Carolien Visschers, team leader of the communications department at Mobilis

The infrastructure sector is still too much seen as a man's world. Nothing could be further from the truth. More and more women are finding jobs and a place in the world of civil engineering. And we are happy to introduce them to you in detail. In each edition of GWW-Bouwmat, we let a woman from the sector talk about her job and what makes it so great. In this edition, we give the floor to Carolien Visschers, team leader of the communications department at Mobilis, consisting of five employees.

Carolien was born and raised in Eerbeek, Gelderland. With two young children, a farmhouse from the early 1900s, many hobbies, sports and volunteer work, she is never bored. But that suits the busy bee she is. Carolien is a people person. "I excel in teamwork with room for creativity, but also like to move fast, to the point and tackle. I look at the world in which I see only opportunities, see no bears on the road and want to cash in on all possible communication moments."

125 years

After MEAO, NIMA A and B, Carolien knew she at least wanted to work in a company in which they make something tangible. "When Haverkort (predecessor of Mobilis, ed.) moved to Apeldoorn, I was asked to fill a communications and commercial position. What really appealed to me then was the familiar, informal and caring atmosphere within the company. Over the years, the company naturally grew. After a merger with Rotterdam-based Voormolen in 2006, the name was changed to Mobilis in 2009. The original familiarity from the two companies is still very tangible. Mobilis has become a nice blend of these roots. This year we also have an anniversary year, we exist 125 years! We are a civil contractor and work on both large and small infrastructure projects. The result of our work can be seen in roads, tunnels, bridges, locks, quay walls, parking garages, water treatment plants, foundations and buildings in industry and substations and transformer stations in the energy market throughout the Netherlands and Belgium."

Strengthen image

Carolien has now been working in construction for 25 years. "I have seen the growth from a family business that moved from Vroomshoop to Apeldoorn to a medium-sized company with multiple offices around the country and a workforce of nearly 500 employees. Not only the growth in colleagues, but also the shift to the importance of sustainable business, working in other forms such as 2-phase contracts and construction teams has had an especially positive impact on the communications profession." As team leader of the communications department, Carolien is responsible for the communications activities of a number of divisions and departments or, as she herself powerfully puts it, "Strengthening the image of Mobilis. The communications profession is very broad and especially very diverse. And this is what makes it so wonderful and challenging. It ranges from strategic communication advice and setting up communication plans to organizing a networking event or fair and participating in an innovation project. With my healthy curiosity, I like to mix in new developments and hear what my colleagues are working on."

Plenty of opportunities

And speaking of colleagues, the construction industry still has the image of being a male culture. "Thanks to more diversity in the workplace, a lot has already changed," Carolien notes. "Another characteristic image of construction is that it is physically demanding work. But that is by no means always the case. Construction is a sector in which there are many opportunities in terms of sustainability, using smart devices, innovating and digitizing. I can recommend it to everyone. Not only women. Civil engineering is a wonderful sector, and with Mobilis we can make a big difference for generations to come. Besides infra works, we mainly have energy, water, replacement and renovation projects in our portfolio. It is precisely in these markets that we can use our knowledge and strength and show our added value on current social themes such as energy transition and water technology. My ambition as a communications professional is therefore to continue to contribute to our beautiful projects and our social challenges in which we really make a difference."