'I bridge the gap between management and the shop floor'

Jolanda van Zanen provides the right energy and smooth collaboration

The first question we ask Jolanda van Zanen, managing director at BAM Energie & Water, is, "What do you have to do with energy and water?" Jolanda answers, "I originally worked in IT, at KPN. After 12 years of work and the arrival of a second child, my husband and I wanted to live more rural, to give the children more room to grow up. The choice fell on Drenthe. Because my husband worked three days and I worked five, I first wanted to find a new job that would make living in Drenthe possible. That job came, a national position with Enexis. We moved to Drenthe and soon I found out in my new position that there was a lot of congruence between working in telecom and utilities. That's how I became captivated by the topic of energy."

Catching up with energy operators

"The Telecom industry was about 10 years ahead of the energy operators in terms of technology, even though the work is almost identical. Cables and pipes have to go into the ground, connections have to be made. Enexis had just split from Essent, 'Operator versus Service Provider,' a split I knew in the Telecom world. Every day you deal with end customers, who purchase a product from you. I therefore brought the customer experience phenomenon into Enexis. This was accompanied by questions such as: What should a customer process cost? Is a business customer worth more than a private customer? An example: horticulturists who feed energy back I want to offer a different customer process than a consumer. That was completely new, instead of talking about a connection, suddenly talking about the user of that connection. New processes and programs were introduced. Very exciting, because this also came from the mind of a woman who, moreover, did not even come from the energy sector."

With 3,000 colleagues who were almost all men (circa 2008), Jolanda says it was almost unthinkable to work like this as a woman, with no technical background. "However, I brought with me a certain commercial business acumen and humanity. At the board table, I would often ask what the engineer would think of a particular plan. As director of infrastructure at Enexis, I thus built a bridge between management and the shop floor, read: the work field. This was not always appreciated, despite the 100% sincerity. Eventually people saw the value in it."

'Executives have a hard time with me sometimes'

With a desire to work in a more commercial environment, Jolanda transferred to BAM Energy & Water. "I wanted to lead a competitive team, because that's what I was missing. Energy & Water are close in terms of competencies, you can see that in the many combination contracts that are signed. I like to stand up for the people who have to do it on the shop floor and in the field, out of a sense of justice. People now look to me for help with issues that stem from the old way of thinking. Managers sometimes have a hard time with me because I put people first. So I coach management and teach them to manage on trust and leave decisions with the employees themselves. Traditional leadership sends people away, is my belief. By thinking and working differently you retain staff."

The problems of the past will still be there in 2022

"The contracting industry is a relatively tough world. As a female manager in 2022, you still encounter the same problems as you did then. Old role models, sometimes disrespectful behavior from men toward women. What I want to pass along to women who are at a crossroads in their careers: don't let that stop you from choosing a job in the infrastructure sector. You will always have people holding on to old ideas. But you can make a difference and in the end we will get there together. I coach female employees on that, so they don't frenetically hide away in a role, but can just be themselves. And to those who worry about combining a management position with raising children, I say, "Just do it and make arrangements at home. Let go of the idea of the stay-at-home mom, though. Divide the tasks among yourselves as parents. You do need the cooperation of your partner, of course. Another message I want to give women is to follow your passion. Don't get distracted by men who don't see you. You just shouldn't be modest. Make yourself visible!"