Eric Boutin has been a fan of Volkswagen since he purchased his first automobile, a 1974 Tremendous Beetle. However the Montreal native couldn’t have imagined then that the corporate behind that iconic automobile would take him on a profession journey to 2 very totally different components of the world.
Boutin, 43, and his household moved to Prague, Czech Republic, in August. He heads buyer journey, digitalization, connectivity and e-mobility for Skoda, a subsidiary of Volkswagen.
The brand new project got here after three-and-a-half years in Changchun in China’s automotive heartland, about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Beijing.
Boutin first visited China when he was learning for his grasp of enterprise administration in 2011. After becoming a member of Volkswagen Canada in 2012, he expressed curiosity in working abroad. And 6 years later, he, spouse Myriam and their two youngsters landed in China.
“It was an actual tradition shock,” Boutin stated.
Myriam discovered a job educating on the worldwide faculty their youngsters attended. Boutin discovered necessary cultural classes in China, together with navigate battle and promote concepts when working as a minority companion (40 per cent) with FAW, a state-owned automaker.
One necessary lesson: When you name out a companion publicly, he stated, “You lose belief” with everybody.
When studying a brand new tradition, it’s necessary to not decide apparent variations.
“Don’t see it by Canadian eyes. See it by their eyes.”
Boutin speaks French, English, slightly Mandarin and can quickly begin learning German.
In his present position with Volkswagen, Boutin’s purpose is to create an omnichannel course of that gives an “end-to-end” seamless buyer expertise.
Duties embrace navigating the vendor community; securing vendor agreements; on-line contact factors similar to web site, apps and automobile connectivity; e-mobility; market rollout obligations for merchandise; knowledge monetization; person expertise; Skoda’s DigiLab;and the launch of VW’s company mannequin, by which clients order immediately from the producer.
Boutin oversees about 100 workers and about 200 exterior consultants.
Whereas his household misses their pals and family members, Boutin stated, he’s proud to signify Canada to the world.
“I’ve heard lots of people who say, ‘Canadians are well-received.’ As a Canadian, I attempt to promote the nation as a lot as I can.
“The world wants extra Canadians.”