An interview with Jürgen von Hollen, President of Universal Robots
In October 2016, Jürgen von Hollen joined Universal Robots as a new President. After almost two months full of work, the time has come to draw an initial summary. We asked Jürgen to share some insights with us on his personal impressions, his vision, and the Universal Robots strategy.
When did you first hear about Universal Robots?
At the beginning of this year, I visited an Industry 4.0 event organized by McKinsey & Company that mentioned Universal Robots as part of their presentation. I kept the company in mind and a few weeks later, my phone rang.
What made you decide to join Universal Robots as President? What was that process like?
The decision process took a quite long time. I wanted to be completely sure Universal Robots was the right company for me. Coincidently, Universal Robots parent company Teradyne Inc. also wanted to be completely sure that I was the right person for this position. Thus, the duration of the decision process did not stem from contrasting views or expectations but from both Teradyne and me wanting to be a hundred percent on the same page regarding our vision for Universal Robots’ future.
Your resume includes leading positions at big players like Telekom, Daimler, and Bilfinger SE. What attracted you to joining a comparatively small enterprise like Universal Robots?
I drew up a summary. And it turned out that in retrospect, I had the most fun at work and the most added value for myself at smaller companies. Other reasons were the technology and market opportunities. There’s so much potential in it, so much change and progression going on. If you put that together, the decision seems to be quite clear.
Since October you have been President of Universal Robots. It’s time for a short recap: What are your impressions? Do they meet your expectations or have there been surprises?
There have been hardly any surprises, especially no negative ones. Due to the comprehensive decision process, I already knew the company very well. What really has impressed me is the incredibly high level of motivation within our staff. They all joined Universal Robots because they really believe in our concept. Such energy is hard to create – so it’s even better when it’s already there.