A talk with Günter Fellner, new Director Operations at Exelliq
Since July 1, 2023, Günter Fellner has been in charge of production and planning at Exelliq Austria as Director Operations. Most recently, he was responsible for numerous large-scale projects for production and infrastructure at Plasser & Theurer Bahnbaumaschinen in Linz as Head of Site Development. At Greiner Extrusion and GPN, respectively, he worked for more than 16 years in various functions in the tooling and mechanical engineering sector. We are pleased about his return to our company and met him for an interview.
Mr. Fellner, where are you from?
I grew up on a farm in Behamberg near Steyr, which was run by my parents. After finishing secondary agricultural school in St. Florian, however, I decided against taking over the farm and to study mechanical engineering and business administration. So I moved to Vienna, where I also met my wife in the course of my studies. After some time we moved our center of life back to Upper Austria and we are now at home in Steinhaus near Wels.
What were important milestones in your life for you?
When my wife and I met, when our son was born in 2007 and when we built our own home together - those were definitely very special phases in my life. When I think back to my professional career, I particularly remember the development of the new department mechanical engineering at GPN. In the beginning, it was a real adventure with countless hurdles and obstacles - and yet I always believed in this organizational unit. After several intensive years, we finally posted positive figures and established mechanical engineering as an important pillar of the company. I am proud of this great team and am all the more pleased that the relevant people are still on board with us.
What is your motto in life?
There's a saying I like very much and it applies to both my professional and private life: "Take what you have and give what you can. When opportunities arise in life, you should seize them and then stick to them with enthusiasm. You should also not have exaggerated expectations from one's environment, but recognize and work with what is available. And with commitment and a certain amount of courage, you can always achieve a lot in life.
What do you draw strength from?
From a sense of achievement. Success is incredibly motivating, and not just in a professional context. I also recharge my personal batteries with my family and by doing sports, especially mountain biking. However, I don't put a battery in my bike - my wife and I, as well as my biker friends, are all on the road with classic two-wheelers, and our fuel is “Schnitzel” and “Sachertorte”. When time permits, I also like to go hunting. What I like about hunting is sitting in a high stand - it's like you calm down and discover nature all around you with completely new eyes.
What will your first steps at Exelliq involve?
Before I set myself concrete goals, I will take enough time to look at everything carefully so as not to make any rash decisions. At the moment, we are in an exciting transition phase with the organizational change and the task now is to straighten out the structures, clarify responsibilities and build a solid foundation.
Thank you very much for the interview!