Karla Ribeiro

 

“Sempre há jeito pra tudo – there's always a way, as we say in Brazil. When I was a kid, I used to play football in the streets, and I've always liked a challenge. There it was all about passion and speed. Here it’s also about stamina – for example when developing affordable sustainable solutions in the field of energy. I’ve been to China twice to visit a huge 50-hectare multisite location where AkzoNobel plans to build five manufacturing plants. The work I do is very varied, from designing the electrical components of basic engineering packages for new plants to improvement studies around the world. I'm also a member of a cross-business unit Electrical & Energy Engineering platform and that gives me plenty of opportunities to exercise my communication skills. Some of my colleagues are surprised that I spent two hours travelling to and from work every day, but by Brazilian standard that's nothing. I believe there's always a solution. I love working in the Netherlands and it would be great to be able to support AkzoNobel’s operations in Brazil from here.”