After studying Business administration, Roan van der Kallen worked at a Big Four firm on a mix of finance and data. Looking for new adventures, he came across an opportunity at Tracomex Group. He was their first Financial Data Analyst. ‘It’s great to make such an impact. You can really get things going here.’
‘During the first interview, I had a great connection with the CFO. There was still a lot of pioneering work to do here in terms of data. I indicated which tools I wanted to implement. Tools that were also easy to transfer to colleagues. That was no problem. I was immediately taken very seriously.’
‘I started in the spring of 2023. In my first week I visited a large warehouse, to see what products we trade. There were tons of ingredients. A lot of cattle feed can be made from that. Gradually I got to know the company as well as the trade, and I started doing simple analyses. From there, it all grew rapidly. The attitude is: Roan, if you think it’s a good idea, just pitch it and then you can do it.’
“They said: good idea, what do you need?”
Roan van der Kallen – Financial Data Analyst
‘BioCore, Riveka, Thenergy and Cefetra Premium Oils are also in the Tracomex group. I interact with all entities, each with their own unique set of personalities. But what all entities have in common is the personal, almost family-like, culture. I also like the fact that we, as a group of companies, are part of Cefetra Group. This comes with an interesting layer of complexity. On the one hand there is local independence and the entrepreneurial spirit, on the other hand the international backbone and the interaction within the entire group.’
‘Cefetra Premium Oils’ trade in plant-based oils is very different from our own trade at Tracomex. They trade niche products in much smaller quantities. They have to be fully traceable. That required a different system than our existing one. I had ideas about that, and I said, can I write the tender? I was with the company for nine months and I became the project lead. Recently, the system went live. It’s great to make such an impact. You can really get things going here.’
‘Another great project concerns reporting on sustainability. In terms of emissions, our business consists only of transportation. It was calculated on the back of a beer mat, so to speak: how many tons, how many kilometers? But that needs to be handled more professionally. I was asked to do a proper analysis.’
‘I connected the transport administration to a Google Maps API and a similar approach for vessels. In essence, all entities have some sort of transport administration. I said: this analysis is useful for the whole group. That might be a bit controversial, because each entity makes its own decisions. Nevertheless, I was allowed to pitch it to Cefetra Group’s CFO in Rotterdam. I asked for five minutes. He found it interesting and then I was able to pitch it to the Head of Sustainability, Head of Quality, all those who are ultimately responsible.’
‘I had never attended such an expensive meeting. They said: sounds good, what do you need? I mentioned the budget and number of hours. Then I talked to people from all entities, from Spain to Poland and from the UK to Dubai. Now the analysis is used everywhere. That all started here in Oosterhout. I am proud of that. It goes to show you that you get the space and the trust here.’
‘The near future? Maybe I’ll develop myself further as a data analyst, or maybe I’ll move towards financial management. Right now, it’s all possible. In any case, the company says that they see my potential. I really appreciate that. It is all B2B so it may not be that visible, but it is a great employer, and a great business.’
