10-year anniversary interview by Gitte Emde: “I’m really happy to go to work – and at the same time also happy to help make a difference, without being taken for granted”
On 1 February 2021, our talented consultant Gitte Emde could celebrate her 10th anniversary at AL Engineering. In 2011, she took the leap from being a microbiological laboratory technician for 14 years at Novo Nordisk and jumped directly into AL Engineering, which at the time consisted of only 4 employees. Thus, she has both experienced the company for half its lifetime – and even experienced a fourfold increase in the number of employees. Nevertheless, AL Engineering’s values and closeness have not changed significantly, she says.
We draw a portrait of Gitte Emde on the occasion of her 10-year anniversary at AL Engineering.
The jump from laboratory assistant to consultant
Back in 2010, Gitte worked in her 14th year at Novo Nordisk in Kalundborg. Here she started as a laboratory assistant in a microbiological laboratory, but ended up also being involved in a new laboratory at IM1 and in the PP factory, where the primary focus areas were on environmental monitoring and utility systems. It was also at that time that Gitte decided that she should try something new. Her son had grown older and did not need her to be near the home in Kalundborg. “During my time at Novo, I had sat with John (ed. founder of AL Engineering) for 3 years or so, and then I had reached a point where I wanted to try something else. At that time I had built up a good relationship with John, and there I probably felt that if I had to try something else, I would feel safe to be employed by him”.
Fortunately, John lacked employees back in 2011 and thus the leap from laboratory technician to consultant was taken. And it was a leap that came naturally to Gitte. “What I think is the most exciting are the challenges where you can help make a difference with the customer, where you can help solve a task where they may not have the time for it themselves or perhaps lack a sparring partner . For me, the best thing is when we go in and get a specific task that we have to help solve. Of course, there will also be things on the side, but you can also help solve that. It’s the best. And when you have solved that task, you can tick it off and move on to the next exciting task”.
A small close family
Gitte started in 2011 when AL Engineering was a small company with only 4 employees. Today, AL Engineering has grown to just under 20 employees – and although the workforce has grown, it is still a small company with the same close ties. “It means something to me that there are no more of us. It is nice that we have a close relationship with each other and when we get together it is nice that we are a small group. Then we are our little family.”
Not only has it been nice to be a small close group socially, but it has also been a strength in terms of work. “When I’ve been out on a task where we’ve had a tight deadline and you might have to face the fact that you can’t achieve it, I’ve drawn on John several times where he’s been out and helping me. We are really good at helping each other in a stressful situation”
Gitte especially remembers an episode where she was sent on a task that dragged on for a long time. “At one point I felt like I wasn’t sure if I could manage to fix this assignment over the weekend before the deadline. Then I called John and told him about the situation and then he asked ‘should I come and help you?’. And then he came to me and he was there and he helped me – and that was just what I needed. I simply couldn’t see how I was going to get through that task, but just the fact that he was there to help me, it just made it so that I got through that task.”
Good advice for others to take the plunge
The role of consultant is definitely not for everyone, and Gitte also has some good advice for people who dream of changing their career as a laboratory assistant to an unpredictable and exciting position as a consultant. “You have to be ready for change and want to meet new people. And then you must be able to understand that you have been hired to solve a specific task. As a rule, everyone is busy with a lot of other tasks, so if you have time and money, as a consultant, you must be prepared to offer to help them, even if it may not be what you were hired to do. But as a starting point, it is only the one task you have to solve for the customer. You also have to be able to tolerate that you don’t know what the day will bring”.
However, she has no doubts at all that it has been the right development for her.”I have felt that I have been happy to be able to go to work. And at the same time help make a difference without being taken for granted. And then it may well be that it is not always the really big tasks you get when you are out, but just the fact that you can feel that you are helping to make a difference”.
Congratulations on the anniversary Gitte!
Stort tillykke med jubilæet Gitte!
