The first time you sit opposite Matthias Berghahn he can surprise you by saying things like: „I find it really fun dealing with people“, or „You should not just think about yourself, you should also think about other people.“ This is not how people imagine a banker to be.
He is a real Berliner from Wedding and he has learned his profession by starting at the bottom. He trained as a bank clerk, was in charge of several branches of the savings bank in West then later East Berlin. When the opportunity came for him to take charge of the branch in Buch – the savings bank calls such offices Private Customer Centers – he was filled with enthusiasm. He had never had any reservations about the Eastern part of the city. „I was always a supporter of reunification. We can all learn from one another. In the Eastern part there is a greater feeling of solidarity. I like that“, he says.
The savings bank is in a historic protected building on the Wiltbergstraße in Buch, built by the former head of planning of the city, Ludwig Hoffmann, and it is always full of hustle and bustle. Lots of Buch citizens are customers since the savings bank is the only one in Buch. „When the second stage of the Buch shopping centrer is completed, the branch will move to this new center to make it even more customer-friendly“, says Berghahn with enthusiasm.
The special interest of this father of two is looking after young people. He lets pupils from Buch schools gain practical work experience in his Private Customer Center. He and his colleagues also provide information services in all Buch schools. The pupils learn what a giro account is or how money transfers and credit facilities operate. Matthias Berghahn has put a lot of effort into the idea and the concept. Naturally, one of the desired effects is also to recruit new customers for the savings bank. Above all, Matthias Berghahn sees his involvement as providing practical help for young people - partly a social and partly a personal responsibility. This is what he does.
Matthias Berghahn is always ready to listen to his 13 colleagues in his Private Customer Center. He also talks to them informally in order to find out how they are and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. He also makes sure he talks to the customers. He personally advises them about things like property finance and investments.
He is very interested in developments in the Buch area. Matthias Berghahn is a regular guest at business workshops and other activities organized by the Buch regional management and he talks to traders. However, he does not offer advice to his business customers in his branch, the nearest Business Customer Center of the Berlin Savings Bank is in Weißensee in the Antonplatz.
As far as his commitments to his Private Customer Center, his colleagues and his customers are concerned, Matthias Berghahn is inevitably thinking about his next career move. With reference to this Matthias Berghahn says: „I need close contact with people. I really enjoy my work here. Working for a large savings bank would restrict my opportunities for contact with customers. That is not a good idea as far as I am concerned.“
At this site you will find portraits of Buch's citizens and institutions that we think you will be interested in. New ones will be dispalyed each month.
Matthias Berghahn is always ready to listen to his 13 colleagues in his Private Customer Center. He also talks to them informally in order to find out how they are and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. He also makes sure he talks to the customers. He personally advises them about things like property finance and investments.
