The 2nd HPN Club Meeting took place in the Hilton Hotel Vienna which was re-opened recently. This location offered the right atmosphere for this event.
After a warm welcome we got our name tags at the welcome desk in front of the seminar room and had time for some small talk to get to know each other better. Mr. Hannes Offenbacher, chairman of the HPN, welcomed the audience with an opening speech and introduced Janeth Kath, Managing Director of Interio, who held her speech afterwards.
First of all, Ms. Kath provided us with a great overview of her career at the REWE Austria company and her personal history. Ms. Kath was born in Burgenland, where she visited a Business College and started her career at Merkur in the purchasing department. After a few years she got the possibility to lead the Beauty and Cosmetics division called BIPA, which is also part of the REWE company as a General Manager. Four years after she had started to work for BIPA, the company became the biggest in the Austrian Beauty Market with 400 subsidiaries.
Secondly, she talked about how she became a franchisee of Interio (http://www.interio.at). Interio is a well-known furniture store, featuring products of high quality. At the time she bought the license the company was not performing well. Meanwhile, it is a very successful company which now consists of nine subsidiaries.
Furthermore, she answered several questions and gave us very private, useful information about how she had handled her decision making process to become a victorious business woman.
Afterwards, we all met at the hotel bar where we did some networking, enjoyed some cocktails and the great atmosphere of the hotel.
All in all, the meeting was a great success for all members and HPN. Ms. Janeth Kath left a very deep impression. She inspired us with her determination and motivation. What we will especially keep in mind and take with us is: If you love your job, you will be successful!
Robert Schnuderl & Franz Reitbauer
Members of the High Potential Network
