COMMUNICATION
3
A feast for the eyes
9 I
Responsibility
Self-assurance
At home
Heineken spans almost the entire globe. So there will always be a fellow-employee somewhere who
will understand a problem faced by a colleague. It often occurs that people simply won't believe that
anyone else would be able to help them. Frequently they forget to refer the man or woman with the
problem through to that department which would be able to help. And the latter is particularly
important. And it is by no means only technical problems that can be solved. If you have a plan, if
you're having difficulties or if you want to know whether someone else has experience in dealing with
a problem similar to yours, first take a look around within our concern for someone who might be able
to help you out.
If you really get stuck, the editors of this magazine will also be pleased to show you the way.
A woman who counts
Wastewater purification in Zoeterwoude
is one of the departments that Mrs. Hofs-
Bouwmeester has a lot to do with as head
of the Company Technological
Department. She is responsible for
checking the quality of the waste water.
teams for league games. You have to be
diplomatic to do that"she smiles"but
I have to be diplomatic in the brewery
as well, because I work together with
so many different departments."
Mrs. Hofs is an enthusiastic
personality who clearly has matters
under control. You can tell that she
feels in no way less privileged than her
male colleagues. Though she still looks
on Heineken as a men's business, she's
seen a lot of changes in this area over
the past two years. There are now
many more female trainees. But at the
moment she's the only woman in such a
post working for Heineken in Holland.
She is convinced that women with
capabilities very definitely have
chances to make careers for
themselves in Heineken nowadays.
"My work is very important to me.
Naturally, the responsibility does bring
a certain amount of pressure. But that
responsibility also gives you a pleasant
feeling as well", Mrs. Hofs concludes.
With a personality like hers, she'll
certainly not let herself be intimidated
by an ocean of beer.
Inside the Zoeterwoude brewhouse.
Recently a new film-projection room
was opened in the Heineken France
brewery in Mutzig (France). All those
who come along for a guided tour start
off their visit with a slide presentation
thereThe room can hold 70 peopleIt
has been decorated very simply so that
your attention is not distracted from
what is being shown on the screen.
But it is the first impression that always
counts most. So a great deal of
attention has been paid by architect
Pierre Grutter to the entrance hallThe
hall is small, but tasteful.
Everything is housed inside former
factory premises. They have been
turned into a feast for the eyes.
The entrance hall.
The toilets. The film-projection room.
Heineken is a company of men.
That's what people often say.
But is it true? No, even though
the 'stronger' sex are in the majority,
they're losing ground. And Mrs. Dini
Hofs-Bouwmeester is living proof of it
She works in Zoeterwoude (Holland)
in our concern's biggest brewery. There
she checks on the quality of the beer,
which means that she's jointly
responsible for every litre of beer that's
brewed there. More than 500 million
litres, or 2,000 million glasses a year.
28 employees are there to assist her in
that work, along with a number of
other people from various other
departments.
Mrs. Hofs came to Heineken five years
ago as a graduate in agricultural
sciences. She was appointed head of
the Quality Control Section. Three
years later she was promoted to her
present post: head of the Company
Technological Department. At the age
of 32 that's a fast and fabulous career.
What does it feel like to shoulder so
much responsibility? After all, you're
all alone versus that gigantic lake of
beer. Surely, you're the one who could
say whether or not it's allowed to be
sold. Admittedly, the plant manager
would be able to to overrule any ban
she made. But we don't think that
happens very often.
Highly feminine, very friendly, with a
natural tenseness, she sits opposite us.
"To be able to take on a job like this,
you have to have a good grounding in
the theory", she declares. "Besides,
you have to be able to rely on your
staff. If you don't, it's impossible to do
your job properly."
"When you're responsible for the
quality, it also means you have to check
on the raw materials. You also have to
advise on the brewing procedure. For
instance, how finely or how coarsely
ground the malt meal has to be in the
brewhouse. And that means that
making programs for the computers
also comes under my department. Raw
materials are not always exactly the
same, and that's why you can't, for
instance, use the same brewing process
At Zoeterwoude, Mrs. Hofs-
Bouwmeester is in control of more than
2,000 million glasses of beer a year.
all the time. But one thing that must
invariably stay the same is the
Heineken quality. That has to be
constant. It must never be even a tiny
bit different. Which is why I also spend
a lot of my time in the brewery. And
why I try to convince the people
working throughout the production
process that the beer they make has to
be the best possible brew. For they are
the ones who can guarantee an
excellent standard of quality."
During our conversation the phone
rings a few times. On the other end of
the line are people with problems,
suggestions or analytical findings. Mrs.
Hofs answers in a soft voicesays what
ought to be done. There is self-
assurance in the way she speaks. She
doesn't give commands, though her
voice is quite firm. She shows no
hesitation before giving an answer. The
impression is that she's always in
control of the situation. You feel you
can be confident that she's taken the
right decision.
Mrs. Hofs is married. "My husband is
number one for me", she says, and her
voice again reflects that same
decidedness. "But of course it's true
that a husband has to be understanding
about his wife's workI can't always get
home on time. Very occasionally I get
called in from home as well.She does
the housework together with her
husband and she explains how much
you can accomplish in a brief space of
time. Saturdays are obviously busy
days, as the week's shopping needs to
be done, and the garden.
"It just happens that gardening is one
of my hobbies, so that's no problem. I
also play a lot of volleyball and I'm on
the committee of my club. I select the
