Petru Baciu, Accounts Payable Manager – Tenneco
I’m Petru Baciu, the Accounts Payable Manager for Tenneco EMEA region, since 2015. Tenneco is a global automotive industry leader and the Bucharest based Shared Services Center (SSC) currently has around 250 employees that deliver services mainly in Finance & Accounting, Procurement, Customer Services, and Human Resources areas.
How did you start your career? Which were your first steps? How did you envision your career?
I started my career with a job in a large BPO company where I spent my first 3 years working as an Accounts Payable Associate. I wasn’t the type of young prodigy that had a plan and a clear vision of where he wanted to be in 5 years, but more a fresh graduate who took the available opportunity. I was preparing myself for a career in the public sector but switched lanes and entered the private sector at a moment when the entry-level jobs were scarce, and the competition was quite stiff. At that moment, the large BPOs were the main employers of young professionals; hence, this became a strong option for me, aiming to work in a multinational environment.
What were your key career moments?
If I would sum up to only 2 words the key elements that impacted my career, they would be: change and mentors.
Due to a very volatile environment in SSC industry, that I lived fully, there is a high possibility that everything goes down the drain in a second, hence the imperative need to perform at the highest standard possible. In the last roughly 12 years, I went through one insourcing project (the client that I was working for left the BPO and insourced the activities to ramp up their own SSC) and 3 mergers & acquisitions (some of them followed by initiatives to outsource or to insource) and each and every one of these events helped me to grow and become an improved version of myself. I learnt a lot, I gained experience on how to handle various situations, and most importantly, I’ve met extraordinary people who motivated me to push my limits.
What are the three most valuable career lessons you have learnt?
#1.Never be afraid to surround yourself with people who are better than you. And never stop helping them sharpen their skills. The better they are, the better you are and there is nothing uglier than a people leader who forgets about the team members thinking that only he/she matters. This type of leader usually doesn’t get too far and if they somehow do, the ivory tower is not a pretty place despite being shiny.
#2.Change is not pleasant; change is not predictable, and change is not necessary…if one is ready to pay the price.
#3.Do things correctly from the first try. It is very difficult to adjust later or the chance to correct things might never come.
Why did you choose Business Services Industry?
I chose Business Services Industry due to the dynamicity and the variety of people that you can work and interact with.
And Tenneco is no exception.
I remained with the team because I felt that this is a place where personal initiative is encouraged and not squashed, where the rules are followed (bending the rules, especially in the Finance & Accounting field is not exactly my cup of tea) and where valuing your employees is not just a slogan on the wall.
Can it really exist this magical place, you might ask? And I would say it is not magical or all perfect. It is just our normal, with the occasional ups and downs, with all business-related discussions about efficiency and savings and so on, but all in all, a very good place to work, grow, and satisfy your professional needs… and it is very close to Promenada Mall in a tall building on the Floreasca side.
Tell us a little bit about your private life: your passions, family. What do you do to relax?
I’m married to my lovely wife Andreea, and we have two daughters: Ecaterina (9) and Veronica (5). You can already guess what the power balance is in the house, right? 😊 I’m still resisting the requests to get a cat, but I don’t know for how long. This would put a finger on the balance even more…
I love to have long walks, if possible on a mountain trail or on the beach and if those are not an option, I’ll take even a walk around the neighborhood.
I like to take care of small improvement projects around the house, and so far, I’ve had to call the professionals to repair my fix just on a few occasions, only. If you ask my wife, she will probably mention a clear number of times and the price tags, but I prefer my story.
If now you were starting your career, knowing the present and near future opportunities, what would you do?
I would give myself more time. More time to explore, experience and experiment. And I would use this time and the learning options that are now available (even for free – tutorials, courses, etc.) to develop my skills and not start almost from scratch at a workplace.
What are the top 3 skills that you would develop?
Communication skills, Public speaking skills, Conflict management. You will notice that I did not mention anything from the technical area and not because those are not important. Au contraire! But I have seen so many excellent professionals that simply lack the tools to make an impact that I’m now convinced that without mastering the above 3 skills you can only get so far.
What would you do and what would you avoid doing?—practical advice to young professionals
I would try my best to avoid the 3 concepts that I consider to be the biggest lies that have been sold to us as young people:
#1. Search for a job where you do what you love and accept nothing less – there is no such thing in real life. Every job has activities that you love and some that you hate. That’s why it is called job and not hobby. The important aspect is the ratio between those two parts. And furthermore, don’t expect for a job to be easy. If it is easy, you will not learn much from doing it and will not bring you satisfaction or meaning.
#2. ”From 20 to 30 it is your time to have fun. You have a life ahead to slave away!” – wrong! In your 20s and late 20s, you have your full health, energy, capacity to focus and assimilate, and most importantly, not so many things to lose, therefore you can take much more risks than later when you have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay. Fun doesn’t go anywhere – it will still be there when you will be 35 and with a booming career or business.
#3. The word “must”, as in “you must wake up and go to work”, “you must be trustworthy”, “you must be punctual”, etc. A former colleague with a vast life experience was telling me years back: there is no “must” in life, as long as you accept the consequences!
Cristian Berbec, IT Manager – Tenneco
My name is Cristian Berbec and I am an IT Manager within the Tenneco’ ERP Transformation team, being responsible for the delivery of Global IT projects in the Finance area of our SAP ERP systems.
How did you start your career? Which were your first steps? How did you envision your career?
I have started on the business side, in the Finance department, many years back. My first steps were to work hard, dedicate time and effort to learn as much as possible about Finance, working in multiple areas and handling many different processes. My purpose was to continue learning so I could master the Finance domain and then go into IT and continue the development there. The end goal was to reach a leadership position in the IT field within a large global company.
What were your key career moments?
First key moment was when I changed my field of work, moving from Finance to IT Consulting. It was a risky and complicated change: different domain, company, and city of residence. It turned out to be a great step as it opened many doors towards my future development.
Second key moment was when I decided to apply for a management position as part of the global leadership team. Even though I was not initially successful, I have persevered and achieved my goal, a few months later. This perseverance was a defining moment in my career, it helped me learn a lot about myself and what I can achieve.
What are the three most valuable career lessons you have learnt?
#Never stop exploring. Learning is a lifetime activity.
#Risk and take decisive action to climb your career ladder.
#Perseverance in what you believe is your path.
Why did you choose Business Services Industry?
I chose the Business Services industry because it allowed me to explore many different customers, in many different areas, I had the chance to meet many different professionals and leaders with different views and working styles.
Today, I’m part of an in-house SSC, that is giving me global exposure and responsibilities, opportunities to advance in career and build a strong relationship with leaders I can learn from.
Tell us a little bit about your private life: your passions, family. What do you do to relax?
Trying to learn to play the guitar 😊, but as with everything related to learning, this is a long-term goal. And for sure it is the journey, not the destination that matters.
Learning and playing music together with my family is the most relaxing activity for me. It teaches us great lessons of hard work, creativity, working in teams and working towards a common goal.
I could even associate music to my work activities: rhythm is like the stages of a project and harmony like working in teams. The result could be a beautiful song or a business success.
If now you were starting your career, knowing the present and near future opportunities, what would you do?
Taken quicker advantages of career advancement opportunities.
What are the top 3 skills that you would develop?
I would go with Communication, Leadership, Organization; there is always room for improvement in these arias. As long as you are working with people you need to continue developing people skills and social intelligence.
What would you do and what would you avoid doing?—practical advice to young professionals
I would always recommend to younger professionals to work hard and continue to develop their technical and social skills. But also, to be courageous and take calculated risks.