Some jobs require demand so much versatility that their titles cannot easily be encapsulated in one word. At Cialona we settled on ‘operational manager’.
So what does the job entail exactly? We decided to find out what our very own operational manager, Rob van Midden, had to say on the subject.
Rob has been working at Cialona since 2002. He knows the business inside out: logistics, planning, purchasing, estate management, you name it, he’s been there and done it. Asked about his key responsibilities as operational manager, Rob replies: “I see myself as the crucial link between management on the one hand, and my colleagues in logistics, production, project management and planning on the other. I look after project planning, ensure we have enough capacity in the production workshop, including the hiring of freelancers, and also manage our fleet of vehicles. What’s more, I buy in materials and deal with some aspects of human resources.
So, with such a multifaceted range of tasks, is there one area of work you feel more passionate about?
“Not at all, I get a kick out of the diversity of the job! I like dealing with every aspect of exhibition presentations, from start to finish. My job gives me enormous job satisfaction, especially when everything’s running smoothly, the finished product is inspiring and the customer is happy with the results.
Of course, I’m mainly office-based, but I try to get on to the exhibition floor as much as I can. I value the contact with the customer, but it’s informative and effective too.
In short: I love my job. I’ve been at Cialona for 16 years now, it feels like they are part of my family. There’s no one day the same and I have a great bunch of colleagues to boot. At the end of the day, it’s all about teamwork!
