Being part of a team that impacts the world is what makes me tick’
Tim de Lange
‘I’ve been working at Rousselot for five years. Two years ago, I became Manager of our Global Application Center here in Ghent, Belgium. I’m happiest when the team I’m a part of is winning. What excites me is achieving something as a team that hasn’t been achieved before. Or as Rousselot’s tagline puts it, ‘Reaching further together’. This is also why I enjoy team sports – our three daughters play basketball and so do I.
Application Science
As part of the Science & Innovation department, our focus is on Application Science: our team thrives on showing customers the added value of Rousselot's science-based products in marketable applications. Our job is about understanding both sides. I love the interaction with customers, it keeps us on our toes. And sometimes, they’ll come back to us, saying, ‘Taste these, your gelatin solution really works.’ So we end up eating a lot of marshmallows, haha. At the same time, our team enjoys keeping in step with the scientists operating at the front of the innovation chain. We’re never not learning.’
Doing stuff that matters
Earlier on in my career, I worked in Nicaragua with Engineers without Borders (EWB), an international non-governmental organization focused on engineering and technology. Then I spent 12 years in the chemical industry. What I like about my current job is that I get to work on applications that can help to make the world a better place – in terms of health and nutrition, sustainable food solutions, or biomedical solutions. One of many examples is that we developed a flowable hemostat in the lab to control severe bleeding during surgery. I basically want to help change the world for the better, do stuff that impacts people.’
Responsibility and resourcefulness
Sometimes people challenge me and say, ‘Why three children, aren’t you ruining the world?’ My view is that children are the future. And I’m hopeful about the future, about people’s capacity to solve problems, to overcome challenges together. Rousselot is a company that breathes that same confidence in people’s sense of responsibility and resourcefulness. And it works.’