Against all odds – we did it!

I came to this huge project towards the end of the sales phase and remember just how big a challenge it was, not least because it was the first undertaking for our new Airports platform.

You couldn’t ask for a more pressurised situation as we worked towards the completion date. It was also an extremely high-profile project in Turkey, and a matter of national pride that everything went well and was delivered on time. The airport even had its own TV channel to record progress.

Across all disciplines, our teams worked flat-out for months to ensure success. I remember the day the airport went live. We stood on the tarmac watching the first official flight leave on time, with passengers and all their bags safely onboard. Some of the team had tears in their eyes – though of course they said it was just dust from the site!

These were battle-hardened people, some with 25 years’ experience, who had seen and done it all. However, the emotion of that day got the better of them, and no wonder. Working with colleagues who were under such pressure, and showed such commitment, will stay with me forever.

While it was often a difficult experience, our focus and teamwork revealed Vanderlande at its best. We stripped out everything that was superfluous and concentrated on achieving our objectives. Five years later that project inspires the message I offer as CEO: let’s go back to basics and concentrate on what we excel at, which is going the extra mile for the customer and finding ways to get things done.