Meet a Young NMT Boardmember – Thomas van der Mooren - Rotterdam Maritime Capital of Europe

Recently Young NMT published an article in which boardmember Thomas van der Mooren gets the opportunity to introduce himself. Thomas gives his vision about the importancy of the platform Young NMT and about the biggest challenges in the maritime sector.

1. Where do you work and what are you working on there?

At Royal IHC I am working as a business analyst Engineering. The project I am working on is the validation and implementation of a software package for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and ERP. Within this role I am representing the Engineering department and responsible for aligning the new software with business requirements. I am working with a group of super users, representing the different disciplines within the department.

2. What makes the maritime sector special to work in?

The main reason I am working in the maritime sector is my passion for ships. Every time a ship is launched the massive size impresses me. The amount of collaboration which is needed to design and produce such a complex and massive product is inspiring. It also represents the knowledge build over many years of Dutch maritime history.

3. Why do you need a platform like Young NMT and what do you hope to achieve with it?

Connect and inspire young professionals. In the starting phase of a career it is important to connect to other young people and this is most of the time not included in starting positions. By bringing young professionals together from different specializations within the maritime sector, it can help giving new insight on maritime technology, resulting in a broader view. Also working in a sector with a rich history and products relying on proven technology it can be hard to adopt innovation. By bringing innovative ideas together, it could inspire other young professionals to strive for change and strengthen the position of NMT.

4. How can Young Professionals contribute to continuous developments in the market?

Young professionals should challenge the current way of working. They can bring new ideas and have a drive for a future proof market. Young Professionals will be the leaders of tomorrow.

Learn more about the Young Maritime Board.

5. What do you think is the biggest challenge of the maritime sector and why?

The combination of being price competitive, keeping the technologic lead and being future proof for environmental challenges. I think the combination of these factors result in dilemma’s for being future proof. As new technologies should be adopted for being green, investments should be made to keep the technologic lead, but these advantages should not outweigh the price. Finding the correct balance between these factors is also a great opportunity to keep the leading position of the Dutch maritime sector.

Young NMT is part of the Young Maritime Board.

Source: Netherlands Maritime Technology