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Always in motion: how Emile thrives by diving into new contexts
After ten years at TMC Belgium, Emile De Brabandere has learned one important thing about himself: he needs movement. Physically, mentally, and professionally. Whether he’s training for competitive triathlons, learning how a new industry operates, or guiding a multinational toward European-wide process alignment. Staying still simply isn’t an option for him.
Today, Emile works at an European steel company, where he helps standardise and improve the IT systems that support supply chain and customer service operations across multiple factories. It’s a role that places him right between business and IT. A space where he can combine his analytical mind, technical background, and his strongest skill: empathic communication.
Diving into new adventures
For Emile, every new assignment begins the same way: immerse first, analyse second. Instead of relying solely on documentation, which “either doesn’t exist or doesn’t match reality”, he steps directly into the operational flow. “I join the teams, see how they really work, understand their routines, and learn why certain decisions are made,” he says. “That’s the only way to follow the full context.”
It's a method he has refined across three very different sectors: automotive R&D, railway infrastructure, and now the European steel industry. Each time, he starts at zero. Each time, he rebuilds trust from scratch. Each time, he adapts to a new cultural and technical environment. “It’s something I actually need,” Emile says. “New domains, new people, new challenges. That movement keeps me energized.”
Empathic communication is essential
In his current project, the core task is to evaluate and prepare a standard supply chain tool for rollout across multiple European factories. These factories all have their own histories, processes and systems. Getting them onto a shared platform means coordinating not only technical differences, but emotional ones too.
“That’s why empathic communication is essential,” Emile explains. “People rarely take a position for purely operational reasons. There’s often history, ownership or pride underneath. You have to understand both the content and what sits behind it.”
His engineering background helps Emile build credibility with technical teams. A “hall pass” as he calls it. But it’s the ability to listen between the lines that makes collaboration easier.
Take your responsibility
Emile is not someone who waits for a formal job title before acting. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned, and try to pass on, is not to wait for responsibility to be handed to you,” he says. “If something attracts you, take ownership. Align with your manager, but don’t wait for permission to contribute.” It’s this mindset that helped him grow from a young engineer into a trusted link between business and IT across multiple industries.
When asked why he’s stayed with TMC for over a decade, his answer is clear: “TMC has always been a partner I can rely on. They look at what’s best for me as a person and as a professional, independently from my client or project. That support makes it easy to stay and keep growing.”
TMC also helps him balance his demanding projects with something equally demanding: competitive triathlon training. “It’s a big part of my life. TMC understands that. They take it into account when matching me to new projects,” Emile says.
Always moving and evolving
Looking back at ten years of continuous change, Emile sees a clear thread: he grows in motion. New industries, new factories, new systems, new people. Every environment requires him to re-learn, re-connect, and re-invents how he words. It’s exactly what he enjoys most.
“I like discovering how things work. Every project, factory and team gives me the chance to dive into something new. And that’s where I perform best.”
Als Medior Adviseur Bodem en Milieu bij TMC werk je aan uiteenlopende projecten waarbij bodemkwaliteit, milieuwetgeving en duurzaamheid centraal staan. Je adviseert over bodemonderzoeken, saneringen, hergebruik van grond en de milieukundige inp...
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