“Excellence means constantly looking at ways to improve."

LKQ DELIVERS great every day, and will continue to do so – based on our LKQ Corporate Values: Development, Excellence, Leadership, Integrity & Trust, Value Added, Embracing Change, Resourceful and Sustainability. The values define who we are at the very heart of our business and provide orientation. Ferdinando Imhof, Chief Product Officer at LKQ Europe, shares with us what keeps him delivering excellence.

Why is Excellence so important when it comes to our colleagues?

As a business, LKQ hasn’t got to where it has today by being a carbon copy of our competitors. We are constantly raising the bar and outperforming our competition by being innovative and creative. We set the tone for the automotive aftermarket and lead the way. Excellence plays an important part in that, particularly when it concerns our colleagues. Our workforce is made up of a rich tapestry of diverse people from around the globe – each of them bringing something unique to the table. It’s in this uniqueness that we can produce new ideas, creative strategies and innovative solutions that sets us apart from our competitors. When our colleagues bring their true authentic selves to work every day we excel as a business.

How does Excellence impact your function? 

Excellence impacts Product Management and Procurement in many ways. Our team is responsible for negotiating with suppliers regarding our product offering and finding the right balance between quality and cost for our customers. By offering best-in-class, cost-effective, and efficiently sourced products and services driven by our customer needs and market demands we stand head and shoulders above our competition.

Why is Excellence important for our sustainability strategy?

We cannot claim to be the leading supplier of automotive parts in the aftermarket if we do not seriously consider the impact we have on our planet, the communities in which we serve, and the people that work for us. We’re constantly looking at ways to excel with our product offering that reduces our carbon footprint.

Why is this value important to you and how do you ‘live’ it in your day-to-day role? 

In my role, Excellence means constantly looking at ways we can improve our customer offering, as well as working with the best suppliers. The customer is at the heart of everything we do, and by listening to what they have to say, truly hearing them, and acting on that feedback, we can continue to build on the success we have garnered to date. It also means bringing my best self to the table every day and I make sure that I take care of my well-being. I take my health and fitness seriously and actively go to the gym every morning throughout the working week. I also play tennis at the weekends, and ski and hike as much as I can.