“I am a good salesperson because I care about customer satisfaction. I listen carefully to what our customers are looking for in our future cooperation and propose proactive solutions that reflect their needs,” says Eline Vanden Bussche.
At the turn of the year, the chemical engineer took over the helm of Site Fabrication and Contracting at Herøya, as well as Bilfinger’s departments in Kristiansand and Rjukan. This means she is responsible for nearly 400 employees within the Local Business Unit.
A talent for sales
When Eline Vanden Bussche was preparing to pursue a PhD, she began working on securing funding for her research. That fundraising effort clearly demonstrated her talent for sales. The doctorate never materialized, but throughout almost her entire professional career, the chemical engineer has worked in sales. Now it is Bilfinger that will benefit from her skills.
You are an engineer but have spent most of your career on sales. What makes you a good salesperson?
“It’s because I focus on creating satisfied customers. I listen to what customers are concerned with and propose proactive solutions. I want to create added value for both the customers and Bilfinger. We achieve this by offering services that provide value for money.”
From Belgium
As her name suggests, Eline was not born in Norway.
“I’m Belgian, and I didn’t move to Norway for love,” says the 46-year-old with a contagious laugh. “I was married when my family moved to Norway in 2007, and I had a nine‑month‑old daughter.”
The reason for the move was that her husband, an engineer and solar energy expert, was going to work in REC’s development department at Herøya. At the time, there was strong demand for engineers, and Eline was offered a position at Hydrogen Technologies, a division of StatoilHydro, even before she moved to Norway.
Planned to stay for one year
“We thought we would stay for one year, but that’s not how it turned out. I became pregnant with our second child, and we realized that it was much better to be parents of small children in Norway than in Belgium. Parental leave arrangements were better here, so it was only natural to stay a bit longer than planned. One year turned into two, two into five, five into ten – and we are still here. We have no plans to move back to our home country.”
Career
Eline spent three years within the Statoil system before joining Hydrogen Technologies, which today is known as NEL Hydrogen.
“I really enjoyed working with technical support because there was so much to learn and get familiar with. When NEL Hydrogen went bankrupt, I worked for a few years at Minox Technology, a subsidiary of the Agility Group. There I held various sales roles and eventually became responsible for service.”
Her last position before joining Bilfinger was as Sales Director at ENRX. There she was responsible for sales of two of the company’s product categories in Europe. Over time, her responsibility expanded to include sales of the company’s entire product portfolio in Europe.
“After five years in that role, I wanted to try something new. I wanted to work with something other than sales, and I was offered the position as Managing Director of ENRX in Germany. I commuted weekly to Freiburg for three years before returning to Norway last August.”
Head of a Local Business Unit (LBU)
In Germany, Eline was responsible for the entire operation, something she truly enjoyed. She also appreciated having oversight of the whole business – quality, safety, deliveries and customer relations.
“I also found it exciting to delve into the financial side of the business. I enjoy varied tasks and don’t thrive when work goes on autopilot. I like challenges and was looking for a new position where I could do what I did in Germany, while also being closer to my family. Now I am LBU Manager of the unit previously known as Fabrication. After a reorganization, the unit is now called South‑East.”
And now you are going to sell all the different services?
“A Local Business Unit Manager is much more than a salesperson,” Eline responds. “But I do, of course, have my background, and the top line is important to me. We need to achieve the profitability we are aiming for, but we also need to deliver the revenue expected from our Local Business Unit.”
Cultural differences
“I have a real appreciation for the Norwegian mindset,” Eline replies when asked about the differences between Norwegian and German working life. “I value the flat organizational structure, even though it can be challenging at times. On the other hand, I see that employees in Norway take greater responsibility for their jobs. That is a strength of Norwegian business. Employees are more independent and dare to take responsibility. I like that, because a company is carried by its employees. If employees don’t feel a sense of ownership towards their company, it is difficult to create growth.”
Have you become Norwegian now?
“I am still very Belgian, but Norwegian in my work culture,” Eline replies. “I am probably quite direct, but I have a lot of empathy for the people I work with. I believe everyone should enjoy themselves at work and have a good working day.”
