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When Ida Moen Haugen was hired at the beginning of August of this year, the proportion of women in the sales department at Norske Backer AS increased by 100%. The fresh sales engineer says that she has been very well received and that it is “an awful lot”, as she says, to get to grips with everything.
– I am the only female in the sales department now, and as far as I know, I am also the first. Not that it matters too much really. The others here in the department are fantastically competent and pleasant and exceptionally skilled professionals. I feel that I have been welcomed with open arms, both in the department and everywhere else in the company, says Ida Moen Haugen.
It’s about finding the best solution
Research shows that it is important to have diversity in a company in order to create the best possible working environment and promote innovation.
– When you have a more even distribution between the sexes, you will get different perspectives and experiences that can help solve problems and create new ideas, says general manager Tom Owe Mikaelsen at Norske Backer AS.
– We need more women in the industry to be able to influence both the industry and the working environment. This will not only benefit women, but also men and the company as a whole.
This is exactly what the fresh sales engineer completely agrees with. She also sees many similarities with her old job as a pharmacy technician.
– It’s about solving problems and finding the solution that best suits each individual customer. Also getting a woman’s view of things is only positive. It is nice and positive to have a mix between sexes.
Never fully trained
It was sustainability and marketing manager Oda Beate Lerheim who tipped off the 36-year-old about the vacant position and encouraged her to apply.
– I had worked as a pharmacy technician for 17 years, and among other things had responsibility for marketing and logistics in a larger pharmacy in Kongsvinger. I was ready for new challenges, and since I was born and raised in Kongsvinger, I knew that there was a company on Siva called Norske Backer AS. I read up on what they do and thought to myself that this seems exciting. I put in an application and was called in for an interview just before Easter. A few weeks later I was offered the job. I’ve been looking forward to it all summer and was very excited, smiles Ida Moen Haugen, who talks about busy days and “an awful lot” to get used to.
– There is a separate training program here on HSE, quality systems and getting to know the company. Otherwise, there is a lot of expertise to play on here in the department, and a lot of learning by doing. It will probably take a few years, but I am reading up on products, and am determined that this is a long-term project. I think this is an industry where you are never fully trained.