Cyril entered edibosud with a civil construction engineer degree. After a period of internship, he was quickly promoted to site manager. Today, he is doing the honours as project leader. As a true sportsman, he passionately and agilely switches between the different aspects of his job. We love to give him the floor to talk about his days at edibosud, his projects, but also his personal life.
Richly-filled days
Cyril’s days start off quite early. He checks in on the construction site at 7.00 in the morning. “First thing I do is check to see whether everything is going according to plan and if the subcontractors have all the information they need. When new building partners first check in on the site, I explain to them the safety instructions and we go over the building consultant’s different requirements together.”
“By the end of the morning, I go to my office. I check my emails, handle the most urgent cases and organise my various sites. Further, I approve purchase orders and ensure that all preparations and administrative tasks are in place. Finally, I go over to approving and sending invoices at the end of each month.”
Promising start
“My first edibosud work experience was as an intern. Usually, as a graduated Master’s, you’d opt for an internship at an engineering firm or you head straight for the construction site.”
“In that moment, I felt I needed a function with a little action. I didn’t want to spend my days behind a desk. When after my internship at edibosud I was offered the job as construction site leader, I didn’t think twice. The great atmosphere that was already there, also had something to do with that.”
Career perspectives? “Everything is going well”
In the beginning of this year, Cyril took the opportunity to become junior project leader. “We’ll see what else is in my path but my main objective is to first become tenured project leader and then senior project leader. But there’s still time. Right now, I’m very happy with the road I have travelled, so everything is going well. After that, we’ll see. What will be, will be.”
Fridays are sacred!
“The atmosphere among colleagues at edibosud is also superb. We don’t bump into each other as often during the week, so it’s our tradition to hang out together in the office on Fridays late afternoon. We put work aside and talk about the other things in life. Sometimes, we go go-carting together. Even our supervisor loves to take the wheel then!”
Projects filled with passion
“My favourite projects? Those that centralise customer relations, where not everything is already fixed 100% and where the architect and I get to search for solutions. It’s precisely that out-of-the-box thinking that I find interesting. In my opinion, this can only improve customer satisfaction.”
Last year, Cyril co-managed the first phase of SME business park BVI Jaurdinia in Mont-Saint-Guibert, as construction site leader. A project that included multiple construction partners and a complex logistics flow that wouldn’t have been easy for a novice project leader without prior experience as construction site leader. In other words, thanks to his previous experience, Cyril managed to keep this project on the rails operationally as well as organisationally, learning a whole lot in the meantime.
“Today I am on the construction site of a pharmaceutical company, wearing two hats. One as construction site leader, one as a project leader. We are working on an expansion project while production is ongoing. I need to make sure that every construction partner is able to perform their tasks in the best possible circumstances.”
“Especially in the pharmaceutical industry, this type of project needs to follow the strictest guidelines, specifically in the field of safety. It is, for instance, mandatory to present a fire permit for grinding work. For me personally, this is one of the most interesting construction sites I was able to lead up to now.”
Plenty of hobbies
What’s Cyril’s passion outside working hours? “I am a coordinator at a children’s holiday organisation. Each year, we travel with 40, 50, 60 kids to different destinations in Belgium and abroad. I have been doing this since I was 15 and it is still one of my favourite hobbies.”
“Next, I love to play sports. I do karate 4 to 5 times a week. In the evenings, I teach youngsters and, on the weekends, I coach them during competitions. An experience that personally gives me a lot of energy.”
“Finally, work still feels like a big hobby. I love the continuous learning by visiting the many different sites, by constructing in different ways, by learning new construction techniques or discussing new points for consideration with clients and building consultants… The construction industry is still a very complex environment that keeps evolving. And that’s exactly what I like! I will never get bored here!”
Looking for a new challenge in construction?
Are you someone who is ready for a new challenge, who loves to grow and learn? We at edibo and edibosud can certainly use your enthusiasm and skills! Take a look at our vacancies or get in touch!