We are Gallus - Gunnar Voss von Dahlen

Gunnar Voss von Dahlen became the Gallus Group's new CFO at the beginning of April 2011. Thanks to his economics studies and his many years of experience in Europe and Asia, Gunnar is highly conversant with the fields of auditing, financial consultancy and financial management.

Name:

Gunnar Voss von Dahlen

Position:

CFO (Chief Financial Officer, i.e. in charge of finances, legal issues and IT), member of the Gallus Group management team

Education:

Business degree at the University of Frankfurt am Main

Career:

Acquired the tools of his trade as an auditor and consultant. Tasks ranged from voucher audits to advice on flotations on the New York Stock Exchange.
Subsequently: Joined Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in Heidelberg; following various positions in the corporate finance department, CFO of Heidelberg UK based in London.
Last three years: CFO of the Asia / Pacific region in Singapore, i.e. responsible for China, Japan, India, South-East Asia, Australia, etc.
Now: CFO of the Gallus Group.

Hobbies:

Curiosity, the great outdoors, riding his RipStik, inline skating, golf, music, photography, having friends round for meals and reading.

Family:

Gunnar and his wife Ina have an active, intelligent and cheeky 10-year-old daughter.

You have been CFO of the Gallus Group since the beginning of April. How would you describe your first few months in your new role?

I am excited by how much potential and quality this company has. A company is only as good as its employees and, in my opinion, Gallus has some very well-trained staff. They are also highly motivated and show great willingness to tackle things positively and change them if this benefits the company as a whole and not just themselves.

Can you describe an average day as CFO?

There is no such thing. There are so many issues that need to be thought through, addressed or influenced each day. I'm rather like a juggler keeping 30 balls in the air and setting priorities by deciding which ball to catch next.

How do you meet the tough quality demands of customers and Gallus in your day-to-day work?

If you take the right strategic approach, you can create efficiency around you in addition to being efficient yourself.

How do you ensure you remain creative and at the cutting edge in your day-to-day work?

It is important to keep an open mind and listen to people. Constant self-reflection and self-criticism are useful in this respect.

What do you see as your greatest challenges?

One major challenge is further boosting efficiency at Gallus to ensure it generates cash on a continuous and sustainable basis, irrespective of fluctuations in turnover linked to the economic situation.
To achieve this, I ask why certain things are done and others are not. Are they antiquated traditions or well-established processes? Should we stick with the old or create something new? Achieving a genuine boost in efficiency by arriving at the right answers to these questions is a major challenge for me.

How do you switch off? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I switch off when I'm enjoying my hobbies with family and friends.