A quarter of a century at Gosselin

When he joined Gosselin Switzerland twenty-five years ago, the company was still called Packimpex. Markus was looking for a new challenge, but didn’t think the moving industry had enough work for him on the long run. Despite not knowing anything about moving, he decided to give it a try and applied for a sales function. Now, many years later, he’s part of a big family for one of the main providers for Europe and busier than ever!

The early days

“Joining Gosselin certainly was a big challenge in the beginning,” Markus begins his story, “we were a team of two and had an office we built ourselves.” He and Raphael, his only colleague, did everything from unloading shops, surveys, move coordination, billing, claims, customer service, and so on. “Looking back it was a good experience and very helpful for the coming years. If you’ve seen the whole picture, you know the challenge of each individual working for you.”

Corporate sales was Markus’ main focus for some years. Going after new accounts and trying to get a foot between the door. After some years he got a chance to take over the back office involving pricing, billing, and procurement. “I was heavily involved in the agent selections all over the world and went to many conventions. Those were always stressful, but you make the best friends. Everywhere I travel now, I know who to go to!”

The biggest changes and challenges

“Some people change jobs five times, but I did that within the same company. Only it’s not the same company anymore. Gosselin has changed so much over the years. There were lots of mergers and we went from two to fifteen to two hundred people!” Markus explains. The day to day workload changed as well. Doors now open that have been closed before because the company was still too small.

“There’s always heavy emotions involved as well. People who’d rather not move for example. I always found that the most challenging,” Markus adds, “if it’s about money, you always find a solution. But on an emotional level? That’s a different story.”

The best memories

The first IAM convention in Orlando Markus attended will be an experience he’ll never forget. “I was all dressed up in a costume while everybody was dressed casually in shorts and T-shirts. After five minutes I was already sweating and couldn’t find the person I’d agreed to meet and I had no mobile phone. I thought about crying,” Markus remembers. “but I’ve learned that while you may not always meet the person you were looking for, you always encounter other interesting people.”

The future

Markus wants to celebrate thirty years at Gosselin as well, but in ten years time, he hopes to retire. “I love travelling and seeing new places, meeting new people, and getting to know different cultures. I’ve been to Thailand more than ten times now and have learnt to appreciate colder destinations such as Lapland as well,” he concludes.

About Gosselin

Gosselin is a leading provider of international moving and destination services. Our clients are  multinationals, relocation management companies, expats, diplomats, military personnel and private persons. With 56 offices in 34 countries, Gosselin has a strong presence in Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. 
Gosselin is a division of the Gosselin Group that has its headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1930 and employs a staff of 800 that generates more than 270 million euros in turnover.