Nina Cardinal

"Coach - I love helping people along in their careers. It's great to see somebody grow and achieve their potential.Influencer - I want to improve teams, processes and products and use my skills and knowledge to do so.Quality Control - I base my decisions on numbers and facts. There is nothing better than a good graph."

"Every day is different. My team tests cement properties in our national lab and carries out projects to support our customers in the use of our products. I visit customers to understand their manufacturing processes. I analyse technical data to understand trends. I deliver presentations to explain how we make cement more sustainable. I look after the training and development needs of my team. I visit our cement works for meetings with colleagues."

"I started in Research & Development (R&D), being curious about steel and its properties. I was then drawn into the manufacturing side of steel, working in many different technical roles associated with the manufacture and properties of specialist steel products for the aerospace, oil & gas and automotive industries. I am now transferring my knowledge and learnings from the steel industry to the cement industry."

"It's not all about work. I love variety in my private life as much as in my work life. I bake cakes for my husband and my colleagues, I love cycle touring (from Munich to Rome, from Calais to Montpellier, from the source of the Rhine to the North Sea), I learn Italian and travel to Italy every year, I climb mountains (including Mont Blanc) and I run the Parkrun with friends."

"This can either be in the office, at home, at one of our cement works or a visit to a customer. It is almost always a mixture of meeting with colleagues and customers - these days often by Zoom or Teams -, having formal meetings and informal conversations, analysing test and production data, and providing advice on the properties and uses of cement."

"German equivalent to A-levelsUndergraduate degree in Materials Science, specialising in ferrous metallurgyPhD in fracture behaviour of steel weldsMaster of Business Administration (MBA)Diploma to Teach in the Lifelong Learning SectorMSc in Advanced Concrete Technology (ongoing)Many training courses provided by my employers, in particular in management and leadership"