In this interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Merel Simmelink, HR Specialist at Magnetic Line, about her journey into the aviation business and her experiences within the organization. She shared her key goals in supporting colleagues worldwide, her personal and professional growth ambitions, as well as her hobbies outside of work.
How did your aviation career start? What was your experience prior to joining Magnetic Line, a member of Magnetic Group?
My aviation career started when I joined Magnetic Line (then Direct Maintenance) in November 2021. I came in not knowing much about the business, but I have been able to learn a lot from people in various roles who are happy to share their experiences. This has made it a very pleasant journey within Magnetic Line so far for me – so a big shoutout to all Magnetic Line colleagues!
What are the key goals of your work?
My main goal is to build connections with all of our colleagues around the world and support them where I can within the scope of my HR role. Furthermore, I, of course, support my HR colleagues in various processes and also get to lead different projects. A big help for us will be the implementation of our personnel system BambooHR.
A more personal goal of mine is to develop my knowledge of international HR even further. Also, I am always looking for ways to develop myself. This is why I am very happy to be taking part in the leadership program at Magnetic. I am very thankful for this opportunity and excited about what lies ahead.
Besides work, what are your hobbies?
I love being creative, so in my free time, I like to sew, paint, draw and much more. It offers a nice change of pace in regard to the work I do on the daily. Besides that, I love being out in nature; in the summer, you can often find me on the water on my paddleboard.
And a bonus question – what are your top destinations to travel to?
I still have much of the world to discover, so instead, I will name the destinations I would love to visit. High on my list is the Zion National Park in Utah, USA. Additionally, I would like to see more of (East) Africa. After visiting our station in Mombasa last year, I have been wanting to go back and see more of the continent.