Astrid Lyssens joined the Salacia Solutions team on 1 July 2024. In the role of ESG expert, the 33-year-old new employee is shaping her sustainability ambitions. Anyone looking at her life journey will understand that she fits in perfectly with the internationally composed team in Rotterdam. Born to a Belgian father and an Indonesian mother, Astrid saw the light of day in Thailand. “My parents were stationed there because of my father’s development work,” she explains. Before choosing Indonesia as home, the family lived temporarily in El Salvador. “I grew up most of my childhood in Jakarta,” says Astrid. “I attended my secondary school at a French international school. When I finished that, I wanted to do further education in an Anglo-Saxon country. Thus, the choice was made to study English in France and I moved to Europe.”
From France to the UK
Astrid did her undergraduate studies in France and was able to join an exchange programme in her third year. Again the suitcases were packed, with London as the destination. “This fell under the Erasmus Exchange. The UK was then still part of the EU. In total, I spent a year in London,” says Astrid. “When I graduated, I decided to continue living in the UK. It would have been obvious for me to look for work there as a journalist, but I sought a broader scope by applying to publishing houses. The job I found was in the publishing department at a market research company. My role was project management. In total, I worked there for five years in multiple roles and departments, but after five years I decided it was time to look further, learn and grow. My values changed and I wanted to do something with sustainability.”
Master in Environmental Management
Astrid did another year of management at the market research firm, to gain the necessary experience. The next step was a Master’s degree in Environmental Management at the Open University in the UK. Astrid explains, “I took the time to combine travelling and studying and took three years to complete the Masters. I did my research for the course during the pandemic, in Indonesia. I completed the programme at the end of 2021 and after corona I left for Europe again, to do a six-month internship at a fashion company in Budapest, Hungary. However, my goal was to continue in corporate sustainability, as by now that fitted perfectly with my background, norms and values.”
After six months in Budapest, the trip to the Netherlands was accepted, to work in Amsterdam and live in Rotterdam. This also allowed her to be closer to family living in Belgium. “With all the knowledge gained, I landed a job at a foundation with a focus on sustainable chemical management in textiles. There I learnt a lot and was able to apply everything I had learned in practice. Yet that job was still not quite what I wanted, as I also wanted to get involved in data analysis. That led to a search for internal sustainability roles at companies. Importantly, I did not want to work on the consultancy side, but more in an inspiring role that provides empowerment. I wanted to be at the controls myself. This was early 2024.”
Between windmills, clogs and tulips
Through an online search for a job in sustainable project management, a vacancy at Salacia Solutions caught her eye. “The rest is history,” says Astrid, laughing. “I was hired and the fact that this job is in Rotterdam was also convenient. I think Rotterdam has a great vibe anyway. I also find the same vibe at Salacia. We work with a great team and I get every opportunity to develop here. I am currently doing a GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) course. The great thing is that at Salacia I don’t have to be a consultant, but can stand next to clients with my boots in the mud to help them. As an ESG expert, I started in data collection, the next station is analysis of data.”
Asked about her long-term plans, she concludes, “To gain even more experience and eventually commute back and forth between Indonesia and Europe.”
