In 1988, I entered the world of rail as an electrical engineer
when the NS wanted to implement serial electronic interlocking at
large rail yards. I noticed that there was no guideline at all for
that implementation.
Discussion was smothered by the concern that the system could
not guarantee railway safety: bits and bytes might spontaneously
"disappear". There was no faith in modern technology: tangible,
sturdy relays and the drawing and inspection of switches were
displaced by intangible electrons in chips.
I enjoy convincing people that you can still achieve the desired
result with another, controlled process. Putting aside dogma is
often the only way to bring about change.
When the implementation of electronic interlocking threatened to
strand in 1992, I wrote a rescue plan. After that, I took charge of
the EBS project until its successful commissioning in Rotterdam in
1994. At that time, it was the world's largest implementation and
it helped secure many international contracts for Holland
Railconsult - as the independent engineering office of NS was then
called.
At the end of 1996 I transferred to Siemens. There was
apparently a need for somebody who could think more out-of-the-box
to provide a counterweight to the regimented, hierarchical German
approach. There, I expanded my commercial affinity. As head of the
Transport division, I was responsible for Siemens Netherlands
Transport Technology: delivering ICE3, combino to GVB, a pilot
ERTMS offering… all major projects. I increasingly enjoyed
exercising influence on processes and organisations by thinking
independently.
In 2002, at VIALIS, I came to manage an organisation that
brought products to market. A dream. The manager's role suited me.
I love coaching people.
In 2009, I became responsible for General Electric in the
Netherlands. At peak moments, a hundred people were working in the
RET project team.
And now Attica. I'm in the right spot. As a relative outsider, I
can use the role of the out-of-the-box thinker to exercise
influence across the organisation in a broader sense... I think
that the client has a right to a properly working and
well-documented product. And I participate gladly in this.
There's not much that I don't know about installation and
management... but I still enjoy learning nonetheless! |