“At Ballast Nedam, I’m given the freedom to learn and make an impact”

How did you end up at Ballast Nedam?

“During my university of applied sciences degree in Finance & Control, I was looking for a final-year internship, in the middle of the pandemic. From the very start, Ballast Nedam felt like the right fit: the projects appealed to me and I immediately clicked with the people. I find that kind of atmosphere incredibly important, so the decision to join Ballast Nedam was quickly made.”

What was it like starting during COVID?

“Quite unique! The office was largely empty, and I only met many colleagues in person months later. Even so, I felt welcome. Compared to fellow students, who worked entirely from home, I was lucky to be able to go into the office occasionally. That helped enormously in building connections with my colleagues and the organisation.”

What did your path look like after your internship?

“After graduating in 2021, I stayed on and completed my master’s in Data Driven Business. At Ballast Nedam, I was able to immediately apply that knowledge. In the meantime, I progressed through various roles. I temporarily took on the role of business controller during a colleague’s maternity leave, which was very educational. After that, I joined the core team responsible for implementing OneStream, our new consolidation platform. Within that platform, I built dashboards and set up reports. I also provided training to different parts of the organisation so they could work with the dashboards and reports effectively.”

What are you working on at the moment?

“I work as a business controller on various projects and still support the OneStream platform. I’m also involved in dashboard development and the integration following the acquisition of Hurks. So it’s very varied.”

What makes working at Ballast Nedam so interesting for you?

“The freedom and the trust. If I find something interesting, I can say so and real opportunities are explored. You’re given responsibility, but also guidance. Whenever I wanted to explore a particular direction, I was paired with experienced colleagues. I really value that.”

How do you combine this with your studies?

“Last August, I started the Registered Controller programme at Erasmus University. I work four days a week and study on Fridays. Occasionally my studies take up part of the weekend, but it’s very manageable, partly thanks to the flexibility and support from Ballast Nedam. It feels good to keep learning.”

Do you see yourself staying here for the long term?

“Yes, absolutely. The projects are challenging, there is plenty of room for development, and I work alongside great, highly skilled colleagues. Ultimately, I’d like to grow into a business controller role for my own business unit and, from that position, mentor and develop other young colleagues.”