Ward is originally from Londerzeel and has been living in Ghent since 2018, when he moved there for his studies. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering before pursuing a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, where he also lived for two years. During his studies, he joined a student team with the ambitious goal of developing the world’s first hydrogen-powered aircraft.
He also completed a three-month internship in Tokyo at Nissan. There, he worked on simulation projects and gained valuable international experience. After this internship, he continued with his master’s thesis, further deepening his expertise.
After graduating, Ward worked for 1.5 years in industry before joining Essensium. He first came into contact with us via a job fair and was instantly convinced.
Ward is eager to learn more and we are happy he joined us!
Can you tell us a bit about your responsibilities?
As a Project Engineer, I’m involved from the moment a solution is sold until it is fully installed, running smoothly, and handed over to the customer. My role covers integration, implementation, and coordination, both internally and directly with the client. This includes making adjustments where needed, overseeing and supporting installations, setting up the IT infrastructure, configuring the system, and validating to ensure everything works as intended in the warehouse.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I really enjoy that I can work hands-on while still dealing with a lot of variety. Every customer and every project is different, which means no two days are ever the same – one day I might be calibrating, the next solving completely different challenges. That constant mix and change of tasks is what makes the job so exciting for me.
What are the biggest challenges in your work?
For me, the biggest challenge is maybe the management side of the job, making sure stakeholders get the right information at the right time and aligning everyone involved. The strategic planning aspect is something I’m still learning and developing. On the technical side I feel confident, but growing into the broader coordination and planning responsibilities is where I see the biggest challenge.
Which things are on your bucket list – what do you absolutely want to have done?
Professionally: My goal is to learn and grow as much as possible. I feel like I’m in the right place here at Essensium, so I want to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way.
Privately: I’d love to go on a real motorcycle adventure, for example a road trip through Africa or somewhere far away. Now, I’ve only done shorter trips, but it’s a big dream of mine to do this for a period of time. Together with my dad, I build motorcycles, and it would be cool to ride one of them through a completely different part of the world.
What do you do in your free time?
In my free time, I love working on motorcycles and spending time with my classic car, a 1978 Ford Granada. Besides that, I like to stay active through bouldering, which is a great way to challenge myself physically and mentally. Sports in general are an important part of my routine, so I’ll do that often in my free time.