Building Resilience in a Growing Materials Market

Sascha Gretsch, Country Manager at Owens Corning, brings 25 years of management experience in the construction industry, including 20 years working in South America across major mining and tunnel construction projects in Chile and Peru. In his current role, he leads the growth and economic success of the company’s Swiss operations. With a global perspective shaped by Owens Corning’s transnational matrix structure, he prioritizes building strong cultural connections that motivate talent, strengthen collaboration and drive sustainable success for both the organization and its people.

Leading Across Cultures: Building Bridges Through Integrity

This is a topic I am truly passionate about. Many countries, even small Switzerland— with its four national languages—has distinct cultural dynamics. Our Swiss team works daily for the highest customer satisfaction while collaborating with partners across Europe. As a leader, I constantly build cultural bridges and integrate this mindset into the team whenever possible. Otherwise, cultural differences can create significant tensions, especially in a corporation like Owens Corning with its transnational matrix structure.

Diversity in a multicultural environment is a tremendous asset for any company. The more an organization reflects the complexity of society, the more integrated and successful it can be. This must be communicated to all employees and lived by me as leader.

I had the privilege of spending two decades in South America as an expatriate in managerial roles. During that time, I realized that respect and acceptance of different cultures are fundamental to successful leadership. Through humility and continuous reflection, I grew from the challenges of cultural contrasts while learning to appreciate and strengthen my Swiss cultural traits. Today, my team expects from me to embody our national values— as punctuality, reliability and a strong commitment to quality—in my role as Country Manager.

I am convinced that beyond cultural differences, there are universal qualities valued across all cultures. That is why I focus on human qualities such as personal integrity, which I consider the indispensable foundation of my leadership approach.

Handling External Volatility: Strategy Anchors the Team

We operate in a project-driven construction industry, which is highly volatile. Several factors contribute to this volatility, such as economic cycles, financing risks, interest rate fluctuations, seasonal effects and project delays. These delays often result in sudden execution demands, creating supply challenges.

To stabilize operations, we conduct structured weekly cross-functional meetings where supply chain, production and logistics receive the necessary information to adjust resources according to demand fluctuations. Additionally, we maintain an annual forecast that is updated monthly.

While our employees are aware of market volatility, resilience remains a personal challenge for everyone. As a leader, I cascade a clear vision for Switzerland and involve the team in developing the strategy. This approach helps everyone stay aligned with medium- and long-term goals, which stabilizes morale during challenging times. Throughout this journey, I see it as my responsibility to maintain a fluent communication and provide support during particularly demanding situations.

Staying Ahead Of Market Change: The Two Metrics That Matter Most

There are many indicators that, combined, provide insight into the overall economic environment. However, for short- and medium-term planning, I focus on just two country-specific indicators:

1. The Swiss National Bank’s key interest rate, which in recent years has been the main driver for institutional investors in new real estate projects.

2. An analysis of construction activity based on building permits offers a reliable forecast on expected nominal construction investments over the next four quarters.

Driving National Success: Entrepreneurship Leadership at Scale

Think entrepreneurially and with a global mindset.

In an international organization, success comes from leveraging the company’s collective potential across borders and aligning it with local strengths to create shared growth and deliver palpable national impact.