Heidelberg Materials CEO Dominik von Achten reflects on his path from law to leadership, why listening to younger voices is vital when navigating rapid change, and how turning a carbon challenge into an opportunity became the defining decision of his career.
Heidelberg Materials CEO Dominik von Achten didn’t always relish making big calls.
“If I’m honest, I absolutely love decision-making, but I tell you, when I was 20, that was not necessarily the case. So, you can learn this,” he told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on the “Executive Decisions” podcast.
Von Achten began his career in law, a world he described as “dry,” before moving into consulting.
“Decision-making was much different from the legal side of things. My head was spinning at the time, but my learning curve was fantastically high, and that’s what I enjoyed,” he said.
He credits curiosity and deliberate exposure to “crossroad moments” for transforming his mindset.
“If you expose yourself to those moments deliberately, you force yourself into decision-making, and then, as always, if you train things long enough, it becomes a passion,” he said.
Today, as CEO of one of the world’s largest building materials companies, von Achten faces decisions that shape the future of an industry — with a focus on sustainability and growth.
“If we can shape an industry that’s been around for centuries into the new era, that really kicks my energy,” he said.
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