Meet Fabio, Office Manager in Italy

At H.Essers, we like to invest in growth. Not only in our own strategic growth as a company, but also in the development of our people. This is why we regularly speak with colleagues who are building their career paths within H.Essers. Fabio Manara is one of them.

Fabio (35) started work in January 2016 as Sales Responsible at tank container specialist Huktra in Novara, Italy. There, he learned the intricacies of the trade and gained the necessary experience. “I became familiar with the world of logistics and everything that went with it,” Fabio says. “I helped the team with sales, with systems development, with administration, and also with a bit of operations.” A jack-of-all-trades, in other words. What Fabio especially enjoyed was the international setting he found himself in. “It is not easy to find an employer in Italy where you are in contact with companies in other countries and where you can speak a different language. That attracted me. We weren’t just working locally, we were in contact with multiple locations in Europe and also supporting their operations.”

H.Essers believes in its people
In 2018, H.Essers took over the old organization. “I was very grateful that H.Essers took over our team – with all the knowledge and expertise that goes with it – and wanted to invest in us,” says Fabio. “I felt great appreciation for my skills and for what our team had established over the past few years.” Operationally, of course, the acquisition involved some changes, but the big picture corresponded and made for a smooth transition. “H.Essers is a big company, but also a family business. We experience that again and again. We get every opportunity to grow and to further roll out our initiatives. That allowed me to develop further personally, and so I became Office Manager in April 2022. That means I oversee all our activities in terms of sales and administration in Italy, with a team of seven people. By the way, the switch was quick – I had already built strong relationships with everyone in my work environment, and the management fully supported me in the transition. Because they believe strongly in people, they gave me the opportunity to continue working on the projects we had already set up here and felt valued for our knowledge.”

Actual priority
Fabio, like our organization, endorses safety, customer intimacy, and a good work culture as priorities. “We don’t just say on paper that we care about safety and positivism, but translate that into reality. We work with bulk chemical shipments here, so safety is the priority. That’s why we start every meeting with a brief discussion of any safety hazards we’ve spotted, even if it’s just a loose cable on the floor.” In addition, the one-stop-shop approach is a big plus. “Establishing a solid partnership with your customer and maintaining that level of service is golden. From that strategy, we get huge benefits at Sales. It’s something that we can differentiate ourselves with and that we will definitely continue to focus on. It makes the job even more fun!”

Build your career at H.Essers too
Would you also like to build a career path in our organization? The first step, of course, is applying for your first job at H.Essers. Discover which vacancy is a fit for your skills, and who knows, you could soon be part of the H.Essers family!