Fabi De Schutter
Can you describe your role/position at Umicore?
My job is quite versatile, but my main task is assisting the Electro-Optic Materials Management team and all the managers in our Olen site in Belgium.
That means I am responsible for arranging meetings and customer visits, organising business trips, and supporting our foreign subsidiaries – among many other things!
What do you like about your job?
The international character! I can use my language skills and get to know different cultures. I’m very curious about new programmes, so I like to brush up my knowledge and learn about them.
What do you like about working at Umicore?
Besides the international atmosphere, I also like the fact that there are plenty of opportunities for us as employees to develop and participate in various training programmes. We also have the freedom to shape our own roles, and we get to meet many great people.
Why did you want to work at Umicore?
The Belgian employment agency actually encouraged me to apply for a job at Umicore. That was 22 years ago, and although it was originally a 3-month contract, I’m still here and still enjoying my work.
What do you look forward to when you set off to work in the morning?
Not knowing what the day will bring. I have my daily tasks, but many unexpected different requests come up every day. It is always a challenge to solve them as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Every customer is important and they have to feel that we are giving priority to all of them.
What has been the highlight of your time at Umicore so far?
Supporting the grand opening of our Umicore Optic Materials plant in Oklahoma.
The opening was mainly organised from Belgium, but I also got the chance to go to the Oklahoma site and work on the event locally.
It was quite a positive experience, and it was great to work as part of the team there. The cooperation went really well.
Any advice for newcomers?
Rise to the challenge and work for Umicore. Here you have the chance to evolve, and who knows where you’ll end up! It’s an experience you really shouldn’t miss out.