Testimonials

If you would like to know what a PAF project is about, take a look at the testimonials of recent candidates. They are classified by region where their assignment took place. Enjoy and be inspired!

Be informed

< Back to overview

Charlotte Verhaeghe - Participant 2017

The project ticked all the boxes, meeting all the criteria I had set for myself and helped me identify my true passions and strengths.

Role

Charlotte started by focusing on innovation development and an HR transformation project at Novecare in Princeton, a Global Business Unit (GBU) of Solvay, contributing to a major restructuring plan as time went on.

Responsibilities

Initially, Charlotte supported the Strategy team in defining the way forward for the integration of external innovation processes. She also became acquainted with the challenges of Diversity and Inclusion in the Novecare GBU.

But following a tough year, with results that were not up to par, the Novecare business priorities changed, along with Charlotte’s initial assignment. Under the new project – a restructuring and transformation plan – her role consisted of providing support for the implementation of a central reporting system and raising the engagement of management and financial controllers for the project’s execution. She proposed some radical changes to Novecare’s organization and processes to simplify and transform the unit into a more agile and customer centric entity.

How she benefited

One of the biggest challenges Charlotte faced and embraced was being exposed “to the journey
of the transformation Solvay/Novecare was undergoing”. She came to understand how vital it was to optimize and simplify processes and costs. She learnt a lot about the business, the management style and how the company operates due to the project’s nature. Working with different people at all levels of the Novecare organization was another very interesting aspect of the project.

“I learnt a lot about the cultural and operational challenges of working on a global level and of merging two companies that are similar in size. This will help me tremendously in my future career.”

The company – Novecare

Novecare is one of Solvay’s biggest Global Business Units and is part of the Rhodia legacy, the company that Solvay acquired in 2011. It develops leading edge technologies that affect the products that are found in shampoos, detergents, paints, lubricants, plant protection, mining and oil extraction.

“During this project, Charlotte’s role has been critical in structuring the project and mobilizing key managers to contribute new creative ideas and initiatives to meet the challenging savings targets set by senior management.”

© 2024