ORF report moderator Susanne Schnabl-Wunderlich spoke with Günther Apfalter, Head of Europe of the Austro-Canadian car supplier Magna-Steyr. What lessons he learned from the Corona crisis, why he wants to rethink our behavior and striving for even more economic growth, why politics must finally decide in the climate crisis, fear is a bad advisor and every crisis brings with it an opportunity to question the familiar. Susanne Schnabl-Wunderlich: “Exodus – Leaving the familiar” is the motto of this year’s tolerance talks in Fresach. This is exactly what the Corona Virus suddenly forced us to abruptly change our familiar everyday lives in private and work life. How much have you been surprised by this as a manager of a global company? Günther Apfalter: Not very much, we were prepared by our factories in China. One of them is also in Wuhan and so we knew how the virus affects production. But what surprised me was the speed at which the virus spread globally in just two to three weeks. Now we have arrived in the so-called new normal and hope to return to our normal normality soon. Susanne Schnabl-Wunderlich: How much can you be prepared for such an unprecedented crisis in a global world? Günther Apfalter: Through crisis experience. We had a financial and then economic crisis in 2008 and 2009 and now a global economic crisis triggered by a virus. The economic challenges are to some extent the same and this past experience is helping us now. We have learned from this and, of course, in an international company like ours we always have crisis plans in our drawer. We operate in 29 countries around the world, where there can be not only economic but also political or military crises. You have to be prepared for that. The whole interview on pressetext.
