From temporary worker to director
Els Verbrugghe started her career 20 years ago in the diamond industry. She had just graduated at the time, but her sense of initiative did not go unnoticed. Els is now the director of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse.
The Antwerp Diamond Bourse is a service-providing professional organization. So it is not a financial exchange, but an institution that represents the interests of its members, the diamantaires, and supports the diamond trade with its own trading floor, its own conciliation body and cooperation with other bourses around the world. Els quickly found her niche.
“20 years ago I heard that the Diamond Bourse was looking for someone to help out for a few months with introducing a new access control system. I had just graduated and was still looking for work, so I thought: Why not? After a few weeks I asked whether there was more I could do. And there was. It started out very basic: filing, typing letters… One day I had the idea to digitalize the personnel files. And before I knew it, I was helping out with payroll calculations.”
After a few months, Els was offered a permanent contract. It was the start of a brilliant career. “I started out simply, but have always sought greater responsibility,” said Els. And she was also entrusted with that responsibility. “When they asked me last year whether I wanted to become director, I did not hesitate for a moment. I feel at home here and get to work with a great team of colleagues. It is hard for me to imagine ever wanting to work in another industry.”
