Who's who at FHI: How is project manager Miranda van Wijk doing now?

Miranda van Wijk (54) has been working as a project manager at FHI in the Industrial Electronics sector for almost a year and a half. She also takes care of the membership administration and wants to emerge as the source of information in this area. “I notice that more and more people recognize my voice and name and I like that.”

By Frank van de Ven

Miranda lives in Woerden, is married to Tom and is the mother of two adult daughters. After caring for the children for years, she entered the commercial world when her daughters grew older. Before she started working at FHI, she worked as a project manager in the stand construction industry. “What I like so much about my job is the contact with customers. I am a real people person. Networking suits me well and it is something I enjoy,” she says.

FHI is a trade organization. “That suits me well, because it is about knowledge sharing,” Miranda explains. “We bring people together and I feel very comfortable with that. As a project manager, I am closely involved in events such as the RF Technology event, Telecom Infra and the IT Infra event. I enjoy organizing these meetings. I am also involved in the membership administration.”

Digital future
Although Miranda has worked for FHI for a relatively short time and 'thanks' to the corona crisis she was unable to attend physical events and meet industry members, she has slowly emerged as one of the faces of FHI. “It is nice that there has been an interaction between the members and me. I notice that more and more people recognize my voice and name and I like that. When the pandemic subsides, I hope to meet the members in person.”

The corona crisis caused a lot of changes within FHI and demanded a lot from the organization. A digitalization approach has been chosen. A choice that was surprisingly easy and turned out well, says Miranda: “The most recent editions of RF Technology and IT Infrastructure took place entirely online. Whether you organize an online or offline event is not that different because both events revolve around communication. You must make clear agreements and plan well. I think the corona crisis has forced us to face the facts: the future is a combination of physical and digital.”

Durable
A major and important development within FHI is the member profile that allows industry members to increase their online visibility. “This service has been available since this year and I would like to point out its importance. I notice that some parties are taking full advantage of this development, while other members are taking a more wait-and-see attitude. For a number of people, the digitization process we are currently in is still a bit awkward. In any case, industry members are now benefiting from its possibilities member profile that is free. Don't be afraid to fill the profile and experiment with its features. You can tap into new customers by profiling yourself online.”

Miranda herself has already fully embraced technological developments and sees the potential of the FHI's digitization drive: “Online events offer so many benefits. This way you don't have to deal with travel times, because you can log in at home or at the office. Another advantage is that a webinar is timeless. You can watch it multiple times at a time that suits you. In addition, you can easily share the webinar link via your social media channels, website or email. A speaker at a physical event does not have these options and benefits. Digital is therefore very sustainable!”