On the afternoon of October 30th, the “2020·Dialogue with CEO” Social for New Employees was held in Hape China, with Peter Handstein, the Founder and CEO of Hape Group, delivering an inspiring speech and engaging in in-depth exchanges with the new employees on site as he welcomed the new comers.
Peter shared with the new employees his own entrepreneurial journey during the two-hour gathering, inspiring them with a Jewish allegory; “one can know the amount of seeds an apple has with a cut, but one can never get the accurate number of apples a seed can breed – none if in a barren land, but plenty if in fertile land with abundant sunlight and rain…” The new employees are like seeds with infinite possibilities, with Hape acting as the fertile land, nurturing the seeds with a quality environment and providing them with a diverse array of possibilities.
At the social, the new employees introduced themselves, with some offering unique and interesting ideas to the group. Many even admitted that their decision to join Hape was informed by Hape’s brand image as a quality educational toy brand. Others revealed that they are loyal fans of Hape toys, eager to learn more about the brand's exquisite craftsmanship, its culture, philosophy and more. One new employee expressed her great interest in Hape’s future plans and strategies. In return, Peter stated that Hape will always pivot towards international angles and directions. Faced with an ever-changing market environment, instead of stagnating and resting on its laurels, Hape will actively follow market trends, making adjustments accordingly in order to achieve greater communication and awareness of consumers around the world.
Peter meanwhile, couldn’t help but think of his partners, who have been with him since Hape’s genesis. He mentioned that the proportion of employees who have worked in the group for more than 10 years reaches 25%, much higher than in many other companies in the industry. Hape is a big, warm family that is lucky to welcome its new employees every year, and it cherishes every member of the Hape family in turn. From Peter’s perspective, old employees are the backbone of Hape and the new employees are the fresh blood. One can't survive without a backbone, but lacks vitality without fresh blood - which is true for a person and also true for a company. In fact, the curiosity and passion of our new employees encourages us to keep moving and improving. Moreover, new employees learn from our beloved old ones, attaining knowledge and experience that, in turn, inspires the veterans to discover new ideas and methods.
Peter stated that Hape has always placed great emphasis on talent, and this year, a series of talent training programs have been carried out to build a broad platform for outstanding talents to bolster their all-round development. To close the social, Peter quoted Einstein, the world-renowned scientist, saying “I know I don’t know”, encouraging everyone present remain humble, to keep learning, and to work hand in hand to deliver quality Hape toys to every corner of the world and bring happiness to every child around the globe.
The social was a great opportunity for Peter and the new employees to enjoy open-minded exchanges and learn more about each other, and it not only enhanced the new employees' awareness of the company's culture, philosophy and development direction, but it also propelled the implementation of the talent training program. Ultimately, Hape strives to create a good environment for all its employees, helping them realise their dreams and, in turn, help promote the long-term development and success of Hape.
