Name:
Christian Smienk
Position:
Senior Project Manager
Where did you grow up and where are you based now?
I grew up and spend my youth in Lelystad (where the BModesto Group headquarters are based). After that, I moved to the awesome typical Dutch village of Nijkerk, where I still live today. The church tower in Nijkerk has been named the most beautiful church tower in The Netherlands and is built in the 13th century. You have to check it out!
What do you do here at BMclinical?
My job as Senior Project Manager at BMclinical is directing and managing key-account projects. Our clients conduct clinical trials and we offer them solutions when it comes to commercial drug sourcing, supply management and global distribution. I make sure to define the project scope, goals, and deliverables. This way I can work to a win-win situation with the client.
I think building and developing a strong business relationship is vital to the success of the project. As a Senior in the team, I provide support to the other PM team members on more complex projects.
”I think building and developing a strong business relationship is vital to the success of the project”.
Favourite part of working at BMclinical?
I really like the variety in my client portfolio. This makes working at BMclinical as a Project Manager very dynamic! It gives me the opportunity to use different kinds of customized strategies and solutions depending on the type of client and/or project. It makes you use your project management skills, market knowledge and creativity.
What does your workspace look like?
I work from home time-to-time and at the Lelystad office. It is a bespoke and state-of-the-art office at a sizeable business park near the airport. I like to work at the office because it gives me the opportunity to work closely with all the Dutch commercial departments of all entities from the BModesto Group. It is easy to walk to everyone if you have a question and just ask them face-to-face.
During break time I love to play table tennis with the other colleagues. Some of them are very good at it, this makes it fun and sometimes really competitive!
Working from home feels more busy and noisy than working at the office with my 3 lovely children around. The benefit is that they can bring me fruit and drinks (do not forget to like this article if you have the same advantage)!
How would you describe the BModesto Group and working here?
At the BModesto Group you get a lot of freedom within your role. This gives me a sense of responsibility which I like. It is nice to get this freedom which comes from trust given by the company. Everyone is very open and colleagues are always ready to support you when possible and needed. There are short lines of communication with the management board and they are always open to new ideas.
What do you like to do when you are not working? Hobbies?
My hobby is cycle racing. One of the advantages as a cyclist in The Netherlands is that it is really easy because there are no mountains or hills. This makes our speed time way faster compared to colleagues abroad (I did not tell them the reason yet).
Next to cycling, I love to spend time with my kids. Going to the zoo, visiting a theme park or going for a walk in the forest.
Favourite movie, book or song and why?
My favourite book is Eat that frog, written by Brian Tracy. It is a very good and educative book. It has a lot of tips and tricks when it comes to time management and productivity.
Identify your frog = a.k.a. your hardest, most important task of the day. Just one!
Eat it = Do your most important task first thing in the morning. Don’t give yourself the chance to put it off for later.
Repeat every day = You will be amazed how quickly small steps taken consistently add up to big accomplishments.
My favourite movie is Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe. A very interesting and really nice movie. My wife works with people with mental health problems. So this makes it even more interesting to watch a movie about this topic.
What is your favourite place in the world and why?
My favourite countries in the world are Thailand and Curacao. Thailand amazed me very much because of the cultural differences and the very cheap and good food. Also, the Thai nature and wildlife are very miscellaneous and great to see. I like the island of Curacao as well. It is super relaxing and a beautiful island when it comes to beaches and marine life.
Life quote (words to live by)?
”What you pay attention to will grow”
