March 3, 2020
Elena Marselis shares her unconventional rise from humble trainee to Head of Systems Center MET
Elena Marselis joined Royal Philips seven and half years ago as a part of a traineeship program, which consisted of three separate assignments in Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and finally Lighting. She's currently the Head of Systems Center Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan and Africa since May 2019. Read on to learn how she navigated her way to the top of the ladder.
Elena’s traineeship program consisted of three separate assignments in Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and finally Lighting. While doing her term in lighting she heard about Signify’s Healwell solution for hospitals and was inspired by how lighting can make people’s lives healthier. “For me, it was a no brainer to move to lighting,” she says.
Like many, she lacked the right experience for the role she sought, but unlike others she had a plan. “I found three coaches in Holland and I was sitting with them once every two weeks and they were telling me all about lighting, so by the time I applied I already knew a lot about the business as well,” explained Elena.
In early 2013 the Systems Center was formed, which created changes within the organization. Elena took this opportunity to gain experience beyond her direct role. She had to learn as fast as possible, leverage her strengths, and create her success stories. Once her first wins came in, the team began to trust the new kid on the block.
When asked how she managed the challenge of working in a new field and with a new team she said “getting external perspectives and feedback through coaching, visiting conferences, reading or listening to podcasts is extremely important. I believe that our Learning@Signify platform is one of the best investments Signify has done to develop employees further. Only by growing ourselves will we keep the organization growing.”
There’s much to learn from Elena’s extraordinary path in Signify, and she was kind enough to offer a few words of advice for others – especially our interns:
1. Explore the organization: use every opportunity to gain new experiences and learn. I have seen firsthand how stretch assignments in other departments help employees get a better understanding of the organization and become more successful in their current role, while also seeing if the next role is a good fit for a future career move.
2. Have a clear vision of your milestones: Know what you want to achieve (with a subsequent plan of how to get there). It’s not necessary to have an exact future career path in mind but at least have a direction.
3. Share your ambitions: Let your direct manager, HR or even managers in other departments know what you want to do. They can help in finding suitable opportunities as they arise. Signify is always keen on developing internal talent, but they need to know what your ambition is so that the right people are considered for the right roles.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
