1179: Why Trust Can Outperform Price | Thomas Baumgartner, CFO, voestalpine Metsec

About this episode

Thomas Baumgartner discusses his journey in finance and leadership, emphasizing the importance of trust and adaptability in business.

As a child in Austria, Thomas Baumgartner bundled unwanted toys into mystery bags and sold them to classmates. Buyers could not see what was inside—they simply paid and took their chances. He cleared out old toys and earned spending money, he tells us. The story is lighthearted, but it reveals something enduring: an instinct to create value, move decisively, and keep looking for the next opportunity. That same mindset has shaped a career spent inside the voestalpine group. Baumgartner began in controlling roles in Austria, where he developed an early view of finance as a forward-looking discipline. A controller, he explains, is the person spotting the iceberg ahead, while others are still measuring the water temperature. The distinction matters. For him, finance was never only about recording results—it was about anticipating scenarios and helping steer the business. A promotion to the UK expanded that perspective. Suddenly, he was navigating unfamiliar pension systems, new tax rules, and a different business culture, he tells us. The move required more than technical knowledge. It demanded adaptation. Over time, he learned that direct leadership styles do not travel seamlessly…

People in this episode

Guest: Thomas Baumgartner

Topics covered

• trust in business
• finance leadership
• cross-cultural management
• value creation
• anticipating scenarios

Keywords

• CFO
• finance
• leadership
• trust
• value creation
• business culture
• collaboration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: voestalpine Metsec

Places: Austria, UK

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