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Get to Know our People - Machteld (Maggie) Weijers

Meet our people and learn more about the faces behind Viva Energy.

25 Feb 2020
BY

Viva Energy Australia

I’ve worked at Viva Energysince August 2018.
My first jobwas delivering newspapers in my home town Leusden, a small town in the middle of the Netherlands. After uni I became a Process Engineer at a refinery in Rotterdam.
My role isa Technology and Integrity Manager at the Geelong Refinery for which I moved to Australia. This role involves managing and motivating five highly technical teams that are supporting the refinery operations and maintenance groups in the areas of process engineering (short term operational support and long term projects), process safety, advanced process control and integrity/inspection.
I help people reach their destination bymaking them think about what their destination looks like in terms of career development, listening to what they need, and helping to create opportunities to get there.
The best part of my jobis working with people and the appreciation you get when you can help them.
I was led to this careerby my interest in STEM in school and the support I got from my mother to pursue a career in technology.
I prefer to start the dayby catching up with what’s happening around the world.
I prefer to end the dayby watching a (Dutch) crime or drama series on TV with my husband.
I am energised byplaying hockey and spending time with my kids on the weekend.
The most interesting thingI am working on right now is the refinery’s Energy Master Plan, where we are driving improvements to the energy efficiency of the refinery through low cost operational changes as well as the initiation of small and larger capital projects.
The one behaviourI attribute my success to is using empathy and curiosity to coach and motivate others to do a superb job because I’ve observed that in a technical environment these elements are often missing as people are very much focused on the technical problems they are solving.
The one thing that surprises meabout working at Viva Energy is the genuine interest in and care for the communities we work in. Since I’ve started I’ve been involved in numerous activities that are organised for local sports clubs, and school programs, etc. The most impactful for me has been the opportunity to be involved in the Reconciliation Action Plan working group, where I realised that there is so much we can learn from the experiences of Indigenous Australians as the Traditional Owners of the Land. By embracing the opportunity to deepen our understanding and respect of Indigenous culture, we can build on and improve our relationships with Indigenous communities.
The most memorable momentI had at work was when I had to present my idea around Continuous Improvement to our CEO on my second day at Viva Energy because it was voted one of the best ideas by the Senior Leadership team. I wasn’t really prepared for that.
The worst jobI ever had was as an assembly line employee at a toothpaste factory which I only held for two days but from this, I learned to have an enormous amount of respect for all layers of the organisation no matter what background or level of education.
The biggest mistakeI made early on in my career was using ‘funny’ expressions in one of my official documents that I sent out and I learned you always need to stay professional in things you put in writing, even when people are talking in a light-hearted or humorous way.
The greatest career adviceI was given was to believe in yourself and continue to develop yourself. Focusing only on the job can easily pull you in and mean that you overlook your own development needs, but if you approach every element of your job as a learning opportunity, you will find yourself developing continuously.
The most important skillevery person should have is the ability to listen to what others have to say. There is so much to learn from other people’s points of view.
The one topicI wish I knew more about is wildlife. I spend a lot of my holidays looking for interesting animals to observe. I’ve been to Southern Africa numerous times and I’m very excited about seeing Australia’s wildlife too.
Early bird or night owl?Definitely night owl. I just can’t understand these people that get up at five to do some exercise before they go to work. Deep respect for those who do.