Michel Hoogmoed, COO of MareVisie, Discusses Leadership and Innovation
Meet Michiel Hoogmoed, our Chief Operations Officer. From Wageningen, via Delft University of Technology and an internship in Grenoble, Michiel eventually finds his way to MareVisie. A workplace where he develops from project manager to Chief Operations Officer and where he continues to work with great pleasure and ambition to this day.
Born and raised in Wageningen, Michiel also attends secondary school there. He starts at the HAVO level but eventually progresses to VWO. “That was actually the beginning of my career, as physics was my favorite subject.” In the early years, school isn’t his top priority; young Michiel is also busy with other things like sports. “This led to me only being able to do physics at HAVO level. In the fourth year, it clicked, and I decided to focus on school. I finished HAVO and wanted to continue with physics, so I also went for that VWO diploma.”
The time for choosing a study program arrives, but Michiel doesn’t know much more than “something with physics” at that point. The open days provide a solution, and he ends up choosing Applied Physics in Delft. It turns out to be a perfect fit. “I’ve never regretted my studies; it was always very enjoyable. Both in terms of content and interaction with my fellow students. In short: a pleasant environment to study.”
MareVisie
“MareVisie is quite dominant in my work history,” Michiel says enthusiastically. As early as 2007, he becomes acquainted with the company as a young student. “Before I started my master’s, there was a period when I could take fewer courses, so I had extra time and wanted to work more. That’s when I ended up on a MareVisie project through connections.” Michiel works on the project for three months, then goes back to studying as usual, not knowing that this has set his professional future in motion.
When he’s almost finished his master’s, Michiel receives a call from CEO Ralph van Houdt: there’s a new project and a lot of work at MareVisie, would he like to start working on it? “I hadn’t written a single job application; this offer just fell into my lap. I hesitated briefly, wondering if it wasn’t too easy, but I would have interesting work right from January, and I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.” And so it happened, and Michiel officially starts at MareVisie in January 2010.
Project Management
“You don’t learn project management in the classroom during your studies. You start as a supporter of the project manager, and gradually you learn more and get more responsibilities,” Michiel explains. From 2015, he focuses more on the technical and nuclear sector. “When I had just finished my studies, the work didn’t need to be so physics-oriented for me. The first few years, I was involved with IT projects. That wasn’t bad, but the preference for more technical work came back after a while.”
During his studies, Michiel is a member of his study association, and besides participating in several committees, he also does a board year. “Often the role of chairman ended up with me; I think that has also translated into my years of work as a project manager.”
Future Vision
By now, MareVisie is an organization of about thirty employees, while that number was around ten in 2010. “Over time, Ralph has given me the opportunity to get involved with the organization itself, apart from the projects,” says Michiel. “Initially, we focused together on things like HR and the development of the ‘MareVisie operation’, but recently that has been split up, and I’ve become operational director. I’ve organically grown into that role, and I enjoy contributing to the organization itself. I really like the combination of working on client assignments and entrepreneurship. For example, I look at where we can take the company, where the growth opportunities lie, and how we remain an interesting employer.”
Michiel is looking forward to 2025 and the years beyond. “We started as a group of ten, now we’re thirty, and the next milestone on the horizon is to grow to fifty people. In doing so, I want to find a good balance between putting our customers first while also keeping an eye on business development. That is our focus and our biggest challenge, but one that I’m eager to tackle with the MareVisie team.”