Nicky: Business Unit Coordinator EPC
The 34-year-old Nicky Verbist works as a Business Unit Coordinator EPC at IZEN. Within that position, she is responsible for the reporting, optimisation of process flows and technical coordination of the business unit.
- Name: Nicky Verbist
- Age: 34
- Studies: Bachelor Marketing (Karel de Grote-Hogeschool)
- Function: Business Unit Coordinator EPC
- Hobbies: Volunteering at an animal shelter, running her own webshop with dog accessories
How do you picture your own future?
Nicky: That is quite difficult to say. The solar panel market is relatively new and is still constantly evolving, due in part to the changing legislation and new technologies. As the market has changed, our services have also expanded tremendously in recent years. In addition to rooftop projects, we now offer floating systems, carports and ground mounts. As a result, we continue to learn new things every day. Moreover, I usually cannot predict in the morning what my day will look like. Fortunately, such a varied and challenging job was exactly what I was looking for. My social environment knows that I am not the biggest fan of the same routine work. In that respect, I am very satisfied and it also keeps me from being too preoccupied with the distant future.
In your industry, do you work mostly among men?
Nicky: Actually not at all. The office has a good balance of men and women and also within the entire organization there is quite a large percentage of women. On the one hand we have a lot of women in management positions, so I do not feel like I am an exception. On the other hand, I also find myself on a daily basis among project and site managers who, in addition to the financial and administrative side, have a more executive position and take care of the technical follow-up on site. Of course, I notice that this technical knowledge is still mainly present among our male colleagues. That is partly because women still choose less technical education paths, and it is good that we are now paying attention to that.
What is your advice for women considering pursuing a technical education?
Nicky: I advise everyone, above all, not to be discouraged and to take their chances. Regardless of the industry, everyone has things they are good at and can excel at. If you focus on those qualities, look at what you want to achieve and go all the way for it, no mountain is too high. That is why I always say, “Be your own role model”. Before starting up my webshop on a self-employed basis, I also hesitated a lot, but in the end, not trying is worse than failing.
