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When Steffen Bersch moved to Dubai to head up GEA company Westfalia Separator’s Middle East Operations he not only had to get used to a change of climate but also different working hours and ways of doing business. And, as Generate discovered, he’s enjoying every minute.

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Despite a 4.30am start, a six-hour flight delay, late meetings and having to fit in talks with Jordanian customers the following day, Steffen Bersch is remarkably cheerful.

“I’m in a very good mood”, he laughs. But then talking to customers and winning new business is what Bersch enjoys most about his job as General Manager for Westfalia Separator’s Dubai office. Also this particular trip, to the Jordanian capital of Amman, meant leaving behind the heavy rain which had earlier flooded parts of Dubai.

Bersch is responsible for all Westfalia Separator’s activities across the Middle East region. The visit to Amman was to discuss supplying his company’s products for energy and service projects in the region. “A lot of business in the region is run through partner and contracting companies based in Amman”, he explains.

Due to the high power demand, the energy sector is currently by far the biggest market in the region for Westfalia Separator’s centrifuges, which are an essential part of the oil treatment process.

Other important areas are growing as the Middle East countries recognize the need to create their own added value to products by investing in, for example, pharmaceuticals, food and industrial products

“Environmental technology is also a growth area that is providing major opportunities for us”, says Bersch.

Traveling accounts for around 40 per cent of his time, otherwise his working day revolves around the Dubai office where he heads a team of ten sales engineers, service engineers and administrative staff. He is also responsible for a network of 20 agents representing the company in the different countries across the region. In addition to selling the company’s products, Bersch and his team look after the servicing and repair of existing machines.

“It is very different from working at our headquarters in Germany where there is an organization with someone to solve every problem, whereas here you have to be master of everything”, he says. “There is a lot of administration work because Dubai is such an international city that almost everyone you hire needs to have a visa and work permit.”

And that includes Bersch himself. He moved to this boomtown from Bochum, Germany, with his wife and two children in August 2007. As well as acclimatizing himself to the searing summer heat – 50°C (122ºF) during the day and 37°C (98ºF) at night – Bersch has had to get used to a different way of working.

Friday is the Muslim holy day so the working week generally runs from Sunday to Thursday and some companies operate Saturday to Wednesday. “It took me some weeks to get used to the different times”, Bersch recalls. “Because I can only get in touch with headquarters for four days of the week, I have had to organize my time accordingly. But during those four days we can be sure of fantastic support from our colleagues in Germany.”

Another difference is the way negotiations with customers are conducted in Dubai. “Typically there is a lead partner who can make a decision at the end, whereas in Europe for example, you have to deal with procurement groups which means you have to convince more people.”

Bersch and his family have embraced the international lifestyle of Dubai. The two children are happily settled in an American school which includes pupils from 70 countries.

The climate means that he can indulge his love of cycling all year round. “When I was in Germany it was not possible to cycle in the winter”, he says. “Now I train twice a week with a group of cyclists in Dubai and my kids are also taking part.”