„I am a very stubborn person. If I have put something in my mind, I will not give up.“
Imagine you can go to work by ferry every day. For David Martyr that is not just imagination, it is a habit and his fastest way to the office. He lives with his German wife in Schindellegi and the office is on the other side of Lake of Zurich in Männedorf.
For his achievements, he won the CEO of the year award 2016 in the category Investment growth. David Martyr says: “A lot of things start coming together, we definitely feel this internally within the company, and I think our investors are pleased to see what we delivered in 2015.” When one asks the CEO what motivates him, his answer is success. This is the feeling one gets when talking to him. He shows a great passion and keeps the investors and shareholders always in mind. “I am a very stubborn person. If I have put something in my mind, I will not give up. Some people think a CEO must have a big ego, but I think I am fairly grounded and a rather introverted person. On the other hand, I really enjoy time with the team and motivating them.”
Every Lab. Every Day. Empowered.
Regarding the work-life-balance, Tecan’s CEO says: “I do a terrible job in work-life-balance.” However, how to handle stress is more important to him. Moreover, he firmly believes that in a position like his, everyone works pretty hard. During his free time, David Martyr likes to drive old-timer rallies together with his wife or to work on his old-timer cars in his garage. He distinctly refuses beach holidays and adds that he only needs a few days to cool down from work. And that work determines his daily grind.
“Every Lab. Every Day. Empowered.” These powerful words are written on a big screen in Tecan’s head office lobby and are not groundless. It is the company’s vision. David Martyr strongly believes that everyone at Tecan is working hard to allow customers working in labs and academia to get their job done really well. Besides, he says: “At the end of the day we are helping people improving health care. Everybody needs health checks, or knows a person that has been treated for cancer or needed a blood transfusion.” When you think about it, you must say that David Martyr is absolutely right. Everyone can be affected.
Leadership ability
David Martyr began his career as a student in the field of shipbuilding, today he is the CEO of a world class Life Sciences and Diagnostics company. Just a few people are born to reach this. Of course, you are born with the talent, but what also makes the difference, is the power of endurance. One must accept challenges, sometimes taking a high risk and one should make the right decisions. The British CEO lived for one year in Japan and later for ten years in Germany. There he had the possibility to learn several things, which he can apply today in leading people around the world. Everybody knows that one cannot deal with a Swiss the same way as a Japanese or an American. One has to adopt a specific leadership style. David Martyr says: “The way you communicate, how you put messages across, how you display openness, how you give feedback is very different. So when I give feedback to colleagues in Germany, Japan or America or here in Switzerland I have to choose different words.” However, several things are identical according to Tecan’s CEO: “The values and the culture we want in our company, are what the entire management team has to live, we need to be role models. The culture needs to be constantly nourished. So I think integrity, openness, and firmness as well as treating people fairly, is very important. And I guess these behaviors are respected and also understood universally.”
For Tecan, high standards are not enough, they are striving for the highest. The CEO strongly promotes thinking out of the box and integrity. The management is looking for ambitious people, according to David Martyr. It is not enough just to work on personal success. A manager should be able to push to the limits, to be faster than others and always want to go the extra mile. The CEO himself lives these points and is able to make decisions quickly when needed.
Business in Switzerland
As everyone knows Switzerland is a small country. For David Martyr, this is one of the beauties of this country. “There are a lot of networks and contacts, and you always run into people, who know other people, who know more people, and so on. It is therefore very easy to make business acquaintances or to contact any specific person.” He would recommend to his colleagues in the UK to consider working in Switzerland. According to him, it is a great place to live, to operate and to run a business. He lives in Schindellegi and knows the beauties of Switzerland. For sure our lakes and the mountains are highly liked by British in general. However, according to David Martyr, we have more to offer in Switzerland. “There are a lot of things here you can do. For example sports or some cultural activities. Probably the main problem is, that it is always hard to find the time to attend events.” He has little spare time, however, sometimes he goes to special circles or rallies. There is the possibility to build up good networks with other leaders and this is often useful for business.
Run fast
While Tecan assembles its instruments only in relatively high-cost countries, the company increasingly sources materials globally. “We focus on the supply chain. By sourcing materials, including castings and machined parts, we can further drive down costs.”, says David Martyr. At the same time, Tecan protects its Intellectual Property and knowledge. Tecan has several hundred patents, other things are protected by trademark registrations or designs rights, and the best protection according to David Martyr is to run fast.
3 wishes for Tecan
To continue striving for success
A good, reliable, motivated, energetic team to deliver
Positive economic environment, not entering a time of trade protectionism
3 wishes for himself
Health
To stay here in Switzerland for some more years and to drive some significant success
A good family situation