Blitz career
Anja graduated as an Electromechanics Engineer in 1994 and immediately took off on a blitz career at Hessenatie Logistics in Antwerp. First as a simple interim, with a fixed contract after just one week, and less than six months later already a manager, she became responsible for the construction of a European distribution center for a customer of Dupont de Nemours. “You could really show what you had going for you in every way, not only technologically but also as regards management, communication and organization skills, you name it,” she vividly recalls.
USA, Canada, and China
In March 1997, Dupont was taken over by Stirling and Anja's international career kicked into high gear. The company asked her to guide the implementation of SAP with customers in local branches in Delaware (USA). As Customer Lead, she then worked in Canada and China for eight months.
Australia
“As time went by, I felt less and less at home in Belgium,” Anja continues. “After a couple of holidays with a friend in Australia, I made up my mind. From now on, I would focus on fulfilling that dream: being able to live and work in this immense country.”
Breakthrough
In 1998, Anja transferred to Price Waterhouse Coopers to guide projects abroad. Her job brought her to Liverpool with General Electrics and subsequently a year in Hungary and a couple of years with Philips in Eindhoven.
That same year, her career took an important turn. Price Waterhouse Coopers sent her to the headquarters of Nestlé in Switzerland to support the company in drawing up the SAP globe template. “Along with a design team, assisted by three globe centers in Germany, USA and Australia, I provided the support in implementing SAP in the local branches of the company.”
In March 2006, there was a decisive breakthrough: there was a job vacancy at Nestlé in Australia. Considering her Nestlé track record, Anja's interview was a pro forma operation. “Nestlé arranged everything for my accommodation and moving my stuff to Sydney. In late February 2007, Anja moved into her own apartment near the ocean.
Healthy balance
”You work hard, only 20 days off every year, but there is a healthy balance between job and private life, also because Australians mainly live outdoors.” In Australia, Anja leads a team of nine that takes care of the customer service for the entire continent and Africa from the Globe Center in Sydney. Anja's Globe Center is busy almost 24 hours a day.
Citizenship
Anja's future is in Australia, that much is certain. Now she has the status of permanent resident, but meanwhile the procedure for dual citizenship has been started. “Then I will be a true citizen, although as permanent resident I can already make use of all services,” she says.
Vision
“What I learned at Group T, I can summarize in one word: vision. Daring to think differently, coloring outside the lines, examining every facet of a problem. 'Engineers do it with vision,' Group T's slogan from my student years, is still my motto.”
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