AIESEC is a youth organization which believes in youth leadership and development. To drive this forward, AIESEC has provided companies with young talents in the form of internships over the past 70 years; this has led to the creation of long-lasting, trustworthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with all kinds of organizations. We interviewed representatives of Deutsche Post DHL Group, Husqvarna Group, and ING Group to hear their thoughts about AIESEC, AIESEC interns and what working with AIESEC has brought to their companies.

“One of the best sources of talent”

Eva Pauly at Deutsche Post DHL Group sees a lot of similarities between them and AIESEC. “We are the most international company in the world”, she says, “and to me, AIESEC is also a very international organization”. This similar mindset has opened a bridge between DPDHL Group and AIESEC which has led to recruiting young international talents. „We have many employees at DPDHL Group who were former AIESEC interns”, she explains. “So we see it (AIESEC) really as a great source of young people having an open spirit and being open-minded”.

Melissa Lesser at Husqvarna Group sees it in a similar way. “AIESEC is one of the best sources of talent”, she says. The company has really used this advantage, as they employ every year around 20 AIESEC interns and hope that they stay in the company after their internship. “AIESEC brings a lot of diversity – – and that brings a lot of perspective and fresh air to the different organizations that we have”, Melissa Lesser explains. This way, AIESEC also helps Husqvarna Group become bigger and better every year.

Not your everyday intern

In Melissa Lesser’s eyes, AIESEC interns are not like normal interns. “The main difference between interns and other talents that we can find in different markets is the skills”, she explains. Lesser continues listing presentation and communication skills as the main focuses, as well as leadership which is in the very core of everything AIESEC does. “Things that people develop in AIESEC are things that maybe not everyone has the chance to experience in daily education”.

Camilla Krum at ING Group agrees to this. “It’s their attitude and the way they face challenges”, she explains and raises a specific quality found in AIESEC interns. “They don’t see problems as a problem, they see them as a challenge and they always do their best to overcome those challenges”. Being solution oriented is one quality that AIESEC strives for when developing young people – and something every company can benefit from.

Keep on moving

Working with AIESEC shows ING Group that they are moving in the right direction. “When we talk to these young people and we see the sparkle in their eyes and their motivation to what’s going in the said direction, that’s a great insight for us at ING”, says Camilla Krum.

She also recognizes the value and potential of young people for the company. “Youth at ING bring a lot of energy and a lot of help in innovating even more within the company”, says Camilla Krum, adding that ING and AIESEC share some core values. “We believe in leadership and developing leadership in young people, so that’s the main reason we believe in AIESEC talents”. And they are not the only ones: hundreds of companies all around the world have found AIESEC’s leadership development and interns beneficial to their operations.

AIESEC works closely with companies and organizations of all size, from small start-ups to big corporations. If you are interested in following DPDHL Group’s, Husqvarna Group’s and ING Group’s footsteps and adding young international talent to your company, be sure to visit our internship portal.