An interview with Cemal Faruk Beser, Logistics Support Coordinator, SBM Schiedam

08 Dec 2022

'You never know when there will be an opportunity'

As part of SBM Offshore's long-term partnership with Refugee Talent Hub - the Dutch employer initiative connecting employers with refugee talents - a second networking event was held on November 16 in the Schiedam office.

As with the first event in June 2022, the majority in the room were a pool of professionals with a refugee background - highly educated individuals from diverse countries around the world holding an official refugee status in the Netherlands. They were invited to meet and interact with representatives from SBM's departments and HR specialists to explore career opportunities in their new country, and several potentially useful connections were made that day.

Sitting in the room was also a relatively new SBMer - Cemal Faruk Beser - who only 5 months before had attended the first networking event himself as a talent seeking to make new connections.

Cemal's success story is a direct result of this partnership between SBM and Refugee Talent Hub and a story of what can happen when people truly connect and listen to each other, and new opportunities are found. And it is definitely a story worth telling!

Cemal was born in Istanbul, Turkey into a family with a background in the shipping industry. After graduating in Maritime Administration in Turkey, he decided to continue his studies in Panama, with a Masters in International Business & Logistics.

Moving to Panama represented a significant challenge, with a new culture and a new language to learn. But the maritime connection was strong as was the attraction of the Panama Canal, which interestingly had been the topic of his undergraduate thesis back in Turkey. Cemal established a good connection with his new country and after obtaining his masters, decided to stay on in Panama, and found employment in a trading company. However, when his visa expired, he faced a difficult decision. Since leaving Turkey, the situation had substantially changed and for political reasons going back was not an option, so he had to make a hard choice.

Cemal knew of others who had decided to make the Netherlands their home and knew that it could be possible. So, in a deliberate move, in 2019, while transiting through Europe he stepped away from his connecting flight at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and presented himself at immigration asking to begin the process to request asylum. His first weeks were spent at the airport's immigration facility, following which the asylum process took him to other locations in other areas of the country. He began learning Dutch and started interacting with Dutch groups and families through volunteer schemes providing accommodation in return for labor. With a focus on learning Dutch and integrating into society, over the next year he continued to volunteer and support other refugees in facilities. Through this work he came to know about Refugee Talent Hub.

"In my first year I was proactive and tried to push myself. After that first year you start looking for something, but you're not able to find the opportunities. Groups like WeRHERE and Refugee Talent Hub helped me learn how to find myself, and how to put myself in situations to find opportunities. I worked on social projects and learnt how to write projects and keep myself professionally active, and I knew there were opportunities out there."

Two years after making the Netherlands his home and having learnt the language, Cemal began to actively start job hunting while also applying for further studies. Keeping options as open as possible, he also attended networking opportunities through Refugee Talent Hub and by chance, in June 2022 decided to participate in a session at SBM Offshore's Schiedam office.

"I honestly knew little or nothing about SBM before that day, and even when I first got there, I still wasn't really expecting to find anything as it seemed more an engineering company. That morning however, I met the Supply Chain Manager and realized it was a good fit with my maritime and logistics background, and my love for innovation. One week later HR contacted me with an opportunity and I returned for an interview. They went into more depth on the job and really invested time and energy to get me on board."

Cemal was hired by SBM Offshore in August 2022 as a Logistics Support Coordinator assigned to an FPSO construction project, working with an international logistics team, across multiple locations, backgrounds and time zones. He is responsible for making sure that scopes from the supplier to the yard are on time, on track and have all the right documentation.

In the first days his background and studies helped him understand the content, and he counted on his team to help familiarize him with the processes and ways of working. He attended welcome sessions, FPSO training and recently participated in an internal Technology Conference. Already in a short space of time he says he has started to feel part of SBM, proud of their innovations and excited to be part of this team.

"After the welcome session, I came back to my desk with my head full of all the new things. There is plenty to learn in this role as learning happens in situations, and there is a lot happening on the project. When you get help in a team and then deliver it's rewarding. I have already identified areas I'd like to progress in, such as the container delivery logistics and the single larger items, which are interesting."

Looking forward, Cemal's immediate goal is to make this position with SBM a permanent role, and then be more involved in the company's projects and part of this kind of team and teamwork around the world.

And despite the demands of his new job, Cemal also finds time to continue mentoring activities with WeRHERE or attend Refugee Talent Hub sessions, just like the November 2022 networking session at SBM Offshore where he can now advise and help other jobseekers from a position of expertise, whilst truly knowing what it is like to be in their shoes.

Quick Questions section:
'Chatbox' icebreaker question: What do you think is the most beautiful place on Earth?
Anywhere underwater, such as the Black Sea in Turkey where I grew up, the reefs offshore Panama, or also Greece.

Q: What motivates you?
I'm motivated by the energy industry, and the innovations, the new ideas and original things. SBM is always searching and pushing. That motivates me.

Q: Were there any unexpected hurdles when joining SBM?
It's been pretty smooth and there are just some areas or skills I knew I needed to develop, but the team helped me with this. The interaction with colleagues from other locations has been really positive.

Q: What were the unexpected benefits?
The positive changes like learning the professional work life and working for an industry major are so exciting. Here there is a nice balance of structure, professionalism and a relaxed atmosphere.

Q: What have you learnt from your experience of the last 3 years? 
Personally, after going through the stages of being a refugee, then working and being active, I got a lot of insight into working with other nationalities and cultures, and that's really nice.

Q: Would you have done anything differently?
I'm happy with how it went - first language, culture and then the professional aspect.

Q: What advice would you give others in similar situations?
Everyone's journey is different, but some things are the same for all - you have to go out there and meet, participate and try things, even if you don't know if it is for you. You never know when there will be an opportunity, so networking is important.

Q: What do you like about being in Schiedam?
I need to see the sea or water! When I first lived in the Netherlands I was far away in Nijmegen, and luckily there was a lake, but now here it's a relief for me to be back near the sea!

For more information:
The Refugee Talent Hub and SBM Offshore partnership is managed under the support and actions of SBM's Netherlands Diversity & Inclusion Ambassadors. The D&I network aims to foster an increasingly diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace and workforce at SBM. Through this kind of partnership, the hope is to bring in fresh talent and new perspectives to our teams while also having local social impact by supporting refugees find their career path.

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