"After graduating in mechanical engineering in June 2000 and after working for several companies on a project basis, I still hadn't found what I was looking for. I felt that there must be a job out there that was more interesting and varied.  

In one of my previous jobs, I had learnt a little about the offshore industry and it peaked my interest! I started searching the internet for an interesting job at a company with an informal culture and mix of young and experienced people. I wanted a job where I could develop new solutions and broaden my view of the world. I was definitely not looking for a 9 to 5 job! My search led me to Heerema Marine Contractors in Leiden, the Netherlands. It took me one phone call and a very pleasant job interview to know that this was the company I wanted to work for! I immediately quit my old job and in April 2004 I joined the company.

In the past few years I derived a lot of pleasure from working on different projects as an engineer. After five years within the engineering department and spending a lot of time on board of our vessels, I decided it was time for a change in my career: I wanted to broaden my knowledge with the commercial aspects of working in the oil and gas industry, but I didn't want to loose touch with the technical side of things. So, I joined the Sales and Business Department of HMC and now I work there as a Proposals Coordinator. This means that I'm responsible for the technical part of a proposal we prepare for a prospective clients upon their request; and to make sure that what we propose is in compliance with their needs. This job has a lot of interfaces with all different types of disciplines within HMC: Operations, Legal and Taxes, Procurement, Engineering and a lot more.

In 2007 I was invited for the Leadership Development Program, which is a wonderful opportunity to develop myself further and receive some good coaching and feedback on this by professional trainers. So all in all I am very, very happy working for HMC! There is a world of opportunities within this company and I hope I can be part of this company for quite some time! I would recommend Heerema to everybody who doesn't want to just produce papers, but wants to be part of the bigger picture."