“ON THE LADDER OF SUCCESS” WITH PATRICK MARTENS: BE ACTIVE, USE INTERNSHIPS, THEY ARE THE PATH TO SUCCESS

It is especially important that young people use the opportunities offered by scholarship programs. Not only is it a great chance to study abroad, but also to get acquainted with new educational systems, cultures and countries, says Patrick Martens, Director of the Delegation of German Companies in Northern Macedonia and managing member of the Board of Directors of the Macedonian-German Economic Association . He is living in Skopje for two and a half years. He tells us about his student days, the transfer to the faculty not only because of the study program, but also because of the need to leave home and go as far as possible. His wish took him to England, the United States, Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ghana in Africa… This is his exciting story up the ladder of success.

– I finished elementary and high school in Hamburg. I started studying at the faculty in Lineburg, but after a year I decided to transfer to the Faculty of Political Science and Administration in Constantz. I graduated there. The Faculty of Constanz back then and now is considered a leading faculty in political science, but also overall it is one of the 11 best faculties in Germany. Besides the good image of the university, I also wanted to move out of home, to go as far as possible, to meet other parts of Germany. My decision to study at the Constanz faculty made my two wishes come true – says Martens.

He also completed some of his education in Newcastle, England. There he studied for a year as a scholarship holder for the Erasmus program.

– I find it especially important for young people to use the opportunities offered by scholarship programs; it is a great opportunity to study abroad and get acquainted with new educational systems, cultures and countries. Ever since high school, I was aware of how I wanted to continue my education in the future. I was politically active in high school. I actively participated in the first free parliamentary elections in the DDR. These activities also affected my decision about what exactly I would study – says Martens.

I was very active during the studies

He has always been interested in politics and economics. Not only in terms of daily politics in Germany, but also of the current global politics. It was the same 20 years ago when he was a student. He had special interest in politics because these developments always influence the development of the economy, dictate trends, open new opportunities, and often some political decisions affect the economy absolutely negatively.

– I always wanted to follow these developments and that is why the faculty I opted for was most suitable for me. The Faculty of Constanz has an incredibly well-equipped library. The professors there were excellent; teaching was carried out in small groups where we had a chance for interactive classes and debates.

At the faculty in England we had the opportunity to meet the professors on certain subjects every week. Three students and one professor attended these meetings. It was additional classes that were held in addition to regular lectures. At these meetings we had the opportunity to elaborate the topics from the lectures in more detail and to analyze them from various aspects. I particularly liked this method of teaching – says Martens.

He was very active during the studies. Every year, he used the vacation between semesters to attend internship. During one summer holiday, he went to Washington, where he spent nearly three months as an intern in Congress.

– I was totally impressed by this opportunity, by the working atmosphere in the Congress. I was there precisely during the election campaign on the eve of the 1994 elections. What a challenge it was for me! I encountered a completely new political culture, which until then I had known only from the lectures. But in Germany I also used summer vacations mostly for internships. This was how I had 8 months of experience in the Ministry of Economy and Development; afterwards I attended internship in the German Bundestag, the Association of Companies in one of the 79 regional chambers of commerce in Germany. All these internships were in different cities and states. But from today’s perspective, I am particularly proud because I have always applied on my own and always managed to get the position of an intern. Although my grades were not always the best, I was volunteerly politically active, and I was also part of a fraternity. These activities outside of my studies made me an interesting candidate, so I always managed to get the desired internship,” Martens recounts.

It was not easy in Ghana, but it was a challenge

After graduating he had a desire to do something that would link the state with the economy. Then he got a chance and became an intern at the Office of the German Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There, for the first time, he was introduced to the way the German chambers of commerce operate in the world. They are currently present in 90 countries, represented by 130 offices. For two years he was an intern at the German chamber of commerce in São Paulo. He had a minimum salary and he needed financial aid from the family. He says that it was not easy for him at all, but these two years were an investment in his future.

– I later got my first job contract in the chamber of commerce in BraziI. The next stop was the German chamber of commerce in Iran, where I was appointed deputy director. I gladly recall the times in Iran. I was fascinated by the culture, architecture, education of people there. For political reasons, after two years of work I had to leave Iran. My next stop was Saudi Arabia, again in the role of deputy director of the German Chamber of Commerce. After a year I left for Jeddah where I headed our second office in Saudi Arabia. After five years in Saudi Arabia, I left for Ghana where I founded the German-Ghanaian Economic Association and the office of the Delegation of the German Companies in Ghana. On these two positions I invested all my knowledge and energy. I must say that it was not easy at all. For me, it was a completely new and unknown culture, but in eleven years I built a stable office with a good team that even today provides great support for German companies in Ghana,” says Martens.

He says that after so much time in Ghana, it was a real challenge to return to Europe. A new offer arrived from the headquarters in Berlin and since January 2017 he has been the director of the German Business Delegation in our country. Here he found a stable team that worked great and contributed to the economic development of the country.

– In the past two years I have dedicated myself to restructuring and upgrading the team; we have even opened two completely new sectors. One of them is dedicated to dual vocational education. The projects in this sector are especially interesting to me. With dual vocational education, we are building and changing the future of the entire youth and I think it is something wonderful. Through it, young people are educated in vocations that the labor market really needs. Upon completion, they will be able to immediately find a good job and stay in their country. I like the new task in North Macedonia because it is close to home. At the same time, the country is still in the process of transformation, and that is a big challenge for me. I face many interesting tasks – Martens is decisive.

They would not be a true German organization without Oktoberfest in Skopje

As a director, he is responsible for managing the team. He wants to invest in new knowledge of his employees and constantly motivates them to go attend trainings and upgrade their knowledge. At the same time, he is in charge of German investors coming to the country. As a German institution, most often the Delegation is the first address they visit. Martens says their role is to help investors to establish themselves in the local market, and to provide appropriate solutions for each of them and their specific needs – support in legal issues, taxation, accounting and personnel requirements.

– We are a bridge between the companies and the Government; we care about the development in the economy and we represent the positive interests of both parties. North Macedonia is a great country for foreign investors and it has proved right in the past decade. In general, I think that businesspersons have great opportunities to realize their investments.

Our focus is also on the Macedonian export companies which could be on the list of suppliers of German companies with their services and producs. For the second year in a row, we are part of the event Macedonia Manufacturing Expo, which this year will be held in Skopje in September. At this two-day event, we expect 150 companies from the metalworking and electrical engineering industry from Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and of course from North Macedonia – explains Martens.

According to him, this is a great opportunity for export-oriented companies from our country to cooperate in the long term with companies from Germany and the region in the role of suppliers. Martens adds that throughout the year they organize events, seminars and round tables with experts from the economy and politics.

– But we would not be a true German organization if we did not organize the most famous German event – Oktoberfest in Skopje. The 13th Oktoberfest in Skopje will be held in September and this year we will again organize it together with Pivara Skopje. The Oktoberfest story is very interesting; 150 guests attended the first edition in Skopje. Then we thought that we had organized a successful event only for our business partners. Over the years, the event, which is still closed and intended for the business community, has reached the number of 1500 guests! This year too we look forward to nice hangout with traditional Bavarian specialties, cold beer, great music and wonderful guests – says Martens.