Chantal Gardavoir

Can you describe your role/position at Umicore?

As an advisor for personal protective equipment, I support all production departments in finding the best equipment available on the market, to make sure that the colleagues can work in a safe way.

What do you like about your job?

I particularly enjoy the collaborative way of working with all my colleagues. Because of the different and specific needs for protection, I interact a lot with everyone to find workable solutions so each colleague can return home safely at the end of the working day. 

What do you like about working at Umicore?

At Umicore, you work for a company that stimulates you to evolve and grow as a person. All you need to do is see the opportunity and seize it.

Why did you want to work at Umicore?

I wanted to work for a large company, giving me opportunities to grow, learn and develop. I discovered a good work-life balance here, which allowed me as a working mum to take care of my young family.

What do you look forward to when you set off to work in the morning?

In my job, every day is different and you never know what the day will bring. The most challenging and rewarding part is to keep my offered solutions simple, maintaining the same high level of service to my internal colleagues as we do for our external customers.

What has been the highlight of your time at Umicore so far?

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Umicore was designated an essential corporation, and it was crucial that we could continue our production in a safe and healthy environment. Personal protective equipment became rare on the market and as a team we succeeded in planning all the equipment needed to protect our employees sothe plant could be kept running.

Any advice for newcomers?

Seize every opportunity to learn, grow and evolve and you will be stunned with what you can achieve within Umicore. Remember that each training session, project, meeting or informal chat might set off a new opportunity.