Julian Danvers, vice president of sales and marketing at Carmeuse - Passion for work as basis for success

Julian Danvers (Photo: Sead Saitovic)

There are many different reasons that businessmen can cite as their main sources of motivation on their path to successful and rich career. For Julian Danvers, the vice president of sales and marketing at Carmeuse Europe, the main source of motivation is passion for the work he does.

His job represents a combination of experience in natural sciences, management and trade. He took an M.A. degree in Natural Sciences from the famous British University of Cambridge, which he recalls with pleasure, pointing out that he is now in the position to talk business with people from that university who used to be his professors.

- Passion is the most important for success in business. Throughout my career I have met people who, thanks to their passion, managed to implement projects and achieve results that nobody would expect from them. I've seen project results that were never expected to be achieved. Passion, energy and commitment combined represents a motivation basis on the path towards an imaginary goal. When I participate in the process of hiring new people, I always try to find something in them that drives them to make every day as good and as productive as possible - says Danvers.

As he explains, it is important for managers to encourage their subordinates and help them "unlock" the abilities they didn't even know they have.

- One of the most beautiful things that can happen to a manager is to walk people through a project and let them see all the things they managed to do and were not sure they can. You create challenges for these people, help them form their professional strength, and also help them develop their communication skills that can be very useful in their work. My job is, primarily, to help other people do their job the best they can. When I achieve this, then it is the greatest thing and I see it as my personal success as well - Danvers adds.

Speaking about his relation with senior management, he explains that he is the kind of man who revise concepts and approaches and look at things by checking if the existing way is also the best way, if there is a better way, and if there is something that should be changed.

- Expressing your own attitude is very important in the organization where you work and cooperate with other people. Sitting and observing what is happening around you is not a good approach to doing business nowadays. This might have even been possible 20 or 30 years ago, but business today is done much faster, and so is the exchange of data and access to information. Everything is different now and it is no longer matter of only one person but the entire collective, where all decisions are made jointly - Danvers stresses.

Recalling his student days at Cambridge, Danvers says those fascinating days contributed to his professional development. He proudly underlines that he recently visited that university to talk with his former professors about technology transfer, business cooperation and the commercialization of concepts they are working on.

Carmeuse in Serbia

Carmeuse, a global leader in lime production that operates in Serbia since 2013 when it took over Jelen Do, has opened an office in Belgrade, thus showing it has long-term plans for the region.

A total value of the company's investments in Serbia has already reached EUR 9.5 million, including ongoing investments.

Danvers has also announced that the company is going to invest EUR 2.5 million in the exploration of possibilities to use alternative fuels in lime production.

Sead Saitovic