We sat down with Córdoba, the back office director of Mikro Kapital, to find out how he ended up in the grand duchy and what his experience has been here.

Delano: What brought you to Luxembourg?

Carlos Córdoba: I moved to Luxembourg [from Madrid] in 2015 for a job at KPMG. At that time I was 30 years old and was searching for an international career path in order to grow professionally. I wanted to work in English, in an international environment, so I was considering different important financial places in Europe like London, Amsterdam and Luxembourg, and in the end it was Luxembourg that opened its door. When I was offered the opportunity I was also thinking: “Wow, it’s actually in the centre of Europe… I’ll be able to learn other languages. German and French, in this case.”

You mentioned London and Amsterdam. I often hear people regretting that they didn’t move to cities like these, saying that Luxembourg is too “boring”.

I disagree with them! And I have my reasons. Having spent time in London and Madrid, big cities, I’m super happy about having gotten this opportunity in Luxembourg. It’s a blossoming city with more and more things to do, and even if the country has a small population the percentage of people between 25 and 40 is huge, so you meet new people every day. And that’s lovely. That’s nice. What Luxembourg also has is access to nature. If you like outdoor sports, as I do, it’s the best place to be. So you have a good job, a nice job, an interesting job, opportunities for a professional career in an international environment, but just… surrounded by nature. Where else can you find that worldwide?

You should work in tourism.

Ha!

How’s your commute?

I live in Merl and I commute by vel’OH! [the city’s bike-share programme] or by walking, except maybe if it’s pouring rain or if I’m late. But I walk when I have time: it’s just 25 minutes. Crossing the park in the morning, you see the ducks playing in the water, the birds, all of nature in blossom… and crossing the Pont Adolphe, you see the valley on each side and this is just… majestic. Beautiful. Honestly, I like it.

You were also working in the financial sector in Madrid, right? Did you experience any professional culture shock when you arrived here?

That’s right. The two [professional cultures] aren’t that different. The core European values are basically the same. True, if you look at the different approaches to being five minutes late to a meeting, some people might feel a difference--we are supposed to be late, in Spain--but there are also many people in Spain who dislike it when you’re not punctual. So you cannot really see a big gap; you can’t say if it’s something cultural or not. But the perception could maybe be different. [In Luxembourg] you accept and tolerate certain things that, in other contexts, people would almost take as an insult. This is the difference.

What languages do you use at work?

In both my current and previous positions [in Luxembourg], I’ve always worked in English. In my current position, French would be desirable as well. Even other languages could also be of value, in this case Italian or Russian. I’m learning French, myself. I’m doing a one-to-one class every week, which I do because I like it, first of all--and because professionally French is a good asset--but also to integrate myself better into the country. Luxembourgish is quite tough for me but in the long term I’d like to learn it.

And finally… best place for a business lunch?

Oh, I would say any of the restaurants on Boulevard Roosevelt by the Golden Lady--the Gëlle Fra--because of the astonishing views of the valley, the Pont Adolphe, the Spuerkeess. In the summer, on a terrace…