As a people developer in Munich, my job is to make sure our people at TRATON are ready for the future to come. More generally, my purpose is to enable and engage them to learn and develop. A specific project I’m responsible for is the amazing TRATON Global Trainee Program. This is a Group program that hires and develops talented recent graduates as potential leaders or specialists across our brands and across the globe.
Back at Volkswagen Trucks & Bus in Brazil, I had the opportunity to experience different areas of the company, including strategy and engineering. This gave me a really good high-level picture of how different departments work together and what they need. And since I know different segments of the company, I am able to work more constructively with them.
As our Group functions at TRATON grow, the work needed to build and support that growth involves a lot of what I do. I believe transformation isn't just something we talk about, it is happening right here, right now, we are in the middle of it. I have been closely involved in shaping this from the learning and development perspective by supporting the creation of a group-wide learning structure together with our brand's academies. This collaboration ensures that our employees have access to the right development opportunities aligned with today's needs, but also our tomorrow's ambitions.
The TRATON Global Trainee Program, which I'm really proud to lead, is a truly cross-brand and collaborative initiative, designed to onboard and develop talents we hire from all around the world from every brand. Since starting this joint program, we welcome over 300 trainees from around the world. Our goal for them is to become what we call TRATON ambassadors – individuals who work on their respective brands but carry a strong Group mindset focused on building a future together.
Working for TRATON, I personally especially enjoy the great mixture of cultures we have. It is strongly influenced by our different brands. There's a little bit of Swedish kindness and an easy approach of flat hierarchies combined with the German structured and open mindset. We also have this blend of Brazilian flexibility as well as the American efficiency and clear communication.
One thing I absolutely love about being based in Munich is how easy it is to explore the surroundings. The English Garden here is one of my favorite spots, and I love exploring the more remote parts of the Isar river outside town. I’ve also taken the opportunity to travel around Europe and see other countries. This is completely different from Brazil which is basically the size of a continent – meaning you have to take very long trips to go abroad.
What do I miss most when I think of home? Definitely friends and my extended family. I’m very grateful that my wife has accompanied me on this adventure of working abroad. Just recently, we decided to extend our time here in Germany. But what’s even better is that we are now awaiting the birth of our first child, who will be born in Munich. So this city will always be a special place to me!
Greetings from Germany
Lucas Antunes
