«My wife and I set up a school in Kenya»

I have plenty going on

«I've worked at Migros for 45 years. As a Digital Supply Chain Manager, I’m involved in making the supply chains even more efficient through digital networking with our suppliers. At the moment, my main focus is on replacing the barcodes. These codes are used to label goods and get read by a scanner at the checkout. There are now interesting alternatives to the 50-year-old barcode – new two-dimensional codes store far more information, such as the best-before date. This will help us to avoid food waste and create greater transparency in future. But it won’t be me in charge of the changeover, as I’m retiring at the end of October. I’ll then slip into the role of the discerning customer. Letting go won’t be that hard for me because I can leave the work in good hands. I’m sure a strange feeling will creep over me, but not until my last few days at work. After all, I’m a Migros child through and through.»

1. My Africa project

«Ten years ago, my wife and I bought a piece of land in Kenya and built a school and kindergarten on it. The Shining Stars Academy is located in a place called Rabai, near Mombasa. We run it together with a Kenyan friend, financing everything with our own funds and donations from friends. Around 380 boys and girls aged from 3 to 14 currently attend the Shining Stars Academy.»

For more information, visit www.migmag.ch/shiningstars.

2. My hobby

«This bizarre fruit grows in my garden and comes from a lemon tree called Buddha’s Hand. It doesn’t have much flesh, but its skin makes it suitable for baking. I nourish and cherish around 20 different citrus plants in total.»

3. My Migros product

«I love the wide range of yogurts at Migros. My current favourites are the Elsa yogurts.»

4. My sweetheart

«My wife Barbara is the most important person in my life. We’re very involved in social projects together. She often worries a lot when I shoot off to join the Red Cross again on an assignment – in an earthquake zone, for instance. She supports my mission nonetheless. It’s all far from self-evident.»

5. My mission

«I’m a member of a logistics emergency response team for the Swiss Red Cross. Whenever a natural catastrophe occurs somewhere in the world, we are on site within 48 to 72 hours. Once there, we organise the logistics for the relief aid and ensure that it gets to those in need of help in good time.»