Mark Noordhoek Hegt, Global Director Digital Innovation at Vopak. Mark has a career of more than 20 years with Vopak and since 2016 he has been active as Global Director of Digital Innovation. He has a proven track record in building highly motivated leadership teams, responsible for managing profitable turnarounds, start-ups and growth projects. Including a wide experience within marketing & sales and general management within the Vopak operations.
Insights:
• Starting a job at Vopak
• Challenges of working in countries experiencing a change in government
• Matching the organization culture with the prevailing culture in a country
• Main challenges in Indonesia and tricks to success
• Strengths you should have in the company management teams
• Taking up a new challenge and problems encountered during the digital transformation
• Handling software programming is part of the digitalization
• Vopak company culture evolution
• Advice to a young person who wants to become a digital director of innovation
• Disruption needed to evolve the energy sector
• Wrap up questions
Key Discussion Points:
[00:09] Introduction to the episode guest
[01:50] How Mark started his job at Vopak?
[04:53] How did you know the 300 people in the management
[05:47] When you started working in a company did you already have a focus on innovation?
[09:00] Challenges of working in countries experiencing a change in government
[15:50] Strengths you should have in the management teams
[17:17] Taking up a new challenge
[19:25] How did you find your first challenge to tackle?
[23:15] Problem encountered during the digital transformation
[26:43] How do you handle the software programming part of the digitalization
[32:33] How flexible are you with your team to changes in innovation platforms if you are working on new ideas?
[35:12] What part of Vopak company culture evolved over time or didn’t evolve?
[36:02] Advice to a young person who wants to become a digital director of innovation
[38:53] Do you think the energy sector needs a disruption for another time to evolve in a certain way?
[40:05] How do you think about work-life balance?
[42:28] What are your favorite books?
[43:58] Advice to 18-year-old self
Interesting Quotes:
“The important aspect of success is that you need to set up a management team in an organization that can execute.”
“You should not look for clones of yourself. Look for people that have strengths in areas where you maybe have less experience or less passion so that you have a team that goes well together.”
“Vopak has a family culture. We take care of one another. And I think in this digital age, we are also entrepreneurial.”
“Dont focus on exploiting, focus on exploring.”
“You not only guide young people, young people also guide you.”
“If you need subject matter experts or to change management’s resources, you usually get them in the pilot phase.”
“Working from home doesn’t mean that you’re less productive. The contrary is we have actually learned that we can get more things done. We have become more effective and productive.”
“Follow your intuition and your passion.”
Book Recommendations:
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AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order – Kai-Fu Lee |
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Origin – Dan Brown |