A Career in the Non-Profit Sector
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Dr. Ellen Brinksma
The
Powe
r of
Diver
sity –
GEO
MON,
Brus
Who am I?
• Born in Den Helder, 44 yrs old.
• PhD physics (2001), ozone layer over New Zealand
• Very active next to “day job” (women’s issues,
politics, OR, etc. etc)
• Mother of two: Amy (10), and Sean (8)
• Married to Dave (works fulltime as scientist)
• Living in Utrecht
• Scientist turned manager and loving it
Slide 1
Today’s talk
• Introduction
• Career path: one step at a time
• Statistics Netherlands - organization
• My work as Environmental Statistics Manager
• How does physics help?
• Work life balance
• Personal lessons learnt
Slide 2
1986-1994
Career Overview
Astrophysics at UvA, M.Sc. Degree
 why? (coincidence …?? or not)
 what subjects?
Was it fun? Was it tough? Did I think I
would make it?
 The impostor’s syndrome
1986-1994
Career Overview
1994-1999
 Why this PhD topic?
 Why they selected me (the luck factor)
 What I learned besides physics
“Life is what happens when we’re busy making other
plans”
 … that I am proud to be Dutch
 Never be shy to break your own rules
Career Overview
1986-1994
1994-1999
20002007
Why they selected me (the luck factor again)
 What I learned besides physics:
Integrating what I did best into the day job …
Career Overview
1986-1994
1994-1999
20002007
2007-2008
Why I selected the job
 What I learned:
Don’t be shy to speak up, do not wait patiently!!!
Personal change? Development? Understanding?
Career Overview
1986-1994
1994-1999
20002007
2007-2008
2009
2010-now
I love statistics …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg8fLCyF-ps
Slide 8
Being a physicist, and leading a team
• Job application: met all criteria less one
• “Happy we got a scientist, not a manager”
• Things to adapt to: corporate culture, slow
and steady nature of many statistics, focus
on details, thoroughness
• Courses: principles of “statistics”, surveying
• Pace yourself, delegate!, don’t get swamped
in the details, always look for new challenges
• Pay attention, keep in touch.
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Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
Introduction to Statistics
Netherlands
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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) - 1
• National statistical institute, est. 1899
• Produces 95% of the official statistics
• Annual budget approx. € 200 mln, 92% by
government, 8% commissioned work
The Hague
Heerlen
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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) - 2
• Approx. 2000 staff (2012) – various backgrounds
• Data collection, IT, quality assurance, methodology,
innovation, two statistical divisions:
• Economic Statistics
• Business, People, and Spatial Statistics
• Approx 80 teams, including Environmental Statistics
The Hague
• Underlined: most likely to attract STEM postdocs
Heerlen
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Meet the environmental statistics team
28 people (polytech/ academic,science)
Wide range of topics:
 emissions to air, water, soi
 waste, electronic waste
 Green Growth
 Herbicides, pesticides
 Economical aspects of the environment
Note the average age, mostly men
Committed people – 8/28 new over three years.
Meet the environmental statistics team
www.clo.nl
Statistics and context about the
environment, nature, land use, energy in the
Netherlands
By CBS with PBL, WUR
In-/external contacts and clients (national)
• Ministeries, Agencies
• Policy support, policy monitoring
• Always registering the past (accurately, as
timely as possible but …)
• Collaboration between RIVM, PBL, WUR in
www.clo.nl
• Emission Inventories (RIVM, Kyoto protocol)
• Internal clients are Env. Accounts, Agriculture,
Energy, etc.
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External Financing / contacts
• 2011 E-waste studies (17,5 k€), with PhD
student from Delft, and United Nations
University. Now: one team member at UNU 3
days/wk.
• Waste statistics for AgentschapNL (140 / 44 k€)
• Expert groups on Manure Legislations
Wish for near future: perhaps another PhD
student – postdocs welcome too!
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International contacts, some examples
• Eurostat grants for futher development of
statistics (1-2 per year)
• Eurostat task forces
• UN climate change conference (Nov 2012)
• OECD Working Party on Env. Indicators
• Director’s meeting on Environmental
Statistics (Luxemburg)
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What makes me proud
Green Growth – despite internal hurdles
Team: feedback course
Team: strategy discussion
New system built to process Env. Costs (1.5
years work – 3rd attempt)
• HRM – personal development
• Feel very much at ease (no longer an
imposter)
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What helped me to achieve this
• Management development: get to know my
own strengths
• Being analytical and a quick thinker
• Drive
• Focus
• No-nonsense attitude
and to use all of this in due moderation
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So … a week may look like
• Mon – team coffee, bilateral meetings, e-mail
• Tuesday – employee council
• Wednesday (at home): morning mostly
strategy and/or odd jobs, afternoon with
children
• Thursday: Management team, e-mail,
steering groups
• Friday: empty agenda, MBWA, lunch, think
about longer-term actions and plan ahead
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Family life …
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Work/life Balance
• It’s a great combination + makes me a great
employee
• It’s a blessing to work for the government again
• Follow your intuition / be careful comparing to
others
• Get as much help as you can
• Engage your partner
It’s very relative …. works only when all are well
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What worked for me …
Have a career strategy, but be open to other
opportunities
Voice your ambitions
Show people what your are good at
Be careful when comparing yourself with others
Be aware of your unique selling points - it helps
to change jobs to reveal these
Don’t try to match the job – find a job that
matches you
Enjoy what you do!
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The End …
Thank you for your attention
www.cbs.nl
www.statline.nl
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