Martina Teixeira joined ISS in autumn 2022. She is now already coordinating a finance-related contract involving around thirty staff members. She has achieved this thanks to a special programme – and her determination.
"I just came from a meeting with the police," says Martina as she takes a seat at her desk, slightly out of breath. But she immediately reassures us: It was just a false alarm, triggered by some contractors working on the building. Everything is fine now; the problem has been resolved.
ISS Switzerland also takes this responsibility seriously. For example, we own one of the largest private vehicle fleets in Switzerland, and its electrification is a central component of our sustainability strategy. According to Patrik Havranek, Head of Group Fleet Management, the fleet comprises over 2,500 vehicles, 11 percent of which are already electric or powered by alternative fuels (such as hydrogen). Our goal is to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. It is crucial that the electricity used comes from renewable energy sources, as power generation accounts for a significant portion of emissions.
Finding solutions to all kinds of challenges - that, in a nutshell, is Martina’s job. When technology fails, she takes care of it, as well as last-minute orders or customer inquiries. She leads a team of about thirty employees, bills for ISS’s services, and is responsible for the monthly closing. Since the client - a large company in the financial sector - moved into its new headquarters a few months ago, a lot of things are still unfamiliar. “Some days I barely have time to answer my emails because something unexpected is always happening,” says Martina. It’s stressful, she says, but also a lot of fun. “I didn’t want an assignment where everything was already running smoothly. I wanted to help shape things and be creative - and that’s exactly what I can do here.”
Martina only began ISS’s Global Management Trainee Program in September 2022. The program is a springboard for future leaders: Over the course of 18 months, participants gain insight into various areas of the company, spend three months working for a client abroad, and exchange ideas with ISS employees from around the world. It’s important that they also gain hands-on experience at the ground level, such as in cleaning. “When someone from the team comes to me with a problem, I want to be able to understand what it’s about,” says Martina. “I can only do that if I’ve done that job myself at some point.”
In addition to her full-time training at ISS, the 30-year-old completed a distance learning program. “Now that I have my master’s degree, I sometimes wonder how I managed to juggle it all,” says Martina. On the one hand, her hobby - dancing - helped her; the physical activity was good for clearing her head. On the other hand, she’s also a very determined person. “When I set my mind to something, I stick with it.”
This was also evident during the trainee program. When she first applied in 2021, candidates with experience in facility management were chosen over Martina. But she saw herself so clearly in this program that she tried again a year later. “I think that impressed the person in charge,” says Martina. And indeed, her perseverance paid off: she’s been part of ISS for two and a half years now.
MARTINA TEIXEIRA
is an Account Manager and has been with ISS since 2022. She holds a master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris Business School.