Studious manager Marco Lodder

“Neste supports a culture where employees are engaged and cooperative. At Neste people really live the company's values: we care, we have courage, and we cooperate. This attitude results, among other things, to a good work-life balance.

I started working at Neste in Rotterdam in 2010, and since then I have had five roles. I started in the company when the refinery in Rotterdam was still in the construction phase, writing commissioning, start-up and shutdown procedures, among other things. After that, I spent time as an assistant shift leader, as a process operator and as an operating engineer. 

In my current job as supervisor of the operations day staff, I am responsible for safe and reliable operations at our refinery in Rotterdam. I lead a team that is working in day-to-day operations at the plant. My day always starts with a check whether there are challenges to be solved immediately, in order to comply with regulations and standards. Every day, the team prioritizes the work that needs to be done, and then we make sure that it is executed in a safe manner. As a team leader, I emphasize the professional growth of the people that I am responsible for. I try to make the team work together as smoothly as possible by aligning different stakeholders, by supporting decision-making and  by identifying risks. Risk mitigation is really important for safe operations and business continuity.

Neste is an employer that provides opportunities. Also, Neste gives its employees a lot of freedom and responsibilities. This culture really fits me, because seizing opportunities leads to personal growth - and achieving personal growth is really important to me. I am convinced that in order to get the most out of my potential, I need to challenge myself, which helps open the door to many things. You can move to a new role; you can learn from others and develop your leadership style.

Neste is a fast-growing company. So the opportunities will keep on coming. Neste’s future is exciting and full of potential. To me personally, this is not just a matter of moving up in the organization chart. Moving horizontally can be equally challenging. As long as I can keep on learning.”