Hidde Schipper

Hidde made full use of the international opportunities presented by SEPAM (CoSEM). "I spent one semester at the Universidad Politécnica in Madrid and did my Bachelor's degree internship there. Before graduating, I worked for Philips on a project in Bangalore, India for six months. There I was given the opportunity to evolve in other ways that you cannot learn while sitting in a lecture theatre. The faculty supports such international initiatives and has a separate department which provides advice and helps you to apply for subsidies and grants. As a Consumer Marketing Manager, I am responsible for worldwide strategy and management of the hand blender portfolio within Philips. As SEPAM (CoSEM) focuses on the organisation and management of engineering problems, the degree programme was the ideal combination for me. During my studies, I learned to think analytically by breaking complex problems down into small pieces and solving them while retaining a view of the situation as a whole. This method is useful when analysing organisations, processes, systems and technical products. All these aspects need to be dealt with in a large, complex organisation such as Philips, which sells thousands of products worldwide. My SEPAM (CoSEM) background means that I can contribute usefully to the 'Sense and Simplicity' which Philips promises consumers."