In December 2022, HDI Global SE moved into their new Prime Tower offices. Their 90 or so employees have since had the chance to enjoy a fabulous view from the 21st floor. We asked Nader Abed, Corporate Services Project Manager, what HDI does exactly and the reason why the company has chosen the Prime Tower as their headquarters.
Mr. Abed, could you please briefly introduce us to HDI Global SE.
The German Industrial Liability Association (Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie, HDI) was established 120 years ago by companies and associations from the German industrial field. Today HDI, which has its registered office in Hanover, has a comprehensive offer of insurance products in all customer segments. However, in Switzerland, HDI Global SE has remained true to its origins and mainly insures companies from the industrial sector, without pursuing the private customer or the SME segments. We focus on large international corporations with their headquarters in Switzerland, as they can benefit from our exclusive network in more than 175 countries. Our clients’ activities involve the most complex risks and thus, a lot of know-how is required on our part.
Your main office was located in Seefeld before: why move to the Prime Tower? What made you decide?
For many decades, our main office was located in a Gerling building on Dufourstrasse. Our offices were spread over nine floors, which partly led to a silo mentality. Both the building and the infrastructure were now getting old and the office spaces were a bit outdated. With CBRE, we have developed a workplace strategy, involving our employees in the process. We wanted an office in which collaboration can be smoother and better suited to our people business. The space on the 21st floor in the Prime Tower ticks all the boxes: we can all work in one area, we can rely on a state-of-the-art infrastructure, a central location in the city and all this at a good value for money.
Which workplace concept did you choose and for what reason?
We said goodbye to office structures and individual workplaces and chose open space and shared desk. The area in the Prime Tower is perfect for this. The open space workplace encourages rapid exchanges within the team. Thanks to the corners in the floor plan and the various room-in-room solutions there are alternative options for when you need to make a telephone call or you need to concentrate.
What do the employees at the new location value most?
We have only moved in in our new premises at Prime Tower on 5 December 2022, so people are still amazed by the fabulous 360-degree view. Especially in winter when everything is under the snow. Compared to before, not only have we invested in the building infrastructure, but also in all the workplace equipment. Our employees are happy about it and appreciate this. They also praise the new and open working environment, which brings employees closer together, encouraging collaboration.
For you personally, what stands out about the Prime Tower as a workplace?
Even after ten years, the Prime Tower has lost none of its attractiveness. It is still THE office tower in Zurich and sets the highest standards. We received a lot of positive feedback from both our clients and partners when the news came out that we were moving to the Prime Tower. I am personally very pleased with the location, in the heart of Zurich and (especially interesting for us as industrial insurers) in the old industrial district, which offers many opportunities. Our employees and clients enjoy a pleasant and modern journey by public transport thanks to the Hardbrücke train station right in front of our door.
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