Augusto Vasconcelos
Abílio Pereira
António Raab
Managing Director of Hilti Portugal
He heads one of the happiest companies in Portugal, according to the project ‘Happiness Works’. António Raab is Brazilian and came to Hilti Portugal in 2002, after having lived in Liechtenstein, Germany, Switzerland and the United States, always working for this same company, for which he has worked for 36 years. He has made Oporto his home, and certainly has no plans to leave, even though he confounds the city’s DNA by declaring himself a fierce Benfica fan. He has strong convictions, but he is not afraid of admitting his weaknesses and revealing his virtues, which, in itself, may be a secret to happiness.
We know you ask this question in job interviews, so you won’t be offended if we ask you it too: if you were to ask your family or friends where your strengths lie and where you need improvement, what would they say?
They would say that my strongest points are my close relationship with people, trusting them, despite having suffered some backlashes through being too trusting. They would say I listen to people. They would say that I almost never say no, sometimes a little to my own disadvantage. They would say that I am a good father, even though I am not as present as I should be. Finally they would say, that I am an open person and that I usually show my strengths and weaknesses. And, now, let’s get to the difficult part: I think they would say that I could improve my patience levels in traffic, because I have a very short fuse that sometimes explodes when others do things wrongly. They would say that I’m chaotic when it comes to organising. They would say that I need a better work-life balance, because at times I work too much and relax too little.
You have been working in the same company for more than three decades. What does this say about you and the company?
It has been 36 years in different positions and also in several countries. Over these years I have worked in more than 36 different companies, because the only constant in Hilti is change.
«People are what make the difference in the company. It is impossible to have a good environment where people are not heard and respected»
The construction sector has gone through some very different phases in the last decade. What strategy did you have to face them?
Between 2009 and 2013 we went through one of the worst crises ever in Iberian construction. We have had to adapt to the new challenges and I can say that we have managed to do so, because we have a very clear corporate strategy. This strategy is called Champion 2020 and its goal is to create sustainable value through leadership and differentiation. That is how we have managed to overcome these difficult years and return to double-digit growth since 2015, launching more than 60 new products every year.
Are there specific procedures for a company to be considered "Portugal’s happiest” or does this happen naturally?
Over the last four years we have always been in the top 3. This has a lot to do with our strategy, strongly based on the conviction of developing a corporate culture guided by performance and caring for people. I always say and I’ll say it again: people are what make the difference in the company. It is impossible to have a good environment where people are not heard and respected.
