What has your career been like so far?
Dynamic! I started as a strategy consultant at Roland Berger because I wanted to understand companies broader than operations only. That has been a truly steep learning curve, where I saw many different types of projects and industries. It was a great start of my career, as it has given me experiences, knowledge, and skills that I don’t think you will find in many other jobs. At some point I specialized in strategy development for food ingredient companies and from that I took a leap towards the industry itself: I am currently a strategic project manager at DSM in Delft, where I most recently led the transformation/integration of 3 separate business units into the new business group DSM Food & Beverage.

Why did you choose the industry you work in now?
I am very passionate about food and innovation, as I see our current food system as one of the key challenges to solve in this century. The majority of the innovations that you see in your daily food and beverages actually do not come from the names on the package, but from the companies supplying the ingredients. I find it fascinating to see all the steps that are taken in the industry and by DSM specifically, and it is great to be part of an organization that is actively rethinking our food systems to become healthier and more sustainable.

How do your expectations about your career during your student days differ from today?
Well, I am not really one to make long-term plans (I only figured out I wanted to move into consulting about 2 months prior to graduating), so I also had little clear-cut expectations. Maybe the largest difference is about how “makeable” your job is, it is definitely not only about the predefined job title or role but much more about your own initiative to create the job that fits with you – within boundaries of course 😉

What is the key thing that you have learned during your studies that you use a lot and appreciate?
Critical thinking & creative problem-solving. I vividly remember those exams or assignments (typically logistics related) that you could not really prepare for, as there were always new questions that pushed you to think outside the box and combine all the knowledge you had to come to an answer.

What advice would you give current students?
Be curious and just do it! I have done a lot of things throughout my studies and career that I was unsure of or nervous about at first, but in the end, those were the instances where I personally grew the most. So especially when you are in doubt about something, just say yes and see what comes your way. The worst that can happen is that you learned something, the best is that it opens up a whole new world of opportunities.

You can change a question, which one would you change and why?

Old question:
How do your expectations about your career during your student days differ from today?

New question:
Where do you get most energy from inside and outside of your work?

Why:
Currently all questions are related to the career path, for me it is also interesting to learn more about the person behind the job title.

What has your career been like so far?
I conducted my master thesis at Océ (nowadays Canon Production Printing), where I used sensor data from machines to predict when a machine would fail. This is where I started programming and working with large amounts of data, which I really enjoyed. After graduating, I stayed at Océ for a couple of weeks to implement my master thesis, after which I started as a Big Data Analyst at bol.com. This role quickly changed into a Data Scientist role after an internal reorganization. For the first two years I worked in more commercial teams, but since about three years I’m working in the logistics department, where I try to optimize the outbound process in our warehouses.

What makes you happy in your work?
In our team, we run our own software applications that support the operational process, but also constantly innovate on them. The combination of being highly involved with the operational process, but also having the intellectual challenge of modeling and improving our algorithms is something I really enjoy.

What was the most important moment in your career and why?
Making the decision to work in data. Back when I was applying for jobs after graduation, I was doubting between an operational job as a team leader in operations or a more analytical job in data. In the end I decided to choose the latter, and in hindsight I think this was indeed a good fit for me. In my current role, I can still be highly involved in the operational process, but also challenge myself in a more technical and analytical way.

What activities did you do besides your studies? And how has that affected your career?
I have been quite an active member at Industria, being in the board and doing all sorts of committees. Also, I worked part-time as a logistics engineer at AME during my masters. These activities have given me a head start in my career. Although I started as a junior at bol.com, I felt I could already contribute a lot to the company since the start, due to my relevant work experience and organizational skills that I learnt during my study. Besides that, I made friends for life during my student time during these side-activities, which provides me with a strong personal network.

How do you distinguish yourself as a business manager from managers with a different background? In which aspect is the greatest added value as a business administrator?
The technical background of our study, in combination with a very pragmatic focus on business. I generally see a lot of businesspeople who are very pragmatic but are struggling with analytical complexity. On the other hand, technical people can often lose themselves in the complexity they create themselves, and therefore forget about the actual problem they’re trying to solve. I think Industrial Engineering finds a nice balance in the two.

You can change a question, which one would you change and why?

Old question:
How do you distinguish yourself as a business manager from managers with a different background? In which aspect is the greatest added value as a business administrator?

New question:
What subject or skill you wish you would have learned in university and why?

Why:
Although I think most of the curriculum in Industrial Engineering is solid, there’s always room for improvement. And who knows, maybe the program manager will actually read this interview and will implement your suggestions.