Name: Hanne Tolderlund Rasmussen
Title: Process Innovation Unit Manager
Company: BioMar
Please introduce yourself
My name is Hanne, 42 years old – I have been in BioMar since 2012 where I started out as a scientist within the area of process technology. I am a Master of Chemical Engineering as education and moved into management 7 years ago. Fun fact….I am extremely bad at karaoke, but love it….
How did you imagine your career when you were around 20 years old?
When I was 20 years old, I had just started my education at the University of Southern Denmark within the area of Chemical Engineering. At that point I imagined that I should work as an engineer within a chemical plant. The complexity of working with people, group dynamics and overall people development did not exist in my world at all. I found later that this is an exciting world, and I have been lucky to engage within the last 7 years.
What does a day in your life look like in your current role?
My working day is a lot about coordination, administration of the departments and making sure colleagues in my team are both “being & doing” well. Knowing what is going on in all our different projects/working areas and connecting our tasks with internal stakeholders and the stakeholders needs. My day is often about absorbing a lot of overall knowledge – I try as much as possible not to go into details and trust that my colleagues/scientists within each area knows specific details much better than me. With this knowledge and trust to my team, I am connecting the dots and set the overall direction that is agreed with my own manager.
What motivates and excites you the most about your career path and the leadership position you hold?
I love to succeed together with somebody and see when people are happy going to work – creating a team where colleagues can feel safe, supported and the science can grow – that is very important to me. If I can make a difference by supporting a colleague to take an extra step forward in a difficult situation, then it has been a very good day for me.
Share with us the biggest lessons you learned on your journey to where you are today.
There are many lessons, and it is a personal journey of discovery throughout the years, that will never end. If you are lucky, you have a great manager/mentor at your side that will take your hand and help your through that journey when needed. However, good considerations that can seem very basic, but really are not; “what is leadership” / “what is leadership for me” / “what leader do I want to be”. In my own journey from scientist to leader I have worked with the feeling and acceptance of “you are not the one that knows best anymore” and realising the need to take a step back – it is my team that needs to shine; not me, and I will do all I can to support them and make them grow. Many times, if you have done your work as a leader nobody will notice; things run smoothly.
Another learning that I recently had with a friend who also is a manager. He saw himself “competing” and wanted to be the best of all the managers in the manager team he was a part of. And it was draining him for energy. Accepting that you can only be the best version of yourself and not competing/comparing yourself with other people/leaders – it is impossible to be 100% at everything. Admiration of amazing colleagues and their skills is great, there is always a lot to learn, but do not compete. Acknowledge that you have your own specific skills that makes you an amazing person and that goes for others as well. It is so easy to say but needs continuous reflection. Sometimes life as a leader is just difficult – and sometimes it’s so amazing!
Tell us about a role model who inspired you to become the leader you are today.
To mention a specific role model who inspired me to become a leader today is difficult – because I never had ambition or intention to move into the world of leadership – I had my path in the scientific area. When I then had the movement into leadership then I started to pay more attention to people I admired and could learn from. Role models / leaders that inspires me are:
- Approachable, available and create trust around them
- Able to keep calm and take reflected decisions when “the fire is burning” so people around them feels safe
- Creating space and atmosphere for people to grow, learn and never be afraid to fail
- Moving into the difficult conversations when needed
However, a story to be shared: When I was working at a previous company, I experienced a change between managers – my first manager was a very detailed person, giving very specific directions and knowing all the details. He needed to approve and be on top of it all – which I thought was great. The teams were re-organized, and I was then reporting to a female manager – she spent time to understanding me as a person, and not giving very specific guidance, but more discussing decisions etc. – a bit of waste of time, if you asked “my very young self” at that time. I had difficulties with that approach because I was used to a very direct management style – today I understand; she was empowering me to take decisions and grow as person. Since that point I have appreciated that style of leadership, working together with my own leader and with people in my teams in BioMar.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, or to other young female students today, what would it be?
Relax and be yourself – focus on being the best version of you self, not trying to be the “best of everyone else”. You have unique skills – just like everyone else. Things will always be ok in the end no matter what problem you are facing. Reach out for support and somebody will help you – be open about how you are feeling in critical situations.
How do you see STEM education shaping the future?
I think if we as humans basically want to survive on our planet Earth, we need to keep on developing – new technologies for food productions, sustainability and climate change are just a few things we need to deal with through innovation and creative approaches. We need to keep on learning, creating new crazy ideas to move forward and here the STEM educations are essential.
Why is it important for you to promote diversity and inclusion within STEM?
I work within an international company and find it very inspiring to work with colleagues from all over the world – there are many ways of working and there is always something we can learn from each other – science, technology, engineering and math are for everyone.