Our People : Małgorzata BORKOWSKA

Introduce yourself...When and why did you join Safic-Alcan? What made you consider joining us?

I started as a saleswoman in the cosmetic business in 2004. It was a completely new experience and I enjoyed much working in raw ingredients business which was close to my background – I am a chemical engineer. My previous employer, the competitive company, wasn’t a place where I could make a good professional progress. Once my colleague had recommended Safic-Alcan I decided to join the Polish office in 2013. That time it was a team of 7 people, so a small company offering lots of development prospects and great support from the Group. I understood it would be an ambitious challenge to develop cosmetic business from the scratch and I was excited about that! For sure, joining Safic-Alcan was a good decision!

How do experience your relationship with other collaborators, partners, principals or customers?

I do believe we do business with people not with companies. It’s so important to know your collaborators, understand their situation and specific needs. In my opinion open discussion is a key factor which helps in building close relationship with others. That philosophy usually leads me to win-win results.

In regard to small matters, sometimes we forget about the human aspect in our daily work. Of course, Safic-Alcan is a trading company, we should present clearly our targets and expectations, but reaching long-term growth means also that from time to time we have to do a favor for our customer or supplier. The same applies to our colleagues. We should understand none of us is a machine. Don’t take everything so seriously and offer a kind word, it usually makes cooperation smoother and more pleasant.

What is something curious or funny we should know about you? (your hobbies, passions, etc)

I am a person conneted to the nature. I live on suburbs close to the forest where I go to a few times weekly, together with my beagle. Usually I spend holidays in the Mazuria area in Poland, sourunding by forest and lakes, quite often with an e-book reader (it’s essential because I read up to 100 books yearly 😉). I love such kind of chill out!

But it’s not that I like only silence. I am a fan of good music. A few times yearly I dive into great sounds at live events for thousands people! It’s so intense experience when you feel music within every cell of your body! Such positive energy can charge me for a long time. I’ve had possibility to attend concerts of Depeche Mode, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Peter Gabriel, U2, The Cure, Rolling Stones, The Police (yes, they still performed that time!) and many others are still ahead of me!

How do you try to incorporate Safic values of Commitment, Differentiation, Ethics, Trust & Reliability, Sustainable Development, Team Work, Transparency in your day-to-day work. 

In my opinion our corporate values are linked to partnership. I treat customers and principals as partners, where long-term, reliable relationships are the basis of cooperation. My actions make them understand that we have common goals and our aim is to help them grow their business. I always try to describe reasons of certain actions and assure cooperating companies we want to find a solution the best for all of us. With time our partners see they can rely on us. It’s much easier to create next projects in the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Not to mention that in these conditions resolving issues is also much easier and more effective.

Do you have any illustrative fun/light stories to share from your time at Safic-Alcan? 

It was during the cosmetic seminar which was held in my birthday. My colleagues gave me a birthday cake in the front of 150 customers and suppliers and all of them were singing « Happy Birthday » ! I was very surprised and pleased at the same time ! A very moving and memorable moment.

What is the one main takeaway candidates wanting to join Safic-Alcan should know and look forward to? 
Safic-Alcan offers inspiring, professional surranding. You can learn a lot from a group of experts from different countries, exchange experiences, copy best practices. You can have your own way of working. We appreciate creativity and are open to non-standard solutions. In case of any issue there’s always a friend who can support you. We believe in synergism coming from different businesses and geographies. Safic-Alcan offers connection to new solutions, new products coming from the biggest raw ingredients producers on the market. There’s a place for people who like learning and are ready for dynamic changes in the chemical sector.