Julius Osthues is something of a foodie. Gastronomy has long been a passion of his, so much so, that it has shaped his career. The CEMSie started out in consulting with Boston Consulting Group after graduating and spent very happy years experiencing the variety of working with diverse sectors and functions, yet the lure of the food industry was irresistible.
“I really appreciated my time in consulting and the exposure to different challenges, but I’ve always had a great love of food and the way that eating and drinking creates moments and connections between people,” says Julius. “And this is what brought me to Metro.”
Metro AG is a CEMS Corporate Partner and a global leader in food wholesale, with a very key role to play in fostering diversity in the gastronomy landscape, says Julius. The company serves the needs of a wealth of businesses around the world, from small independent restaurants—the “heart of local communities, that give our neighbourhoods their character and dynamism”—to caterers, diverse merchants and hotels in more than 30 countries. It’s this diversity that attracted Julius in 2019 when he joined the company as a strategy specialist. And it’s the organisational culture that has kept him there ever since. Today he is VP for Foodservice Distribution supporting a portfolio of seven delivery companies that serve different markets. It’s a role that sees him identify synergies and opportunities for value creation across these different organisations and other entities such as central sourcing offices.
“My team and I work with our portfolio companies, managing them centrally and supporting in strategy development, and it’s super interesting work,” says Julius.
Metro is a very international, dynamic culture. We are based out of our headquarters here in Dusseldorf, but we work continuously with people from really different backgrounds, nationalities and cultures which is something that I relish and enjoy.
Undergirding this continuous cultural interchange is respect, he adds. The company is performance driven but also “people-oriented,” such that successes are shared and celebrated and everyone, from colleagues to clients to individual customers, feels wholly supported.
“From the moment I joined Metro, the emphasis was on pushing forward but achieving successes in ways that were, above all, respectful. It’s an ambitious environment where you can advance fast, but there’s a real onus on maintaining a positive and supportive spirit,” says Julius. There’s also the personal satisfaction of seeing new strategies come to fruition. From delivering strategies as a consultant, Julius can now see how new concepts are implemented and executed in situ, and this is a chance to learn he says.
“It’s super interesting. As my career here has evolved, I’ve been able to observe how the companies we have acquired have been integrated into the Metro universe and whether our concepts around synergies have worked, or not. You learn so much about this, as you progress. And the culture here is supportive of that kind of growth and development. I’ve been mentored and my work has been consistently recognised and celebrated which has kept the momentum and drive going.”
Leaders as sparring partners
Julius’ current role as VP brings huge challenges and rewards; a dynamic that he loves, he says.
“The more you climb the ladder, the less days resemble each other. There is so much variety within the day that you really need to be able to jump from one topic to another and switch fast!”
On any given day, Julius may start by checking in on his team for status updates and to share guidance with them. A lot of his time is dedicated to interacting with team members to keep information flowing. Typical priorities will include connecting with portfolio companies for performance reviews or to assess strategic initiatives such as entering new customer segments. He is also kept very busy by integration work: pursuing due diligence and calculating synergies with potential acquisitions and working shoulder to shoulder with the CEOs of companies that Metro is integrating.
“It’s one of the great perks of my job, working with different people on lots of different projects, because you learn so much all the time,” says Julius. “And my team keeps me fully prepared and supports me in all of this. My responsibility is to stay on top of it everything, while providing them with the guidance that they need.”
Leadership, he says, is a little like becoming a sparring partner for the talented people around you. It’s about finding the right balance between giving direction and giving autonomy; and it is not about telling bright people what to do.
“It’s really important to have healthy relationships with your team; to make time for them, listen to them and stay close to them. When I first started out, I thought leading was just about giving direction, but as I have matured I’ve understood just how important it is to talk and exchange and to listen.
“Ownership and accountability are what motivate people with aspirations,” says Julius. “Sure, when people are new or very junior, they need a little more support, but over time you need to step back and become more of a sparring partner. We work on so many different projects and priorities that they have to be fully empowered to play their part in important decision-making- and I’d say that I rarely know more than my team.”
Raise your hand
Metro as an organisation fosters this kind of collaboration and is welcoming to young talent, says Julius. It’s an environment where ideas are valued and fostered and where people with entrepreneurial ambitions are encouraged and supported.
“Our company really welcomes young people who want to move forward, and we offer trust and respect as well as guidance where needed. This is a growth-oriented organisation but one really forged on human values and dignity,” he says. “I think CEMSies would absolutely flourish here because in general, we are open-minded, curious and interested in working with other people and cultures. CEMSies as a rule are willing to make mistakes and learn, and to explore new ways to find solutions, which really aligns with the culture at Metro.”
Finding solutions is key, Julius adds. In fact, it’s a central tenet to his own professional life and a piece of advice he would share with younger people. And finding solutions is about building the right mindset, he says.
Anyone can identify issues. But be the person who solves the problem.
If there’s a challenge, go in with the mindset that you can figure out its solution, even if you don’t know the answer right away. People will see this in you over the longer run. If you are willing to work hard, and to work with others to find new answers, the people that matter to you in your career and life will see this.
“So even if you are not 100% sure that you have the solution, be the person that stands up or raises their hand to tackle whatever problems come your way. Always be sure to put your hand up!”