed him an interview at IBM. It was here that he discovered a passion for Finance, before he decided to move onto the client relationship side of the role at Ernst & Young. Nowadays, Marco feels it’s easier to understand the environment that you want to work in and make a conscious decision.
With so much information available to the younger generation, Marco offers advice on choosing a career path; it’s an important point for all professionals to consider.
Marco also has some insights on finding the best people for your team as a manager. Although he jokes that using the right recruiter (EMEA Recruitment) is essential, he believes that focussing on the personality of a prospective employee is the recipe for success.
Of course, it’s not just recruiting new talent that can be a challenge; you also have to retain them. Marco has learned some important lessons during his career, which has created an environment that his team can express themselves in. It all comes back to his focus on personal growth.
We find out which three skills Marco feels will be most important for the Finance function as business intelligence and data continue to affect processes within his team. Again, his commitment to strong communication and interpersonal skills is clear.
Paul ends the episode by finding out if Marco has any hidden talents – it’s an amusing answer!
To find a particular part of the episode that interests you, please use the timestamps below:
01:56: What makes Marco
smile
03:43: The lessons Marco has learned during the
pandemic
06:44: How Marco finds time to
think
09:53: The key to success
15:23: How Marco’s career
began
20:43: Where does Marco’s work ethic come
from?
23:36: Steps to finding the best
talent
28:01:
How to retain great people
31:41: Tips for communicating through a
screen
34:40:
The skills that Finance of the future will need
40:29: The importance of
communication
43:45: Marco’s hidden
talents
46:46:
How to reach out to Marco
If you’d like to connect with Marco, the best place to find him is on LinkedIn.
The EMEA Recruitment podcast is produced in partnership with Operation Smile, an international medical charity that provides life-changing surgery to children and adults with cleft lip and palate. If you’d like to find out more, please visit emearecruitment.com/operation-smile
This episode was hosted by Paul Toms, our Founder, and Rose Jinks, Senior Marketing Executive.
More information about our specialist recruitment services, including in the Finance & Accountancy discipline, is available on our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/
You can also keep up to date with all that’s going on at EMEA Recruitment on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/
If you’d like to connect with Paul, you can find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/
Alternatively, his is active on Twitter: https://twitter.com/paul_toms
To share any questions you have for guests on the podcast, please contact Rose: rose.jinks@emearecruitment.com
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