Get To Know Robin Adt
Welcome to Robin Adt, Global Mobility Consultant for Santa Fe Germany
Discover our new mini-series #GetToKnowOurPeople where Santa Fe employees worldwide talk freely about their life in and out of work. Santa Fe Relocation values its people, their fantastic diversity and the vast pool of knowledge they bring. We learn from each other every day, so we’re happy for you to get to know them too.
Watch Robin’s full video below to get to know him!
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Robin, I am 29 years old and I have been working as Global Mobility Consultant with Santa Fe Relocation in Frankfurt, Germany since May 2019. Before that, I studied to become a teacher for German and English at the University of Trier and also lived in the UK for six months during my studies, where I worked as German Language Assistant at a Secondary School. After I graduated from university with a Master’s degree in teaching, I decided not to pursue a teaching career which in the end led me to Santa Fe. A friend of mine who works for Santa Fe as well introduced me to the company and enabled me to pursue a career in a different field where at the time, I did not have any experience in. This was the best thing that could have happened to me since I now get the chance to broaden my intercultural horizon by communicating with people from all over the world.
Tell us about Santa Fe?
Santa Fe Relocation is a relocation services company based in London, United Kingdom providing moving and destination services as well as immigration and assignment management services.
I have experienced Santa Fe as a very inclusive and open-minded company that thrives at working with different people from different cultures all over the world. The main goal of Santa Fe is to provide the best possible customer service experience for the corporate client but also to every individual assignee. The inclusiveness of Santa Fe – not only with regard to different cultures but also in every other aspect (religion, gender, skin colour, sexuality,… etc.) – is something that every employer should take note of and adapt to their own company standards. It is amazing to see that Santa Fe moves with the times and embraces diversity rather than fearing and resenting it.
What do you do at work?
In my day-to-day work as Global Mobility Consultant with Santa Fe Relocation, I basically function as the first point of contact for corporate clients and assignees and also as a link between a variety of different parties involved in the relocation process of the assignees. I also brief the assignees in advance with regard to the services authorized by their employer and also by explaining the relocation process and the individual services to them. By facing these tasks day-to-day with a smile on my face, I provide and ensure a smooth customer experience, not only for the assignee but also for the corporate client.
Why did you choose Santa Fe?
I chose Santa Fe because of the prospect of working in an inclusive and diverse workplace. I have always been passionate about getting to know different cultures and gaining more experience in terms of working in an intercultural work environment. I myself grew up in a very rural area in Germany where I was never really exposed to the diversity the world offers you on a daily basis and I wanted to break out of this environment by broadening my own horizon with regard to intercultural communication. I believe that the key for intercultural communication is not only gaining an understanding of cultural differences but also compassion and empathy, so it was a natural decision for me to go with an employer that can help me develop these skills even further.
Why did we choose you?
Besides the fact that it definitely helped to have a friend put in a good word for me on a management level, I believe that in the end I managed to convince them with my kindness and eager mind. I sincerely believe that kindness will get you so much further in the world and I think that I got this point across in my job interview. The people who work with me know that I like to put a smile on people’s faces with my sense of humour and I think that being able to do that in sometimes very challenging times (especially with the current situation in the pandemic) is much appreciated by the people I work with.
What is your greatest achievement at work?
My work enables me to accompany people in a period of their life where oftentimes, a completely new stage of their life begins. They move to a new country with and sometimes even without their families and I can only imagine how scared some of them must be, given the fact that many assignees come from a completely different cultural background. Being able to help them with different things before and during their expatriation is a very rewarding experience for me and putting a smile on their faces and receiving positive feedback when they are happy with the service delivery feels like a great achievement and makes me very proud every single day.
What is your greatest achievement in life?
Despite the fact that I decided not to pursue a teaching career after finishing my studies, my greatest achievement in life is my Master’s degree since it took a lot of time and effort to achieve it. This degree opened the door for me to work with Santa Fe although as a “career changer”, my educational background does not necessarily align with the job I have now. Putting in the hard work to successfully graduate from university with a Master’s degree and also succeeding at taking the frightening first step to change careers are two things that the majority of people either is not able to do or does not dare to do, which makes me very proud.
What or who inspires you in your life and at work?
In my daily life, I am always inspired by people like e.g. Ellen DeGeneres who aspire to make the world a better place every single day by spreading love and giving to people in need. People like her teach me on a daily basis that kindness goes a long way and how easy it actually is to just be a kind person. At work, I am inspired daily by my colleague and Team Lead Sandra Löffler who manages to be the kindest and most patient person, even in stressful situations. She has the gift of being calm and composed even in situations where other people (including me) would probably be unsettled or panicked. She inspires me every day and in my work life, I aspire to deal with challenging situations in the exact same way.
What is the best thing about working at Santa Fe?
The best thing about working at Santa Fe is the daily pleasure of working with people from all over the world and from the most diverse cultural backgrounds. Every day, I see new aspects of different cultures that interest me and that I want to know more about. Also, it is a very pleasant experience to work with my amazing colleagues every single day, not only in my team but also across teams and even across departments. The vibe is very friendly and casual and even with people on a management level, it feels like you are talking to a friend, which is great. The flat hierarchy at Santa Fe has always been an aspect that I really appreciate since it does not feel like you are looked down upon by anyone in a higher position.
What is the best thing about our horse?
The best thing about the Santa Fe horse is that it appears to be very dynamic and also that it is red and white, parallel to the Danish flag. The red and white horse represents the Danish roots of Santa Fe in 1884 when Captain H.N. Andersen established Andersen & Co. in Bangkok, Thailand and founded The East Asiatic Company (EAC) in 1897. EAC acquired Santa Fe in 1988 and formed the beginning of a dedicated moving and relocation business. The fact that Santa Fe is still staying true to its roots to this day makes me think that Santa Fe has never forgotten where they came from, which is very honourable.
What is the best advice you can give to people?
The best advice I can give to people is to be the best version of yourself at all times. Treat people the way you would like to be treated and you will always be rewarded with positivity. Actions usually dictate the consequences and if you are able to face other people with respect and love, this is the best you can do. Being a good person is easy and being narrow-minded and spreading negativity everywhere does not get you anywhere in life. However, do not forget yourself in the process and do not let anybody get you down! Know your self-worth and be the best person you can be without being a pushover for people who do not value you as much as you value yourself.
What would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I would gather all my closest family and friends and fight these stupid zombies together with them, so we can hopefully all make it through safely. If you realize that you are in this together and you fight in solidarity, this is the key to making it through tough times. This is also a good analogy for life: In case you need help, you feel lost or you just need someone to talk to, do not hesitate to reach out to your closest friends. You will never be a burden to them and together you can get through difficult times much easier than by dealing with hardships on your own.
There are now 25 hours in a day, how would you spend the extra hour?
If there were 25 hours in a day, I would probably spend the extra hour in a good restaurant over a nice dinner because I love eating. It always makes you feel good, no matter how hard your day has been or how many difficult situations you had to face that day. I would also probably use the extra hour to learn a new language, probably Spanish, since I am an avid language learner. Unfortunately, I have not really found the time or motivation to learn a new language or to improve my foreign language skills lately, the extra hour would probably help me pick up on this again.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
If I could travel anywhere, I would definitely go to Australia and New Zealand since I have not had the chance to go there yet. It has been a dream of mine to travel to Australia and New Zealand for probably more than 10 years and it would be amazing to finally get to see these beautiful places, among many others in the world. Unfortunately, the current situation does not allow people to go places, however, I can only recommend everybody to travel as much as you can. Travelling and seeing new places broadens your horizon and opens your mind more than probably anything else in the world.
How did you find this interview?
I really liked this interview a lot. The setup was great and the interviewer was very nice. The whole experience was very pleasant and I would definitely do it again. Everybody who was involved in the process was very kind and I was given as much time as I needed to answer the questions without any time constraints, which was also very nice because there was no pressure involved. It is also a very educating but also humbling experience to see yourself on camera, so it was great to be able to talk in front of a camera and answer a number of questions. Thank you for this opportunity!
Santa Fe sincerely thanks Robin for contributing to this initiative and for sharing his story with us!
