The latest addition to the Salacia Solutions team fills the role of Sustainability Expert. Sinja Li, 43, comes from Germany and now lives in The Hague. How she came to the Netherlands? After earning her Master’s degree in Economics and a 14-year career in this field, Sinja looked for opportunities to fulfill her intrinsic desire: to make the world a better place and help companies and people do good. “Studying Industrial Ecology at the University of Leiden and Delft fit the bill like a puzzle piece. Reason for me to pack my bags and settle down in the Netherlands.” Sinja now lives in The Hague with her two children and now has a Master of Science in her pocket, in Industrial Ecology. The job search brought her into contact with Salacia Solutions, where it took a while before she actually got a job with the Rotterdam-based rebels.
‘Methods to measure environmental impact’
The study Sinja completed in the Netherlands has a strong focus on “Methods to measure environmental impact,” she explains. “It’s all about sustainability and ties in grandly with my previous study of Economy. The Industrial Ecology study is more technical and thus complements my previous knowledge well. Especially when you look at the questions and needs coming at us from the business world, I can make a valuable contribution at Salacia.” While talking, it appears that Sinja developed a tremendous love for nature at an early age. At 14, she undertook a journey by bicycle all the way from Stuttgart, Germany, to Kiel. “I wanted to visit family and decided to do this in a sustainable way. It was wonderful and planted a seed in me to later work in sustainability,” said Sinja. “Over the course of my career, I was only more confirmed that I was on the right path. Of course I was already living as sustainably as possible, but the desire to do something meaningful and make an impact with my work grew by the day. There was about six months between my graduation in the Netherlands and joining Salacia. I was very critical in my job search, it had to fit perfectly with my education and personal intentions.”
Welcome to Rotterdam!
What is a huge plus for Sinja is the international character of Salacia Solutions. “You can see that in the composition of our team. Also international and people from diverse backgrounds. All intrinsically motivated to make the world a better place and everyone is facing the same way. That is heartwarming and inspires confidence in the future,” she explains. “The first introduction to Salacia was at a career fair, where I spoke to Mart from Salacia Solutions. We had a good click and a pleasant conversation. He personally invited me to Rotterdam for a follow-up interview. I did a case study as an assessment and everyone was enthusiastic. Unfortunately there was no open vacancy at that time, but Salacia promised to keep me in their portfolio. They kept their word and so a few weeks ago I got Lenny on the phone, asking if I wanted to come back and talk again. This time there was a vacancy!”
Sinja concludes the conversation, “Salacia is a super dynamic, exciting company. It is wonderful to work for a start-up and to be able to think along in all kinds of processes. I notice that I am like a fish in the water here and can go in any direction with my knowledge. The product we make is a game changer. My personal drive is to grow with the organization and, in turn, to help companies and people grow in sustainability. Salacia’s software opens doors and is approachable. There is no longer any reason not to work towards a more sustainable business and mindset. I hope to grow at Salacia Solutions to become an ESG expert. In 5 years, I hope we will have reached a status here in Rotterdam that no one can ignore. That companies will call us themselves for help. I am already looking forward to it!”