A thirst for adventure

ETH alumna Martina Pfeiffer: 'The things I learned at ETH are useful for the discussions we have here at work on ingredients and other issues.' (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Désirée Good) Sport and an interest in healthy eating took Martina Pfeiffer first to ETH Zurich and then to Swiss beverage producer Rivella. Her active lifestyle has always kept her at the top of her game. Martina Pfeiffer is in good spirits as she ushers us into a meeting room above the shop floor at the headquarters of Rivella in Rothrist. Earlier today, she and her team raised a glass to a new variety of the soft drink Rivella. Due to hit the shelves a few weeks from now, the details of the launch are still strictly under wraps. But this morning's tasting session was an opportunity for Pfeiffer and her colleagues to toast the success of their new product - in small tasting glasses rather than the plastic bottles that will soon be rolling off the production line. It's moments like these that Pfeiffer loves about her job. "I always used to see my work in terms of management methods and technical skills," she explains. "But now I've got more scope to shape the business. I like achieving things as part of a team." Forty-seven-year-old Pfeiffer has worked at Rivella AG for six years, first as production manager and then as head of the company's supply chain, a position she has held for just over a year. With around 100 people reporting to her, she is responsible for every step along the value chain, from procurement, planning and production to maintenance, quality assurance, logistics and customer service. Development and engineering also fall within her remit, and her position on the board means she has to tackle strategic questions on the company's future: Which new products should Rivella develop?