This year’s group of global ECCO trainees consist of 11 people with different nationalities who for the past 2 and 3 years have been working and gaining experience from all around the world.
Here, Monica Scarlat and Thomas Stæhr, two of this year’s graduating ECCO trainees, share their experience from the trainee programme and their expectations for their future careers in ECCO.
Monica Scarlat, Romanian
Why did you choose to be an ECCO trainee?
“I was interested in the international experience and the fact that I could work in different departments and with different cultures. I read about ECCO on the internet and a friend told me about the traineeship. I liked that it is a worldwide company.”
What is the highlight from your time as a trainee?
“The highlight was my time in Thailand. I was there for a month to make my own golf shoe from scratch to finished shoe. I saw how dedicated the operators are and all the resources that is behind making a shoe. It gave me a good insight into the product and everyone was very friendly.”
What expectations do you have for your future career in ECCO?
“I am looking forward to put everything I have learnt during the past three years into practice. I was offered a position in Supply Management in Amsterdam and I am very excited about starting there.”
Thomas Stæhr, Danish
Why did you choose to be an ECCO trainee?
“I was living and working in the UK. My parents are Danish but I did not really connect with my Danish roots, so I was searching for Danish companies with an international twist. It was actually an idea from my parents to look into ECCO. Before I started as a Trainee I worked in an ECCO store in the UK, so I knew a lot about ECCO and our products already.”
What is the highlight from your time as a trainee?
“Being at our production site in China was definitely one of the highlights. I was behind the scenes and started in the tannery and ended at the stitching line. There are many standout moments from my trainee programme but this is surely one of them. I have also worked with Global IT and Global Sales in Amsterdam and retail at headquarters in Denmark.”
What expectations do you have for your future career in ECCO?
“First of all, I am looking forward to stay the same place and not move house every six months. I am going to work in Switzerland and I hope that ECCO will continue to grow and try new things because innovation is definitely something I have seen in my time as a trainee.”
Read more about ECCO’s global trainee programmes here
About ECCO
ECCO, a world-leading brand of shoes combining style and comfort, has built its success on great design, leather quality, and innovative technology. ECCO is one of the few major shoe manufacturers in the world which owns and manages every aspect of its leather and shoe productions and its retail sales. ECCO is among the largest producers in the world of high-quality leather, which is used in ECCO’s shoes and own production of leather goods and is also sold to several leading luxury brands. Today, ECCO products are sold in 87 countries in more than 3,300 ECCO shops and shop-in-shops and at more than 14,000 sales points around the world. The company is family-owned, founded in Denmark in 1963, and employs more than 19,000 people worldwide. www.ecco.com