Video about assertive techniques

Interview with Sergey Larientev - Head of Engineering Department of BMW Russia (RTH Company)

As one of our task for this blog, i have to make an interview with a person outside our university and who is related to engineering. Therefor i emailed Mr. Sergey Larientev, who is a Head of Engineering Department of BMW Russia (RTH Company), and asked him to answer some of my questions about how he became a boss of a department in a big automobile company.

Good afternoon Mr. Larientev and thank you for answering for my questions.

- Good afternoon Max, i hope it will be useful for your engineering project (report). 

If it's not a problem for you, can you please start with explaining your way of becoming a Head of an Engineering department in such a big company like BMW(RTH).

- I think it's clever to start telling you about my life from post-degree time. By the age of 23 i finished Moscow State University (Automobile Engineering faculty). After, in order to practice my skills about cars i started working in a small cars repairing company which was called "Lisiza". I worked there for 2 years, which was really good and interesting experience for me. The owner of this company gave me very good feedback, so i tried to find a good place to start my professional career.

Can you please tell me what was your first job. 

- So my first job was in small dealer centre, and i've been asked to sell cars in b2b line. During this time i remember that i made i high score of this company, which were 13 sales in one month.

And later you continue working there?

- Yes, for next year i was making a superb results for the owner of this centre. But after, i decided that i have to move on, and actually work by my profession, not like a "selling guy". 

Did you move to another company?

- Absolutely right. The thing is, that i was very lucky, and my wife's brother was an actual owner of another car dealer centre, so he invited me to work as his secretary.

So you took this opportunity? But you said before that you wanted to work in actual engineering department.

- You have to understand that i became his secretary, what was a high jump for me, because his company also sells top class cars such Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Therefore I asked him to give me a work related with Engineering, and after one month he moved me to a CEO position of Engineering Department in his dealer centre.

For how long did you work there? Was it also good experience? 

- Of course, it was something what i was dreaming since i was 18. I worked as a CEO of this department during the next 5 years, by increasing my skills i understood that it's only possible with a hard work and nothing else. I was very lucky that i loved this process, so i didn't feel that i was actually at work, it was more kind of a hobby for me.

We are closer and closer to your current position, am i right?

- Yes, this is right. How i said before, i worked as a CEO of Eng. Dep. for next 5 years. After what i decided that i grew enough in this company, and i wanted to move to somewhere bigger. Therefor with a hard decision i canceled my contract in my wife's brother company, and start looking for another opportunities. 

And how did get into BMW(RTH) company?

- For person like me with almost 13 years of experience in engineering, it was actually easy to find a good job. But i wanted something special and by certain circumstances, i had an opportunity to apply for a CEO of Engineering Department in BMW(RTH). After i sent my application, the company contacted me next day and kindly invited to become a boss of an engineering department. Currently i'm working here for last 11 years and i really enjoy my job, all these people around me and an atmosphere in RTH in general.

This is a really interesting story Mr. Larientev, can you please give to all people who are going to read it, some kind of advice of how to become the same successful as you?

- Work, work and work again. This is the most important lesson which i found for myself for last 20 years. Nothing is going to happen  if you are continue lying in the sofa, you have to move, work really hard and enjoy what you are doing. If you can follow this 3 rules, i can guarantee that you are going to be successful in your life.

Thank you very much for spending your time Mr. Larientiev. Thank you for your advices, i think that they are going to be very useful for my readers and also for me.

- Wish you good luck, Max. Study hard - Fight Easy.