Christian Wolff came to Hungary several years ago with vast international experience to take over the management of the Mercedes factory in Kecskemét. During all these years, since January 2016 not only has he strengthened his ties to Hungary, but has also become a supporter and patron of the National Academy of Handball. Nothing proves this more than his presence as a returning guest in Balatonboglár, be it a first division (NB I) match or an event of the NEKA club, or that the company Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft. managed by him, has recently been contracted as an exclusive partner of the academy through a sponsorship agreement.

– It has been almost five years since you became the director of the well-known and famous Mercedes-Benz factory in Kecskemét. What were your first impressions of the Hungarians? And what have been your favourites here over the years?

– Hungarians are not only well-trained professionals and great colleagues, but they are also very friendly, warm-hearted and open people. Almost five years ago, when I arrived here, the people of Kecskemét and the city greeted me with open arms. I feel at home in Kecskemét and Hungary, and I am sorry I still do not speak Hungarian, but the language is very difficult. I like to come and go inside the country borders, for example to Budapest, Lake Balaton, Veszprém or Szeged. Thanks to the delicious Hungarian food, doing sports is also especially important to me. I love Oldtimers, cycling and motorbikes, in particular Harley-Davidsons. I have plenty of opportunities to practice my hobbies in Hungary.

– At first glance, it might be a little surprising that a world-famous premium brand like Mercedes-Benz supports a talent hub in the world of sports. Nevertheless, the relationship between NEKA and Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary is not new at all. What was the most appealing factor in this relationship for you?

– I played handball myself in Germany for a long time and I still am a lover of the sport. Seeing the infrastructure of handball in Hungary, I must admit that the sport here has been able to maintain its extraordinary standards and professionalism for a long time. The new, wonderful handball arenas will have to be filled with new talent in the future. The next generations are also very important for Mercedes-Benz. We out a lot of effort into the education and training of our current and future employees – this is our investment in the future. This is quite similar to the way the development process of a team consisting of young talents works – so it is almost self-evident that the talent management activities of NEKA has become the centre of our attention.

Both the handball sport and our company need well-trained young people to maintain our professional standards and achieve our goals.

– Strategy is important in both business and sports. Do you see any parallels between your company and NEKA?

– As I have just mentioned, both NEKA and Mercedes-Benz place great emphasis on educating the next generation: both the handball sport and our company need well-trained young people to maintain our professional standards and achieve our goals. If NEKA and our education hub, the Mercedes-Benz Academy Kecskemét, do their job well, the young people of today will become the “stars” of their respective teams and organizations in the future. And, as I see it, both organizations are always striving for the best. The philosophy of the organizations is similar as well: honest and hard work is the key to success. Daimler is driven by success, but always with fair play; NEKA operates along the same core values ​​as Daimler – passion, integrity, discipline, and respect –, which are paramount in all of our activities. We set the expectation for ourselves to win; and gaining the right knowledge and experience for victory - in our company that is to be achieved via education and learning, while for NEKA that translates as hard training.

– What was the main motivation factor for renewing the partnership and even raising it to a higher level? 

– At Mercedes-Benz, we have always supported local sports teams and the cultural life of Kecskemét. We definitely want to continue with this in the future. While at the same time, through our partnership with NEKA, we can extend our support activities to the national level. Hungary deserves to have successful handball teams with students coming from its own professional academies such as NEKA. We should all be proud of this “Made in Hungary” character, just as we are all proud of our high quality products made in our Hungarian factory.

The biggest and strongest muscle always needs a well-functioning brain for precise coordination as well as good sense to use force properly.

– What was the main motivation factor for renewing the partnership and even raising it to a higher level? 

– At Mercedes-Benz, we have always supported local sports teams and the cultural life of Kecskemét. We definitely want to continue with this in the future. While at the same time, through our partnership with NEKA, we can extend our support activities to the national level. Hungary deserves to have successful handball teams with students coming from its own professional academies such as NEKA. We should all be proud of this “Made in Hungary” character, just as we are all proud of our high quality products made in our Hungarian factory.

– If you had to introduce NEKA to someone who is not knowledgeable in sports, or does not even live in Hungary, what would be your keywords?

– Professionalism, passion, motivation, innovation, fair play, entertainment.

– What do you like the most about NEKA?

– I like the holistic approach of NEKA: young people get not only professional and intensive sports training, but also good general education. This is another similarity between NEKA and Mercedes-Benz: the biggest and strongest muscle always needs a well-functioning brain for precise coordination as well as good sense to use force properly.

– What message would you send to the young handball players of NEKA during these difficult times? 

– Persevere in these trying times, focus on their own personal goals, believe in themselves and their abilities, but also listen to the pieces of advice of the professionals and experienced people around them. We all believe and hope that this difficult period will end as soon as possible. Every crisis will end once, so focus more on what comes after that. Their abilities and the effort they put into developing themselves are all things that no one can ever take away from them. Since all of this makes them stronger and more go-ahead, they will sooner or later achieve their goals. In the business sector, it has been proven that companies that are already prepared for the crisis can continue from a better starting point at the end of the critical period, so they will be the most successful.