Simone Oremovic holds the position of Executive Vice President at RHI Magnesita, overseeing People, Projects, Integrations, and the Value Chain. Residing in Vienna, Austria, she is based at the company’s headquarters. Although the company’s main office is situated in Austria, its shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. With a tenure of nearly six years, Simone joined the Executive team at RHI Magnesita. Alongside her professional endeavors, she embraces the role of a mother to two teenage daughters. During her leisure time, Simone finds joy in exploring different parts of the world, having resided in eight cities across the globe. Among her favorite destinations, Paris holds a special place in her heart.
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Simone Oremovic:
Describe your background and what you did before you joined the company?
Early in my career, I studied at the European Business School in Paris, London and Munich and graduated from the University of Economics in Vienna. After that I started my professional career and gained over 20 years of experience in various leadership positions in HR, including at General Electric (GE), Telekom Austria, IBM and Baxter/Shire. I have worked in Austria as well as in Ireland and the UK. In addition to being a People & Culture professional I am a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
The company as you know it right now is actually pretty young: it was created through the merger of RHI AG and Magnesita Refratários S.A. merely 6 years ago. However, both of these companies’ histories date back until before the 1900s.
To be exact: On the one side the foundation stone for RHI AG was laid with the establishment of a fireclay factory by Friedrich Didier in 1834 near Stettin (today Poland). Throughout many years, this company found its way to manufacture high-grade refractory products, eventually becoming RHI AG. On the other side, Magnesita was founded in 1888 with a refractory plant in Valenciennes in France.
Today, RHI Magnesita is the global leader in refractories. Our refractory products and digital solutions are used in all the world’s high-temperature industrial processes. Throughout the steel, cement, lime, non-ferrous metals, glass, energy, environmental, paper, and chemical industries, production processes take place at 1,200 degrees and more. Without refractories, many everyday products in our lives – from mobile phones to cars and trains – would not exist.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
At RHI Magnesita our company culture revolves around several key dimensions that drive our success. These dimensions are innovation, transparency, diversity and inclusion, accountability, and sustainability, all centered around a customer-focused approach.
We foster innovations with an open mindset that encourages out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving. We continuously push boundaries and drive industry advancements through ground-breaking digital and sustainable solutions that meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.
We value transparent communication and collaboration across all levels of the organization. Our open working environment enables swift and informed decision-making, cultivates trust, and empowers every employee to contribute their unique perspectives, driving us towards shared success.
We are dedicated to establishing a diverse and inclusive workplace where every employee feels valued, engaged, and heard. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards, taking ownership of our responsibilities, delivering on our commitments, and achieving our goals as a team.
Sustainability is not just an aspiration; it is an ongoing commitment we proudly uphold. With a dedicated focus on carbon capture technology programs and multiple pilot projects underway, we are actively spearheading the refractory industry’s journey towards a greener and more sustainable future.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
RHI Magnesita is a global refractories leader with a growth strategy based on increasing market share in geographies and products where the company is currently underrepresented. RHI Magnesita grows both organically and through acquisitions, expanding its business model through pioneering R&D and technology leadership and maintaining highly cost-competitive production. We continue to take pride in our leadership position in sustainability. Positioning the Group’s products and services ahead of sustainability-driven technological change in our customer industries is essential for long-term success.
Therefore, a culture that celebrates innovation, openness, pragmatism, and performance is central to the success of our strategy.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
RHI Magnesita offers refractory products, customized services and innovative solutions that help shape tomorrow’s world. In addition to conventional refractory products, RHI Magnesita’s advanced services are essential for our customers in the steel, cement, metals, glass and chemicals industries to operate. RHI Magnesita has more than 70 sales offices worldwide and services customers in more than 100 countries.
Positioning RHI Magnesita’s products and services ahead of sustainability driven technological change in customer industries is essential for long-term success, while RHI Magnesita is working hard to improve the sustainability profile. As such, the newly formed Joint Venture MIRECO underpins this new strategic supply chain, which is sustainable and offers security of supply. Recycling means that the Group can cover supply needs through both primary and secondary raw materials. MIRECO provides services to cover the entire recycling value chain, including collection, cleaning, material sorting, processing, recycling and then reuse or disposal.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Excellence in R&D and strong Technical Marketing capabilities are key contributors to RHI Magnesita’s competitiveness. Bold innovations create value for customers, and RHI Magnesita is a reliable and resilient partner that decides and delivers based on its customers’ needs to provide them with the best digital and sustainable solutions. As such, the company aims to invest at least 2.2% per annum of revenue in R&D and Technical Marketing, demonstrating the commitment to driving innovation and to being the leading provider of services and solutions within the refractory industry.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
No doubt: team achievements. It’s all about collaboration and pooling strengths.
What are your responsibilities as an Executive Member of the of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
At the end of the day, it’s people, people, always people. Every challenge can be fixed when you have the right people with the right mindset, skills and commitment. Of course, in such a complex business environment with more than 13,000 employees worldwide, strong processes and state-of-the-art systems are indispensable to ensure seamless business operations.
At RHI Magnesita, we are proud to not only lead the refractory industry but also to foster a culture that empowers our employees, delights our customers, and contributes to a better, more sustainable world. I am proud and happy to be a part of this.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
You need to provide a clear vision; you have to inspire your people and give explicit guidance. Everyone faces different challenges in each of their responsibilities. But, as I said, I fundamentally believe that with the right people, anything is doable.
