The idea came from the apprentices themselves: they wanted to know how someone climbs to the top of an international company – and what Barend Fruithof, CEO of the Aebi Schmidt Group, remembers from his own apprenticeship. His answer came quickly – and was quite surprising: Barend began his career with an apprenticeship on a farm. Why? Because he was fascinated by the entrepreneurial side of agriculture.
When apprentices take the lead
What was originally planned as a one-time conversation has grown into a video series for the Instagram channel of our apprentices – @nextgenerationaebischmidtgroup. From the initial idea to planning and filming to the final edit – the apprentices took full creative control. The videos are short, entertaining and straightforward – but most of all, authentic.
Casual, honest – and a little bit "cringe"
In the interviews, Barend Fruithof shares fascinating insights into his journey – from growing up on a farm to becoming the CEO of an international company. He also faced a few unexpected challenges along the way: during a fast-paced elevator interview, he had to answer rapid-fire either-or questions on the spot. (Spoiler alert: when it comes to cheese, Barend is firmly on Team Raclette.)
A particularly fun moment was the word challenge with Enea, one of our design engineer apprentices. Each had to guess terms from the other’s daily life – from "cringe" to "ROI", nothing was off the table. For our apprentices, this playful exchange was clearly a highlight of the series.
Our young talent shows what company culture is all about
What makes this project special: our apprentices didn’t just participate – they helped shape it. They contributed ideas, created new formats and were given the freedom to decide how their content should look.
For many, it was the first time facing a member of top management so directly – and all that in front of a camera. Even more impressive was how confidently they presented themselves and how professionally they managed the whole project.