Room for growth

"Here I can show what I'm capable of"

Marloes Agterberg or Achterberg (37) project consultant and expert lead at TriFinance Netherlands. She started as a business controller at Van Oord, an international marine contractor, in May 2022.

“I’d indicated in my Living Me inc.® (LMI) plan that I enjoyed both project management and business controlling, that I wanted to grow in change management, and that I wanted to lead, preferably in a construction or project organization. I thought I had to choose, but my TriFinance coach said: “Why don’t you find an assignment that combines all of this?’ This mission at Van Oord came along shortly afterward. My assignment here is twofold. I’m business controller at two subsidiaries in the Netherlands business unit, Van Oord Grondstoffen and Paans Van Oord. And I optimize and streamline processes and reporting between this business unit’s entities. The Netherlands business unit is very dynamic. This allows me to see many facets of the company, which is very educational. I can show what I’m capable of here.

Because the projects are smaller and I have a dual role, I get to experience the whole process. Things really come together and I like that. I dare say I’ve grown in the past six months. I’m someone who wants to do everything at the same time. I now know that not everything has to be done tomorrow. I’m also learning a lot about stakeholder management, which is another skill I’d wanted to develop. How do I motivate people to support change? And how do I convey that in a way that gets both the management team and the floor on board? I manage that much better now than at the start. Both the assignment and the company suit me. Van Oord is actively working towards a sustainable world, for example by developing electric engines and reducing ship emissions. I’m glad to be able to make a small contribution to this as a consultant.”

"I learn something new at every client"

Alexandra Heider (43) has worked at TriFinance Germany since 2018. In June 2022, she took on the role of project manager at DB Cargo, Europe’s largest provider of rail logistics services.

“The position at DB Cargo is different from my previous TriFinance assignments. As I specialize in bookkeeping and have worked mainly as head of the bookkeeping department before, the role of project manager is completely new to me. It’s certainly a challenge, but one that I’m keen to take on. I’d wanted to move into project management for some time. In preparation, I obtained my Scrum Master certificate in early 2022.

This assignment at DB Cargo came at the perfect time. As project manager, it’s my job to digitize invoicing processes. This involves reviewing the entire invoicing process, which falls under different departments, and configuring the existing SAP tool. The large team consists of 22 employees, 97% of whom work digitally. This complicates matters, especially in terms of communication.

As I had to motivate everyone to participate, I invested a lot of time in individual meetings to show them the importance of this project. I learned most of the tasks on the job. I not only had to learn the technical side of things, but also things like what documents to prepare, when to prepare them, and what questions to answer in which meeting. When in doubt, I can always turn to specialized TriFinance experts. It’s great to have that kind of support. The nice thing about working on a project basis is that I learn something new with every client. And on this assignment, I can really develop. Working as a consultant requires much flexibility. I have to familiarize myself with each client’s situation and the company's employees. This can be quite demanding, but it gives you a lot of experience. And above all, the opportunity to continue learning, both professionally and personally.”

"I've benefited greatly from my mentor"

Anne Binard (32) joined TriFinance Belgium seven years ago and is a risk advisory consultant. She works for three clients including IBA, a company that develops hardware and software solutions for cancer treatments.

“I started my first audit at IBA in February 2021, together with my expert practice leader. I had a support role then and assisted in documenting the audit, among other tasks. I’m now responsible for the internal audit function at IBA. From preparing and implementing an internal audit plan for the coming year to a risk analysis of activities. In doing so, I help IBA improve all their contributions to cancer treatment. It’s certainly interesting and rewarding. My duties are extremely wide-ranging. I’ve also worked hard for this. I mentioned in my personal LMI plan last year that I wanted to focus on handling the internal audit function independently. When the expert practice leader at IBA left in May 2022, it was an opportunity for me to take over the client alone.

My TriFinance colleagues, including my mentor, supported me immensely. She has assisted me in building more confidence in the tasks that I perform. I’m a perfectionist and want to be 100% sure that what I’m offering the customer is of the highest quality. For example, I found it difficult to communicate concisely. Clearly describing my findings is one of the most important tasks when preparing an internal audit. It’s important to not only inform the client of the facts, but also provide details on the checks that have been done and suggest areas for improvement. This way, an action plan can be created. IBA’s activities include building proton therapy centers worldwide in the fight against cancer. It directly affects people and the future. And I love that I can also do my bit in my role at IBA.”