.png)
.png)
28 December 2023
Green hydrogen is here, and it is already making waves with continued efforts to increase its use cases in the process industry while solidifying its advantages in mobility and energy buffering avenues as well. Gerwin Hament, Head of Project Management at VoltH2, shares his insights.
The Energy, Marine and Renewables industries are known for their extensive R&D efforts and a constant desire to introduce new, more efficient methods to handle already existing demands – and VoltH2 is one of the more prominent players within the growing hydrogen market. The company’s mission revolves around developing a portfolio of green hydrogen production facilities at industrial and logistic hubs to supply green hydrogen to its customers.
VoltH2 ensures that, by further improving the Green Hydrogen distribution and development infrastructure, various other businesses in the Energy, Marine & Renewables industries will have a chance to further reduce their CO2 emissions and tap into a new, sustainable way to fuel their operations. Gerwin Hament, Head of Project Management, is one of the key figures that is helping VoltH2 achieve their goals.
VoltH2’s Vision for the Future
Gerwin’s role allows him to oversee project management efforts of the company and give VoltH2 the edge it needs to ensure success: “Every day at VoltH2 is different for me as part of my job is to structure the organisation in a way that allows us to grow sustainably and exert more control over our projects. Basically, I'm managing the engineering and the project management team on a day-to-day basis and I’m responsible for all the projects in the portfolio of VoltH2.”
Gerwin’s experience becomes even more important when one considers how demanding the hydrogen industry is with more and more players joining the fray: “VoltH2 is developing various projects for the Dutch and German markets with potential to expand into other markets rather soon. Of course, these projects have different stages in the development and that means we have to standardize the way we develop our projects to be to be faster and more efficient than other industry players to retain our competitive edge.”
Even with stiff competition, however, Gerwin knows VoltH2 has a great and exciting future ahead, and when we ask what the future has in store for him, he replies with the same level of positivity: “I think it it's really exciting to be part of such an impactful journey. Each day is different and each day I get a chance to do something different or improve what we already do by implementing different methods. I really am glad that I am right at the centre of this industry and part of the development process – as the action is today and the reactions are tomorrow!”
Evolving Personnel Needs for an Evolving Industry
An industry that is poised to be one of the biggest Energy niches will require a lot of Professionals to transition to it. Gerwin sheds light on the qualifications one might need to secure themselves a position in VoltH2 – and Hydrogen industry in general – and understand the direction the company is going towards: “Right now, there are certain skills and a level of experience you need to have to be part of our team, but we also understand how green hydrogen is a relatively new industry and not everyone might have the exact qualifications we need. That is why, as VoltH2 continues to grow and adapt new structures, we will get a chance to train Professionals and future colleagues in a way that is aligned with our needs – and I expect this to be sooner rather than later. I am really looking forward to this path VoltH2 will be taking as it will further energize the company and create an even more dynamic work environment.”
That does not come without its challenges, however: “It is usually harder to get young Professionals on board and make sure they go through with their training and onboarding, so we are always on the lookout for those who have somewhat proven that they are willing to commit – whether via similar experience or certifications, and that’s where recruitment companies come in. This is true for both white collar and technical positions,” Gerwin shares as he reminisces how Atlas Professionals played a role in his Hydrogen career as well: “Even though I contacted VoltH2 myself after reading them up on a magazine, Atlas Professionals was the one to finalise the employment contract between me and VoltH2 thanks to their good relationship with VoltH2!”
However, not everyone has the same know-how as he does, so the need to introduce new talent to the industry is what makes working with recruitment companies like Atlas Professionals highly beneficial, according to Gerwin: “It is really important to understand what competencies allow a Professional to successfully transition into the hydrogen industry. We want sustainable growth within VoltH2 - to ensure that is the case, we have to be able to source younger talent.”
