Meet Jessica Deutschmann
Interview with Jessica, a busy bee at Gosselin!
Who is Jessica?
Jessica joined Gosselin as the partner relations manager, but quickly grew withing the company and so did her responsibilities. “I feel blessed to have somebody like Marcel, Nick, and Marc who trust me and my capabilities and give me a chance to do what I can do,” Jessica says.
She’s heavily infected with the travel-bug and can’t wait to go back out again and meet new people. “Unfortunately, I arrived at Gosselin eight months before Covid hit, so instead of travelling internationally, I travelled a lot from my bed to my small spare room, which is my home office. I’m looking forward to meeting 3D people again!” she concludes.
So you’re the new President of the FIDI 39 Club. Congratulations! What does this mean to you?
“FIDI 39 Club is a club within the FIDI association for everybody 39 years and younger . It’s a platform for the young generations of the moving industry to get to know each other and to introduce each other to other contacts to make it a bit easier to connect with the rest of the industry. The moving industry is still traditional. Therefore, I think it’s important to have a forum where the young generation can exchange their experiences and expectations.”
What will be your main focus for the first year?
“When I joined the board in 2017 there FIDI 39 Club members would really only connect during the conference, which is only 4 days out of an entire year, but nothing happened during those other 360 days. So I want to be more active on our own. Engage people on social media throughout the year. There already is a connection, but I think it can be so much more.”
“The young generation has more to say than they’re doing now. They would like to drive change, but it’s hard to have your voice be heard. That’s why I want to try to convince CEO’s that it’s important to listen to the insights of their young employees and to retain their talents. Being a real part of the company is what makes the job so much more fun after all.”
FIDI 39 Club is also part of the Global Green Initiative (GGI) together with IAM YP and LACMA Next?
“Correct. We wanted to combine our strengths and really do something together, and that’s how we started a collaboration to push for more environmental and sustainable causes.”
The GGI is a collaboration of the 3 associations’ young leadership to raise environmental awareness in the moving & relocation industry. GGI aims to educate the future moving generation to the importance of improving sustainability industry wide.
Recruiting and maintaining young talent is difficult in our industry. I want people to understand the value of our club and the difference young people can make! Be the force. Be the young leaders!
You don’t only focus on environmental sustainability within FIDI 39 Club. At Gosselin you’re also part of the Go Green Focus Cluster that launched at the beginning of 2020?
“Indeed, this has been a focus for Gosselin for quite some time and I am proud to be part of driving our environmental initiatives forward. The Cluster conducted a survey across the entire Gosselin footprint to find out where each office stands What are the offices focusing on? What are they doing to make changes? These answers were different for every country seeing as they all have different regulations of course.”
“The next step was looking for a framework that carried some credibility. I don’t think we need to re-invent the wheel as there are some very good initiations available that also give us the chance to share best practices with other companies from different industries. As said, Gosselin has done a lot of things already to become greener, but we have not truly reported on it yet. So reporting on our initiatives as well as CO2 emission in combination with a credible framework and constructive offsetting cause are our steps contributing to a greener future.”
Can you give an example?
“We have chosen to become a signatory to The Climate Pledge which commits to the goals written out in the Paris Agreement and reaching them 10 years early by 2040. The Pledge does give the credible framework we were looking for. Firstly the correct reporting of CO2 emissions. Secondly reducing the carbon footprint with internal innovations and business changes. Thirdly you offset any remaining emissions via a project we believe in.”
“The ocean is a huge resource for our company and its sea freight. And with the ocean being the biggest CO2 absorber, it made sense to support a project that allows the ocean to do just that. That’s why Gosselin is going to plant seagrass to offset CO2 emissions.”
You certainly are a busy woman because next to all that, you’re also headtrainer at Gosselin Academy!
(laughs) “I love working with people and love to know everyone and their stories. Sometimes it’s overwhelming and I’m still waiting for the day I wake up with four arms. But I really enjoy my job and its challenges and as I said in the beginning, we have a great team, who gives me the needed energy each day.”
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.
