Daimler Magazine

If someone had told me a year ago that a postcard with a potato print on it would launch a search in social networks all over Germany, I would have called that person crazy. And if that someone had also said that my son would be the person writing that postcard — well, I think you already know what I would have answered. But that’s exactly what happened to me and my family. That’s because my son Alexander loves Mercedes-Benz and wanted to tell that to the automaker — by writing a postcard with a potato print on it about his dream of driving a C450 4Matic.

Israel is the country of startup dreams, Tel Aviv the capital city where most of the magic happens! Creating something from nothing is everything here. The excitement for finding solutions is the force that drives me every day and inspires me within my job as the head of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development Tel Aviv. Here and in our Daimler-Podcast “HeadLights” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts I tell you how I can find the best people for my team and what our daily business looks like.

Almost every kid dreams at some point of being a firefighter like Firefighter Sam. He is the hero of an animated children’s program that is watched by millions of kids all over the world. The idea for the figure of Firefighter Sam was originally conceived by two real firefighters from Kent in the UK. They showed that fire safety and fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

My name is Bassel, I’m 24 years old, and I come from Syria. I used to live there with my family. Because of the critical situation in Syria, my brother and I decided to flee to Germany in 2015. I am a refugee and am doing my education at Daimler. Here and in our Daimler-Podcast Headlights (this episode only available in German) I tell you my story.

City trips are exciting - no question about it. But for me one thing above all else: exhausting. To explore places of interest, to inspect historical buildings, to search for trendy districts, to find traditional things. In the evening, stroll along the harbour promenade with the soles glowing in the meantime and quickly inhale the special flair of the city. So many to-dos, so little time. If only you could change your saddle now. For example on a few hundred horses...

People like to call me the bouncer of Lab1886. This joking job description is actually spot on, because I’m the one who decides who’s got what it takes to join our club. But you should keep in mind that as the Head of Personnel Strategy I play a key role in shaping the personality of Lab1886 through my admission policy.

If this were "Guess my Line", I could rightly claim to be working in showbusiness. However, it's not me in the limelight, but the showcars that my colleagues and I build for auto shows around the world. Our latest project was the Concept GLB which celebrated its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai show on April 15.

Every year, more than 800,000 people from all around the world visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. This regularly means special encounters for us as employees. I will never forget the visit of Kari and Henrita Ruokonen, who arrived from Helsinki in March 2019 with a red Mercedes-Benz 190 SL in their luggage.

I’m the chief economist at Daimler. If this job sounds odd to you at first hearing, don’t worry — you’re not the only one. But I can assure you that my job is incredibly varied, and no two days are the same.

Did you find this as well? History lessons at school were mostly interesting, but I could never remember the dates. Unless the story was really gripping. Like Columbus in 1492. Or American Independence in 1776. Before the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, the 1000th race in Formula 1 history, I have dug into the archive to find a few exciting motor sport anniversaries that you’ll surely remember as well.