Meet Niklas! He is the General Manager of IRC.
In his own words:
I joined IRC-Berlin in January 2019 and took over from Ariane in January 2020. Currently, I’m adjusting and setting up my vision in my new position as General Manager for IRC.
My vision for IRC is to be a company which understands the needs of its customers combined with the solutions of our digital sphere in 2020. As I’ve worked in several digital businesses I see my biggest personal challenge to implement the heart of a truly digital company into IRC’s services. Additionally, it’s super important for me to understand the whole journey of the relocation process which means what happens before and after the relocation. Therefore I’m setting up business models and structures which allow to support these specific phases in the overall process. After setting up our Change Management Workshops and Intercultural Trainings IRC will be able to be the ultimate partner when it comes down to having a full package. We can support our clients in every tough situation while moving over to Germany and after the settling in process.
Berlin is just the start for us!
My favourite place in Berlin is hard to pick – there are so many places and districts that are fantastic. Every district in Berlin is like a whole new city. If I’ve to choose I would go with Kreuzberg for all the variety of tasty food and different cultures. Currently, I’m living in Mitte and it feels like the perfect mixture between Kreuzberg and Charlottenburg where I used to live.
A great place to eat in Berlin is Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg – this vivid place offers you a fantastic variety of freshly made food. You can choose between so many nice dishes which are prepared directly in front of you. This place is full of life!
My hidden gem in Berlin for sure is the Lietzensee which is located in the centre of Charlottenburg. This area is perfect to have a run or just to relax in the sun during summer. Most important it’s not overcrowded like most the parks in Berlin.
Favourite Place in Berlin, when it comes down to the best trip from Berlin I would say Prague! It takes you around 3 hours to go there and this city is just breathtaking! For watersport enthusiast like me, I also enjoy having a time out in Zossen where you can find a Wakeboard Cablepark which offers the perfect conditions to spend a whole day switched off!
Meet Ariane!
Ariane Almerood has worked in the relocation sector for 21 years, she founded IRC 15 years ago and built the company to what it is today. 2020 she passed on the leadership of IRC to her son Niklas Almerood, but she is still supporting IRC and the consultants with her extensive knowledge in her role on the Board of Advisors.
In her own words:
The fact of moving all my life, living on three different continents, Asia, North American and Europe made me “experienced”. New cultures, new social structures, new languages, new environments, new colours and new smells, were part of my lifestyle. I had been doing this most of my life. However, my move from Munich to Berlin in 1998 was the most difficult.
We, my family and I were supported by a relocation agent and I understood how important it is was to have someone by my side to explain the new environment and with whom I could discuss the challenges. Berlin was rough in 1998.
I spoke the language but felt like a stranger. I asked myself, what does a New Berliner do when they can’t understand the language, nor the strange German ways. The seed for IRC was planted.
The moving boxes were unpacked, the house now a home, my children in school, my husband at work in a familiar corporate culture, my cat happy in the garden and I was needy.
I gave up my job, my friends and my comfort zones. This experience sparked my decision to assist others with their adjustment processes. My first relocation company was established in 1999 and IRC Berlin grew out of this experience in 2005.
We take the needs of each family member serious and offer guidance to resolve these. What drives us to excel, is the challenge to assist the New Berliner with organizational tasks allowing them to settle emotionally. The entire IRC Team has experienced living abroad and can emphatically support New Berliner.
Favourite Place in Berlin:
I have become a typical Berliner, after 20 years, and my favourite place in Berlin is my “Kiez”. I love walking down the Ku’damm, there is always something new to see and experience, or drink coffee at Stuttgarter Platz, with its historical past or just around the block. I love watching my Kiez change its face with new buildings, new shops and new Cafés and restaurants. I now have my “Koffer” in Berlin and couldn’t live in any other German city.
A great place to eat in Berlin:
In Berlin, there is such a large variety of interesting and good restaurants. I stay within my Kiez. Stuttgarter Platz offers a wide variety of restaurants. The square full of tables outdoors, always lively and with a historical past …. I love it. And the adjoining streets, the Leonhardt Strasse has a special “feel good” flair with its speciality shops and restaurants and the Windscheidtstrasse offer such a special atmosphere, as well as great yoghurt ice cream.
A hidden gem in Berlin:
My favourite places aren’t hidden but offer many gems. Berlin is one of the greenest cities in Germany. The Tiergarten is a special place with its beer gardens, flea market, the zoo and many paths for biking and walking only to end in front of Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. I also love walking along the River Spree, the Museums Island, the Monbijou Park with its open-air tango and salsa dancing lessons. This is Berlin and this could be my hidden gem! It’s a feel-good experience.
Best day trip from Berlin: I grew up in California, near the beach, and in Munich, I had my “hide-away” place at Starnberger See. Water is my element. The Ostsee certainly isn’t the Pacific but Usedom and the Darß are my favourite day trips (although I prefer a few days on the Darß).