Choosing my first job
I wanted to explore working in diverse roles in the business world, while leveraging my engineering background. It was also important for me to feel the impact of my work and to be associated with a company that is inclusive and fosters growth, both professionally and personally.
Daunting at the start
Every assignment in the program requires a good mix of analytical and interpersonal skills. You could be working on influential projects alongside executives from the group and perhaps external stakeholders. It is therefore important to be structured, proactive and mindful of the use of their time. As a young professional, this might be daunting at the start, but it is a highly rewarding process at the end.
Exploring unfamiliar ground
I lived in Eindhoven, the Netherlands for my first project and had the opportunity to move to Cincinnati, USA for my current one. Shifting and exploring unfamiliar ground can challenge and reshape your perspective. It helped me hone my cultural sensibility, which comes in handy in a multinational work environment. The most important learning for me was to see how and why companies across the globe have different approaches to a similar process.
A collaborative network of young professionals
I was fortunate to meet numerous former and current trainees that work at Trespa or Nemho during my first project. This gave me a sense of community while living abroad. Besides that, it is invaluable to have a collaborative network of young professionals that have gone through a similar process. The group training sessions are also a great opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and understand Broadview's vision and approach as a whole.
My projects
During my first rotation, I worked on increasing the process efficiency that impacted two production lines at Trespa. This included taking a Six Sigma approach to evaluating the cost implications of the current performance. I worked with production technicians at Trespa and experts at Nemho to design a root-cause study for variation, gain a deeper understanding of statistical results and explore modifications to the process. It helped me understand the value of data-driven decision making in a manufacturing environment, that would enable meaningful change in the way of working.
My second rotation focused on the integration of a newly acquired company in the US and investigating potential synergies that would drive organizational efficiency. I was involved in a broad range of working groups at both companies, ranging from Sales, Finance and Operations to Logistics. Working with teams across different functions and levels at both companies helped me gain a holistic view of the business and understand perceived versus real problems.
In both my projects, I needed critical thinking to navigate and analyze existing data and a good level of stakeholder management to execute change at an operational level. I believe this type of learning can only be gained by hands-on experience. I look forward to applying this in my third project, in which I will work on benchmarking production processes among all the companies in the group.