DAMIAN MAJER
Vice President of the Management Board, Sales and Marketing Director at Termet S.A.
Nowadays, more and more often company managers put emphasis on the fact that their organization fits into a broader social context and undertakes initiatives related to corporate social responsibility. What activities do you carry out in this area, how is it implemented, what does responsible leadership mean to you?
The Termet company has a kind of social responsibility inscribed in its genotype. This is of course due to our firm conviction that the responsibility that rests on us as a manufacturer of heat sources is definitely greater. We create products with the nature around us in mind. For almost 80 years, the competence of our engineers has served not only our customers, but indeed all elements of our ecosystem. The energy efficiency of our gas condensing boilers and heat pumps based on renewable sources is not only thermal comfort for our customer, but above all sustainable nature and clean air also for its neighbors. Of course, how our products work is one thing, an important element is also our Environmental Policy, which is the basis for the creation and production of our products. Quoting some of her phrases, we can say that all of us in our company are aware of the effects of our business and therefore we constantly improve the production process by implementing modern technologies to reduce our impact on the environment.
More and more investors and financial institutions choose as their partners those organizations that operate in accordance with ESG recommendations. Do you think that is right? How does the company you manage go beyond the so-called business as usual? What is it doing for the climate, local communities, diversity or what would you like to implement in the near future?
First of all, it should be noted that TERMET S.A. is part of a much larger Ferro S.A. Group, in which ESG recommendations are standard. When we ask ourselves more broadly what we are doing for the climate, then it should be added that within the FERRO GROUP, a leader in water and sanitary fittings, we were the first in Poland to implement valve fittings based on the so-called 4MS. It is today the most restrictive standard for this product category. It means safer contact with water for users. Going further, Ferro bathroom and kitchen faucets are the highest standards of water saving. In turn, the bathroom brand FDESIGN is a clear example of the marriage of design and form, drawing directly from nature. Ecology and respect for mother earth in FDESIGN is the main essence of the brand’s products. However, returning to TERMET, one should point out the most important project currently being implemented with the Warsaw University of Technology and Fuell Cell Poland. We are creating a device based on fuel cells and hydrogen that will be able to produce electricity and heat at home. We compete here with existing solutions, but on an industrial scale, which are developed by the Japanese and Koreans. Our technology is completely different, because for the first time it is to go under the roofs of single-family houses. This is a complete revolution in becoming independent of the traditional form of electricity and heat supply. Much greater efficiency of the process is not only a financial saving for the statistical Kowalski, but also an opportunity, the quality of the environment for his children and everyone around.
Every company creates its corporate culture that embodies the values that customers see externally. Do customers prefer to choose this particular company because it does something good with which the customer identifies or is it mainly price-driven purchasing decisions? What is your opinion, what trends have you observed, is something changing in this area?
In my opinion, fortunately for all of us, customers and the market are placing increasing expectations on brands and products in various areas. I have the pleasure of working with people for whom quality and competence are the cause, base and driving force of every change. The fact that change is the only certainty today is, of course, a truism. The question is, what tools do we use and how prepared do we go about making these changes? These higher expectations on the part of consumers are motivation but also an inspiration that will eliminate from the market all those whose strategies are based on temporariness, mediocrity and lack of a sense of social responsibility. Personally, I feel better when my market environment consists of players who respect a certain level and standard. The price thread raised in the question is obviously important, because we cannot create something that goes beyond the purchasing capacity of buyers. The solution, as always and with every challenge, is the competence of the team. It is people, their knowledge and motivation that can make possible what seemingly seems out of reach. Polish companies, and TERMET is certainly such an example, are today the main source of pulse on the map of energy and motivation of Europe.
The development of values and ethical principles in many organizations may indicate that awareness in this area is growing. Many managers declare that they put ethics at the center of their activities. Is compliance with the principles of fair play in management a guarantee of stable development of the company?
With this question we are probably touching on one of the most important topics for building really large and responsible companies on the market. I believe that values create culture, which in turn creates attitudes and behaviors. For me, this is the beginning of everything that should happen in every company. I will not be revealing if I say that an employee filled with honesty, treating his colleagues, customers and suppliers with respect, who will create quality responsibly and courageously, with the support of other team competences, sometimes questioning the status quo, then we will not find a better recipe for market success. If I add that this employee will constantly strive to improve, I will exhaust very precisely the definition of what are the values of the FERRO GROUP, to which TERMET belongs. Thus, I would like to point out that stable development of every company will be possible when managers, apart from the legality of the slogans themselves, actively support attitudes and behaviors. I want to work like this myself and this is what my colleagues expect from me too. In many other companies it is probably different, because not only in economic life, often the form displaces the content itself, and the façade becomes the foundation. It’s just that such a formula of running a business in the long run is counterproductive. None of us functions in isolation from reality, which has been based for centuries on certain ethical standards and it is difficult to suppose that other actions, than those simply right, will bring a lasting and positive result.
The world needs wise and good leaders who want to have a positive impact on their environment. Was there a moment when you started to look for a deeper meaning in your work, an opportunity to do something good for your communities or country? What has been achieved?
I am professionally a happy man, because from the very beginning of my professional career I dealt with inspiring and wise superiors and at the same time I could have a positive impact on the environment through my work. Of course, you can add ideology to everything, but in my case the search for a deeper meaning in my work was natural and reflexive. Years ago, when I started working in a chemical company, I implemented new technologies based on the highest ecological standards on the market. On the other hand, I liked the awareness that through decorative paints I give people a different quality of the environment and through colors I can stimulate their good mood. When I joined the FERRO GROUP years ago, the active implementation of water-saving solutions and market education were very expressive situations that gave a sense of important work. There is probably nothing more important in human life than water. Today, when my path led me to TERMET, I can jokingly and seriously say that I have a real playground named after mother nature. The actions we take to protect the environment, work on products that directly give a chance to save it certainly give a deep sense of satisfaction. Our slogan “Warmth from nature” is not only a marketing slogan, well fitting into current trends. This warmth by nature is also the definition of all TERMET employees, and the fact that we produce these products with the Książański Landscape Park outside the windows and the nearby Karkonosze Mountains is a nuance that is of great importance to us.
DAMIAN MAJER
Vice President of the Management Board, Sales and Marketing Director at Termet S.A.
Damian Majer (born in 1981) is a graduate of the University of Wrocław, where he graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences in the field of International Relations and specialization in Diplomacy. He tied his professional career with the construction industry. In the years 2001-2011 he went through the next levels within the sales structures of the world leader in decorative paints – Akzo Nobel. In the years 2012-2014 he managed sales in the Polish branch of Uponor – the world’s leading manufacturer of solutions for the supply of safe drinking water and surface heating systems. Since 2014, he has joined the Ferro S.A. Group, where he held the position of Sales Director for the Traditional Market, building a leading position in the sanitary fittings industry. In 2021, he moved to Termet S.A. – a manufacturer of heat sources, a company belonging to the Ferro S.A. Group, where he currently holds the position of Vice-President of the Management Board, Sales and Marketing Director.
He has many years of experience in building and implementing business strategies and managing international projects. He led the processes of change and integration processes of structures after acquisitions, confirming his managerial competences.
Last Updated on January 11, 2023 by Anastazja Lach