5 Fragen an Martin Wambach

Yes, actually, I myself am surprised that I have been allowed to be part of Rödl & Partner for 30 years, and that is probably because every day of my professional work is extremely diverse, and therefore these professional years have simply flown by. If I want to refer to a very special highlight, then it is certainly my work last year for the investigative committee of the German Bundestag in the Wirecard case. Yes, this appointment as a special commissioner was something very special. I took away a lot about politics, about political Berlin, but also of course how such a thing works. And I would say it was a once-in-a-career opportunity to be able to do that, and I am very grateful that I was able to experience it. So, auditor is by far the best profession, I stand by that unconditionally. I think I tell everyone who wants to hear it. For 30 years, jokes aside. The special thing about our profession is that, contrary to popular opinion, it is very strongly connected with people. You deal with people every day, not only with colleagues but especially with clients who pursue very different business models. We experience these clients across all corporate levels, from the board of directors, management, through the struggles of rising, down to the partner who allows us entry to the company premises every day. And this immense diversity, the direct contact with people, and the great challenge of dealing with business models and the associated accounting is something very special and makes this profession, in my opinion, particularly attractive. I think I would do many things the same way as they went for me, maybe with two exceptions. One topic is calmness. I think it helps to approach topics a bit more calmly. Today I am much calmer than before. So I would say calmness is something you can learn and bring with you, and I should have emphasized that more. The other thing is, I don't know if I would really do it differently, but I should have dealt much earlier and more intensively with digitalization. Technology permeates all areas of life, private and professional, and you have to understand it if you want to use it meaningfully for yourself, but especially in professional use. And I have the feeling that many young people are extremely good at dealing with social media and other topics, but the actual penetration of IT and what these changes mean in order to then use them to the advantage of all of us, that we know... sometimes. So I don't actually have a real favorite travel destination. My wife and I are particularly interested in nature, ideally as untouched nature as possible. The opposite of nature, cities, will always be there, we believe. Cities are expanding rapidly. In contrast, nature is in dramatic retreat. The loss of plants, living beings, clean air, and fresh water is dramatic, and you can feel that even when you are at sea. Therefore, I really like sailing, and the pollution of surface water, the littered bays, the destruction of the underwater world... that is something that personally moves me. Nevertheless, diving is one of our favorite activities because when you dive, you actually enter a different world that is foreign to you and gives you incredibly wonderful moments when you experience this bundle at the reef or can observe the largest fish and similar creatures a bit, and so on. It's a lot of fun. Professionally, I am most looking forward to the success story of Rödl & Partner, hopefully being able to continue working a bit longer, to be able to contribute, to be part of this great company. I am also sure that this success story will continue despite all the challenges we are currently facing. Privately, I learned to ride during the corona time and would like to develop that further because the moments when we ride together through the open, untouched nature are beautiful, very special experiences. Yes, and that is what I particularly enjoy.