Peter Schoep is celebrating his five-year anniversary at IMAGEM looking back on an impressive journey. From product manager of the Luciad to Operations Director, Peter is a true jack-of-all-trades within the company. What drives him, what is he proud of, and what makes working at IMAGEM so special IMAGEM him? Read on to learn more about Peter and his milestone!
"What I really enjoy about IMAGEM is the freedom, responsibility, and diversity in the work. No two days are the same, especially in my role, where I’m involved in all sorts of things."
Please describe your job.
I started out as a product manager for the Luciad and a project manager overseeing the implementation of Luciad. I have since advanced to the role of Operations Director. This means I’m a true jack-of-all-trades, focused on the internal organization. Among other things, I’m responsible for finance, procurement, the sale of Hexagon, HR, the CRM system, overall project management of ongoing projects, resource and capacity planning, and ISO. Of course, I don’t do this alone, but together with a number of great colleagues.
What is your background?
I have a fairly technical background. After completing my first year of chemical engineering, I realized it wasn’t quite my thing. So I switched to studying computer science. During my internship as a software developer, I discovered my interest in the internet and websites, and that’s where I stayed. Later, I moved on to project management and client relations, where I managed projects successfully. Eventually, I also got into finance. Currently, I’m studying Business Administration at the Open University in my spare time.
What do you like about working at IMAGEM?
The freedom, responsibility, and diversity in the work. No two days are the same, especially in my role, where I’m involved in all sorts of things. I also have really great coworkers and can bike to work. It’s perfect!
What achievements are you most proud of?
I think it's really cool that we came up with, developed, and successfully rolled out our own application for major clients such as the Dutch Ministry of Defense.
What attracted you to this job?
I realized that, in addition to the commercial motivation, I also wanted to make a social contribution, and I could do that at IMAGEM. That really appealed to me.
What are your fondest memories with the team?
The team outing! Not just because the weather was perfect, but also because it’s fun to get to know your coworkers better in a casual setting and do all kinds of fun activities together. I was on Walter’s team, and we really went all out during a sort of “Hunted” game in the woods—sometimes diving into the bushes or ditches. Let’s just say we were pretty competitive.
What's your favorite project right now?
I’m not directly involved in projects, but I do get involved a little bit sometimes. For example, with the Luciad for the Ministry of Defense, for which we’re developing some great tools.
Who on the team would you like to switch jobs with?
Actually, I’d rather not swap jobs, because I have the best one of all. But if I had to choose, I’d like to swap places with Kevin Schell for a day. I think it would be fun to help customers with their problems and fix things. That’s really rewarding.
What three words would you use to describe your job?
Diverse, responsible, and collaborative.
What was the first thing you learned at the company?
General knowledge of geography and GIS, the technical aspects, what users can do with it, and digital twins.
Who was your first desk mate? And who is it now?
My first desk mate was Walter; we both started at IMAGEM five years ago. It was fun working with Walter, but it was a strange time, because the COVID lockdown began two months later.
If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?
I wish my colleagues lived closer so they could come into the office more often. That way, you’d have more face-to-face interactions instead of just online ones, and you’d get to see people as they really are.
Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
Everyone knows I love pizza and squash. But what few people know is that I only have one kidney. I found that out by accident when I was 18, during a scan because my kidney wasn’t working properly. The doctor couldn’t believe his eyes!
Is there anything else you'd like to say?
I'm really looking forward to the next five years!
