Our Industry Person of the Week is Ilham Cherradi. Ilham is an Area Sales Manager for Submersible Motors & Pumps at INDAR.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Ilham: A series of life circumstances led me to the field I am in. I was born and raised in Morocco where I completed my Bachelor in Engineering at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI). After a beautiful 7-months experience in Brazil where I did an internship in a social entrepreneurship company called Dossier Digital, I moved to Paris to study for a Master’s degree in Project Management and Business Development. That was where I learned about the lifecycle of projects and chose to start in the execution part, namely project planning and controls, in the Nuclear sector. A few years later, I moved to Spain and joined Ingeteam, a Spanish company within which I not only discovered the water industry but also the world of Sales.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Ilham: What I love most about my job is working with and learning from, fantastic professionals; people who not only have a sharp expertise in their field of work, but who also never turn down a chance to help out and share their knowledge. I also really enjoy how vibrant the water sector is, with so many different projects and players bringing along exciting opportunities. I love getting to meet people from different parts of the world and exploring possible synergies and collaboration opportunities. Sadly, water scarcity and energy challenges are becoming more of a reality with each passing day, and this is where the industry has a big card to play in order to be more part of the solution and less part of the problem. This involves rethinking existing solutions, collaborations and thriving for more efficiency and environmentally friendly solutions. Ingeteam’s water-filled and lubricated Indar submersible motors are a good example of this.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Ilham: My advice would be to take it one day at a time, connect with people you find interesting, be curious and ask lots of questions. Also, your new and unbiased “eye” will be valuable to the company you join, so do not shy away from bringing a fresh perspective to things and striking debates with your colleagues, that’s how innovation is born. Finally, I recommend practicing self-compassion. Everybody has been navigating an unprecedented and hard context for the past couple of years and the pandemic has more than ever shed the light on our humanity. If you are considering the pumping industry, jump on board and give it a try!
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Ilham: Maybe just a quick mention to Ingeteam Water to add that we are based in the Basque Country in the North of Spain, not very far from San Sebastián and Bilbao – both great cities to visit by the way. We specialize in submersible wire-to-water solutions including submersible motors and pumps that are made in our local Beasain facilities. We manufacture both the motors and the pumps which gives us great control on the entire process. We have standard products but tailor-made solutions are our favorite. We are namely the manufacturer of the biggest multi-stage motor-pump sets in the world, installed in Las Vegas, USA.
I could talk about this for hours, but I’ll stop here. If you want to know more, feel free to contact me at: Ilham.cherradi@ingeteam.com.
Learn more about Ingeteam Water right here.
Learn more about the Ingeteam Group here.
Connect with Ilham on LinkedIn.
THANK YOU, ILHAM! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
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