“The world is full of opportunities to grow professionally or explore an international career. What's stopping you?”

Philip’s first encounter with TMC was when he had just obtained his master’s degree in Engineering Technology from KU Leuven. “A business manager from TMC who I met during my studies invited me to the TMC selection days. A company like TMC was on my radar, I just did not know about it. But when I looked into it, I thought, why not? Let’s give it a try.”

It worked: TMC Belgium made quite an impression on Philip. “Everything fit during that day. The values really resonated with me, as well as the projects that were presented. Moreover, I saw many former students from Leuven, who really were top of the class.” Eventually, it was a speech by Jaskaran Sandhu that truly convinced Philip that TMC was the right choice. “He highlighted that TMC is a place where you can push yourself and craft your own career; if you see an opportunity, all you need to do is go for it. Now, a few years later, I realize that this way of thinking is what really differentiates TMC.”

Building bridges between R&D and production

Philip's journey at TMC over the past two and a half years illustrates just how much employeneurs are encouraged to steer their careers in the direction they want. In his first project, Philip was a New Product Introduction Engineer at a high-tech manufacturer of conferencing systems. “Their products are used in the most well-known institutions of the world; microphones combined with voting options and an interface that allow live translations. It was a position in the beating heart of the company. There, I learned best practices and the fundamentals of leadership in an ambitious and dynamic company. They had a relatively small R&D team of 20 people, they built A to Z projects on their own; from hardware engineering to software development, design and even to manufacturing.”

Supporting a startup in Senegal

At TMC Belgium’s Young Graduate program, you get the opportunity to do a challenge next to your assignment at the client. While at his first client, Philip led a 1-year project for a Belgian startup in Dakar (Senegal), where he eventually went to for one month. “The company dries fruits, like mangos. They had just started and needed help in going to the next level. My main responsibility was in leading the team to build a system that could help them scale their production. I developed an application to track the flow of goods within their factory, such as the number of kilograms that come in, or the amount that ends up going to trash. Using this information, we managed to improve their drying process, by selecting ideal parameters like temperature and moisture.”

For his next assignment, Philip decided it was time to shift his focus to the social side of engineering. “I was looking for a project where I would have more contact with people.” That opportunity soon presented itself.

“I took on a dual role, both as Chief Operating Officer of a start-up and the Project Manager of an R&D team, both in the medical sector,” says Philip. “The startup was an educational center that teaches people to perform surgery using robots. My role in the R&D department was to explore ways to scale the business. Currently, trainers can only teach one student at a time, because they need to keep a close eye on the procedure to make sure students do everything right. We looked at how AI can help teachers to keep an eye on the performance of students, so they can teach multiple students at the same time.

This assignment was more strategic than the projects Philip had worked on before. “We explored new business models and identified other commercial opportunities to monetize the technology. We were creating a vision for the future of the company, it really felt like an entrepreneurial assignment.”

Explore international waters

When that project came to an end, Philip felt the urge to explore international waters. “I felt the moment was right to take on a different type of challenge: to explore a new cultural environment.”

Philip connected with many TMC locations across Europe: “I felt an immediate click with the team in Italy. The team has a lot of ambition to grow. And there is the market opportunity to do so.” In his first assignment, Philip is an Engineering Project Manager in the defense industry. “The company produces military equipment. My role is to be the glue between different production sites in Italy: Brescia, Torino and Sardinia. Once a customer places an order, it’s my job to ensure their needs are addressed throughout the development process and that nothing is overlooked.”

Support and encouragement

He is enjoying both his new working environment and the region where he lives: “It’s close to Lake Garda, and both Venice and Milan are within driving distance.”

His career advice: “The world is big, full of opportunities for you to grow professionally or explore an international career. So, what's stopping you? When I asked for the opportunity to transfer to a TMC location in another country, I experienced a lot of support and even encouragement from both the team in Belgium and Italy. TMC is present all over the world. Just go for it!”