Michael Kühl spent six years of his youth in Japan. From there, I went straight into international key account management at EK, which was almost inevitable, wasn’t it?
Well, explains Mr. Kühl, in Japan he was with his parents, the father was professionally engaged in Tokyo. And it wasn’t quite so quick for him to join our company: After graduating from high school in Bergisch-Gladbach, he started studying international business in Maastricht and also tried to see a bit more of the world, for example during another semester abroad in France. With so much activity, a certain amount of language competence is to be expected: “English, of course, French quite well, a bit of Japanese. And I understand Dutch, too – but not that I could speak it!” His career took off more and more, most recently as a product manager at a major accessories supplier for machine manufacturers, and finally, since last August, at EK, he has been looking after major international customers from Europe, Asia and the USA in the glass business segment.
Michael Kühl has now been living in Bottrop with his wife for around five years. They make plans in the recently added fireplace room of their home. From the apodictic finding “The garden urgently needs sprucing up”, to the extended planning of romantic motorcycle excursions across Europe. What is missing in the garden? “We want to make our garden a bit of a mix between European and Japanese garden styles, definitely surrounded by a bamboo fence and maybe a nice maple tree in the middle. It’s going to take time. But at least I already have the bamboo for the fence!”
Motorcycling is a newfound passion of the Kühls. Both drive big machines, because anything else would be too boring for his wife and too small for him. To do this, you have to know that Michael Kühl measures two meters and a heavy Triumph Tiger Explorer with 1,200 cubic capacity suits him just fine. “The furthest excursions so far have been to southern France and a tour through northern Italy. Riding 800 kilometers a day works pretty well with a machine like this!” Someday, when air travel is possible again, Michael Kühl would like to show his wife where he grew up as a child – and see if he himself remembers a street or two, a temple, one of the beautiful gardens there. At the top of the travel list: Tokyo.