Never too old for a good adventure

Rodolphe has three big passions in life: surfing, rock climbing and cars. Since it’s rather hard to make a living as a surfer or a rock climber, Rodolphe made his career in the automotive industry. ‘When I graduated in material sciences, my ideal job was to work on polymers in cars, preferably in an R&D environment. I didn’t find my dream job, but I knew my path was within the automotive industry.’

Experienced generalist

Like his dad, who was a sports car enthusiast and spent his entire career at Renault, Rodolphe started at Renault, too. Though he never was directly employed by the French automotive company. ‘I didn’t mind, because I still got the opportunity to work on lots of interesting projects. I managed several technical teams working on pretty much all parts of a car. Along the way, I became a generalist. I had to, because it’s not obvious to work in the automotive industry with a background in material sciences.’

I am a generalist who worked on pretty much all parts of a car

TMC changes the game

Rodolphe worked at Renault through several consultancy firms. ‘My assignments brought me amazing technical and managerial challenges. But I became increasingly unhappy with the opaque way of doing business by the organizations I worked for. Especially in their people management. More than once I was told during an end-of-year evaluation that I did a great job, but that the company had had a tough year, so there was no room for a salary increase. You must be joking, I thought.’

When he learned that TMC does things quite differently, Rodolphe was hooked. ‘TMC’s employeneurship model intrigued me from the very first moment I heard about it. What motivates me most is the total transparency, in particular about finances. Together, we make sure that revenues are divided in a way that benefits both TMC and the individual employeneurs. This is completely different from what I was used to. It helps me bring out the best in me, to perform at the highest level and to close better deals.’

I like that I get to challenge my entrepreneurial side, but I also have security
Clearly, there is an entrepreneur in Rodolphe, even though he never really considered starting his own company. ‘I’m quite pleased with the security I have at TMC. And I still get to challenge my entrepreneurial side. I have always looked for new opportunities. And I’m used to connecting people if I think they are a professional match. I did this for friends, and now I do the same at TMC.’

Personal development

Rodolphe and TMC have been a great fit, right from the start. And the fit has been getting even better because of Rodolphe’s willingness to learn. ‘I appreciate the coaching opportunities that TMC offers. I’ve really improved my communication skills, for example. I used to be quite harsh, but I’ve learned to approach situations differently. Working with people is way more difficult than working on technology. We always find solutions for all technological issues. But if there is a problem in the relationship between the people who need to work on these solutions, that’s a more serious challenge. I now know much better how to deal with this.’

Working with people is way more difficult than working on technology

Matching assignments

It’s no surprise that Rodolphe remained active in the automotive industry. He currently works at Visteon, a company that delivers battery management solutions, multimedia centers and dashboards, including the measurement equipment connected to them. Rodolphe is responsible for the quality of a testing laboratory. ‘We test equipment to make sure that it fulfils manufacturer’s requirements. Safety systems must keep functioning despite high temperatures or humidity, strong vibrations or electromagnetic interferences. When mobile phones are placed near the dashboard, for example, your speedometer should still display a correct value.’

His assignment at Visteon has no end date: Rodolphe can stay for as long as he wants. For now, he is happy with what he’s got. ‘I only miss working in English and being in contact with different cultures. So maybe a future project should have a more international character again. Or maybe I will change roles within TMC. I might become a business manager matching other employeneurs to customers. Who knows, some day.’