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the projects

If you wonder why an executive leader has a project section on different topics which are mostly not related to his work and eventually have nothing to do with business at all, here are my three reasons for this:

Actions are great!

 

Life is not about what we say, it is about what we do. If words of wisdom are not followed by actions, then they are pointless. Especially in the corporate world too much time is spent on talking, arguing, defending and judging and often not enough on action for the future. There are many reasons for this – some are organizational based – but mostly it is because it is easier to talk than to do things. Doing is about daring, about making mistakes & learning. If we stop, the company will cease to grow and evolve.

 

So – just do things.

It is a great exercise!

 

Yes, of course you will always have enough work to do, enough work projects to run, but to learn, you need to be open and learn from others. Doing other projects or being part of them, helps you to keep an eye outside work. This will allow you to remain more open and diverse in your perspective. It is exactly that value that eventually got highlighted when you joined a company but that risks getting lost after a few months/years.

 

So – keep an eye on the outside.  

Less is often more!

 

In the corporate world, resources are often not that much of a scare element, especially in big corporations. Whatever small decision you might seek in company, it can get complicated. This can be frustrating, and it can make you believe that this is reality. Therefore, doing some projects that you might control to 100% helps you to get a better understanding of “real” timings for actions. And it also teaches you – if you are the only resource this project relies on – to keep things very simple.

 

So – keep things as simple as possible, always.  

Smarter Sundays
TG_Package_Spearmint_RGB_F_144_RZ.jpg

     Project
PLASTIC FREE
CHEWING GUM

Did you know that almost all chewing gums are made of plastic? Historically that was not the case, back in the 50ies a natural gum base was mostly used – but then the big cooperation’s realized that using petrol – i.e. plastic, is way cheaper. 

Two great guys, Leif & Dave thought that this must change. Why use plastic if there are natural grown alternatives. So, they kicked-off the project (literally with crowed funding) to create a 100% natural chewing gum. As I loved that idea so much, I helped them to create the brand – from packaging, advertising to busting social media campaigns. 

So – stop chewing on plastic. 

Anker 1

Project 

 nespresso 2nd life campaign

Sometimes the issue you believe you see, is not real one. At Nespresso we believed long time that we need to make recycling just easier for consumers and this would bring recycling rates but. But it didn’t. More recycling points, pick up by the postman – it all didn’t move the needle anymore. In consumer qualitative we then found the underlying insight – and from this, I had born the idea on the 2nd Life Campaign.

Anker 2

Project  

             SUSTAINABLE                    SWISS SALMON

It all started back in 2013 when a friend had a genius idea: produce sustainable salmon in Switzerland that is fresh, has no antibiotics and is sustainably produced. What a promise. What sounds simple and great, is actually a multimillion project that took 6 years from the idea to the day that the fishes are coming out of the water in Lostallo. I was a first seed investor in this project and was able to follow through and assist the project over the last few years.

Anker 3
KeynoteSpeaker

Project 

        KEYNOTE            SPEAKER

Over the last years I was invited frequently to give a key note at Universities, key meetings and forums. From this, I have developed a passion to speak to large audiences. I strongly believe that key notes are a fantastic opportunity to test your ability to simplify key messages and adapt it to the present audience. It is also a good check about your own capabilities and knowledge – because the better you are, the easier it is for you to speak about it. 

Project  

       Sabbatical

From the inside, even a hamster wheel looks like a career ladder. Working is great and gives me an enormous fulfillment. But at one point, I had also to realize that my personal work set-up and life got somewhat out of balance. You cannot possible reset it from within and therefore, I stepped out first and allowed myself the unique luxury of almost 7 months of travel with my family. It is a unique opportunity to take an outside view on your own life and take the time to identify what is important to you and what not or less.

Sabbatical Anker

     Project

 Smarter

     sundays

Creating a small new brand? Why not! For my new Apple iPad with pencil, I couldn't find an adequate pouch that fits both. So here I go and created the product & brand myself on a Sunday morning: this way, the SmarterSundays brand was born. This is an example of a simple product creating/branding/business exercise that can be done within 1-2 months in the evenings. Investments are close to nothing – a few hundred bugs – and up you go. For sure, it is then not build to make huge turnover yet, but it teaches you - hands on - a few fundamental elements on how to build a business case, create a brand form scratch, get the production going and many others things about logistic and digital. If you want to feel the sensation of creation again, these type of projects are a great way...and a lot of fun. 

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