Employee of the Month – Ewa Omiljanowicz
Ewa comes from a small town in Poland. She left her hometown looking to explore new opportunities. She decided to come to Belgium and see where the wind would take her.
She started working as a nanny in a nice and warm family. As the kids grew up and started attending school, she was thinking about going back to Poland to open a flower shop, which had been her dream at the time. But her boss saw real potential in Ewa and couldn’t resist asking her to work for his company (Windiam) as a diamond sorter.
Even though Ewa didn’t know anything about the diamond industry, she accepted the challenge. Windiam trained her for about a year and she then started working as a sorter. After 5 years of sorting she was promoted within the company and became a small stones buyer and quality control manager.
She has been working at Windiam for 12 years. Ewa is very enthusiastic when she talks about Windiam. “Windiam is a unique place! We are an open-minded, international company and we have a friendly team that gets along very well. I wake up in the morning and go to work with a smile”, says Ewa.
Windiam is split into two departments: rough and polished diamonds. The rough diamonds department sources diamonds in West Africa and Russia, after which they sort the goods in Antwerp and resell them, mainly in India.
The polished diamonds department – where Ewa works – supplies mainly jewelry manufacturers and retailers in Europe with fine cut diamonds.
Windiam uses responsible sourcing practices, manufacturing skills, and niche expertise to build strong relationships and help their clients achieve their full business potential. Ewa explains, “We source and deliver an extensive selection of polished goods both to the world’s leading brands and jewellery chains, as well as smaller boutique shops.”
No two days are the same, says Ewa. We work in a large open space. It’s noisy and hectic. Because all orders are given equal priority, Windiam employees have to multitask and help each other. A good team spirit is really important! She admitted that the work can be stressful at times, but thanks to a collaborative atmosphere and a strong team spirit, they are able to cope with the challenges. The compliments they receive from their customers for the accurate and fast deliveries is very rewarding.
Ewa’s advice for potential employees in the diamond sector would be to be patient in gaining the trust of your employer, suppliers and customers. “It’s an industry where relationships and trust are very important. It’s also a small world so employees have to be motivated and willing to work hard, efficiently and be reliable and professional to build up a good reputation. If you are motivated, you will have plenty of chances to succeed.”
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would open a shelter for all the homeless animals.
- What’s your favorite place in the world?
Windiam office of course! :-)
And in second place is wherever the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning is a blue sky and green trees which gives you a feeling of peace (like a small village in south of Poland).
- Do you have a question for the next Employee of the Month?
Yes! Do you share the same great experience as I do working in the diamond sector?
