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Let’s discover Visp with Margot Bailly

Margot Bailly is an agapian Consultant and works as Technical Project Lead in Visp. She has been working there for almost three years now. When she is not working, she enjoys skiing at the nearby resorts.

You can get there by train as it is the fastest and most convenient option.

The best time to go is spring or summer for hiking and winter for skiing with popular ski resorts like Zermatt and Saas-Fee not too far away. February is also a great time to visit Visp, as it’s carnival season.

A must see or do is to go to the Pürümarkt on Friday afternoons, there you’ll find local food and drink stands.

A good place to eat is at Zenhäusern, a bakery that is also a restaurant. It’s a good place to have lunch. For the “Feierabendbier” afterwork, is P2 a cool bar located not far from the train station.

You can find further info on the Wallis Website Visp | Valais 4 you.

Meet Juliette

Juliette is 31 years old and has worked as Business Manager at agap2 for almost 3 years now. If you know her at work, you might be curious to learn more about her personally.

Here’s more about…

…her place of origin: My family comes from the north of France, near Calais. I was born in Alsace in the Haut-Rhin region. I’ve been living in Switzerland for almost 13 years.

…her family: I live in Lausanne with my boyfriend.

…her hobbies: I practice handball. I love spending time with my family and friends, but I also enjoy travelling around the world. But what I love above all is eating. That’s why Greece is one of my favorite countries, not only it’s always sunny but the food is delicious – especially the grilled octopus.

…the languages she speaks: My mother tongue is French, but I speak English too.

…how to get him to laugh: What makes me die laughing are the François Damiens’ hidden cameras.

…what would be essential to him on a desert island: On a desert island I would take with me some seeds, a seawater filter and a knife.

…her last vacation:  I went with my boyfriend to Marrakech for a week in March. We rented a car and visited the area around Marrakech, including Imlil, Ouarzazate and Essaouira. I particularly recommend Ouarzazate.

A challenging project for Hans Volek

Hans works as a Project Lead / Plant Engineer at agap2 Switzerland. His strength is his outgoing personality, which enables him to bring people together and get them to work in a coordinated way. Let’s find out more about Hans and the exciting project his is currently working on.

Could you please introduce yourself and your job in a few words?
My name is Hans Volek, I was born and raised in Austria. At the moment, I am an agap2 Consultant working as a Project Leader / Plant engineer.

Could you please introduce the client you are working for in a few words?
The company I am working for is specialised in manufacturing specific molecules (APIs, different precursors) that require difficult to manage and hazardous reaction processes.

What other missions have you worked on with agap2?
None yet, this is my first project.

Could you please introduce the project you are currently working on?
The above-mentioned processes naturally need to be tended to in terms of maintenance, a task that sounds easier than it is. Some of the equipment has reached an age that makes spare parts hard to come by. So, for example, instead of replacing a small part, you suddenly have to fit a new pump system in a space too small for some of the modern, more energy-efficient pump motors.

The other half of my job is to plan, coordinate, and lead upgrades and regroups of the equipment for new molecules demanding different requirements than the old ones. In this context, numerous regulations must be applied, along with careful planning, to ensure that the facility is not only capable of production but also operates in manner that is safe for humans and the environment.

What excites you about this project?
What is exciting about this project is the sheer variety of problems and puzzles to solve, as well as the interactions with my colleagues.

What makes you the right person to do this project?
Mainly my outgoing personality, as weird as this may sound doing a technical job. You need to get a lot of different parties to work for you and most importantly: together in a coordinated fashion.

How long have you been working on this project and how long will the mission last in total?
I have been on the project for 16 months already and since it is open end, I don’t know how long it will last, let’s see.

What is the working atmosphere like within the company? Is there a perceived difference between the client’s employees and agap2 consultants?
There are some differences in terms of internal customer rules. However, when it comes to inclusion within the team and structures, there are no differences at all.

How does agap2 contribute to your daily life at work?
Through agap2’s education system I have access to a wide range of high-quality trainings and courses, which I, of course, appreciate very much. Additionally, regarding my work-life balance agap2 is a big plus and enables me to plan my spare time more freely around my work schedule. Furthermore, since I work for agap2 and not for the client directly, quite a few bureaucratic processes regarding vacation are easier to manage.

A new mission for Jan Lipski

Jan works at agap2 for over a year now. He is currently working as a Power Electronics Design Engineer. What motivates him in his current mission is making a tangible impact on the sector in which he is working. Find out more about Jan and his interesting project.

Could you please introduce yourself and your job in a few words?
My name is Jan Lipski, I come originally from Warsaw, Poland, but I live in Switzerland in Kanton Aargau, and I am planning to tie my future with this country. I work as a Power Electronics Engineer at agap2 for over a year and few months. In my work I take care of designing, developing, and optimizing power electronic systems that manage and control the flow of electrical energy.

Could you please introduce the client you are working for in a few words?
I have just started my new mission as a Power Electronics Design Engineer in Zurich. The company that I work for was founded over 25 years ago and has a strong expertise in development, production, commissioning, and servicing across power electronics, drive systems, and electrical energy storage. This company is focused on providing innovative and cost-effective solutions for its customers.

What other missions have you worked on with agap2?
I started as a Drive System Engineer for a railway company. In that role, I focused on designing electrical components and developing technical specifications for the entire electrical drive system for the trains. This included creating electrical schematics, verification of the documentation, and software requirements. I analysed potential error sources and worked to eliminate them to ensure smooth operation. My responsibilities also involved developing drive concepts, integrating components into trains, specifying components and drive functionality, participating in drive-related tests, and ensuring compliance with standards. My second project was in Turgi.In this role, I managed the design, testing, and qualification of components for MV drives. I also provided technical support across departments and contributed to advancing power electronics technologies for MV drives products.

Could you please introduce the project you are currently working on?
I have only recently started, so I am still in the onboarding process. I will participate in prototype design, assembling, hardware in the loop design and testing.

What excites you about this project?
What excites me about this project is the opportunity to delve into complex data analysis and to work in a very experienced team. Additionally, contributing to the advancement of power electronics technologies and making a tangible impact on the energy storage sector performance and reliability is highly motivating.

What makes you the right person to do this project?
I am a flexible person with a strong problem-solving approach. I am a good team player, and results driven. I am also a creative person, and I am sure that my previous experiences can help me do my best in my current project.

How long have you been working on this project and how long will the mission last in total?
I started on 4th March and the project is planned for 9 months.

What is the working atmosphere like within the company? Is there a perceived difference between the client’s employees and agap2 consultants?
In my current project I can see some similarities – the client I am working for is a company with many years of experience, offering a family atmosphere that can also be experienced at agap2. 

How does agap2 contribute to your daily life at work?
I am in touch with my Business Manager and the team from Division Industry in Zurich. I know I can count on any support from them in case of any doubts.

Meet Julia

At the age of 29, Julia Wölfl is Senior Recruitment Manager at agap2 Switzerland. You may surely know her as she has been working with us for almost two years now. For her the time flies, because she loves her job. The latter consists of interviewing the best engineering talents on the labor market and to convince them of joining agap2. She also coordinates onboardings and supports the business managers on a daily basis.

But did you know about…

…her place of origin:  I grew up in a small village close to Ludwigsburg in the South of Germany. Ludwigsburg is known for its beautiful castles and a fairytale garden.

…her family: I live with my boyfriend in Germany on the border of Switzerland and commute daily to Zurich or to our new office in Konstanz.

…her hobbies: I enjoy doing Zumba, singing and spending time with my loved ones.

…the languages she speaks: My mother tongue is German, and I also speak English and Spanish. Next to these languages, I am familiar with greeting vocabulary in 5 other tongues.

…how to get her laugh: We always have a very funny atmosphere in the office. So, definitely my colleagues with their jokes (if we do not crack up at least once a day, something is wrong), but also when I hear people with an infectious laugh or when someone cracks up because of my loud and specific laugh.

…what would be essential to her on a desert island: On a desert island, I would take candy, a pencil and my guitar.

…her last vacation: I went to Japan last fall, a very fascinating country with an impressive balance of tradition and modernity.

Meet Mehdi

Mehdi Bouaza is 34 years old and has been an agapian for almost 8 years. He has been working for agap2 Switzerland for 5 years now, so you’ve probably already heard of him. He is Business Unit Manager and really enjoys the adrenaline brought by the exciting situations he has to deal with. He also loves to guide his team members and see them grow in their jobs.

But first, here’s more about…

…his place of origin: I was born in La Rochelle in France, close to the Atlantic Ocean.

…his family: I live with my wife and my nearly 4-years-old son in France, close to Geneva.

…his hobbies:  I always love to spend time with my family and friends. I also play card games such as Poker and I am always happy to cook some French or Asian dishes.

…the languages he speaks: I am a native French speaker. I speak also English.

…how to get him to laugh: I can’t help myself with situational jokes and dark humour.

…what would be essential to him on a desert island: On a desert island I would take with me fish nets, a big knife and a compass.

…his last vacation: We went back to La Rochelle visiting our families for Christmas. I have to admit that I would have rather loved to go to Thailand.

Sylvain Ngahone and his diverse skills

Sylvain works as Subject Matter Expert for a biopharmaceutical manufacturing company. What he likes the most in his job are the managerial and the technical parts. Find out more about Sylvain and the project he is working on.

Could you please introduce yourself and your job in a few words?
I am Sylvain Ngahone, I own a master’s degree in business administration and a mechanical engineering degree, so I enjoy both the technical and the management side. I have been working in engineering departments for life sciences, biotech, chemical, and medical device organizations since over 15 years. I joined Agap2 a couple of months ago.

I work as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for utilities process, mechanical completion, and turnover package for Capex Projects. I also assist the CQV teams in their daily business by providing a technical support with my expertise, from a mechanical/process engineering and from a compliance/documentary point of view.  

Could you please introduce the client you are working for in a few words?
The client is a Swiss multinational manufacturing company for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and nutrition sectors, headquartered in Basel, with major facilities in Europe, North America, and South Asia. The client is specialized in the development and manufacture of pharmaceutical applications. Product manufactured can include APIs, ADCs, or small molecules.

Could you please introduce the project you are currently working on?
For small molecules production, the client has decided to invest on the construction and equipping of a new building. This also includes installation, commissioning, qualification, validation, and start-up of new production equipment, black and clean utilities.

What excites you about this project?
Managing interface between core-teams was exciting. This includes construction, design, CQV, EMR, electrical engineering, supplier management, and QA topics. Most of the representatives were workers coming for different companies, having different backgrounds and different cultures. Thanks to the fact that I am trilingual (FR, DE, EN), I was able to speak to everyone easily.

What makes you the right person to do this project?
My technical and management background, my multiculturalism, my language skills and the fact that I have been working for the pharmaceutical industry for a while. I have already worked on similar project in Germany.

How long have you been working on this project and how long will the mission last in total?
I worked for the project for 6 months.

What is the working atmosphere like within the company? Is there a perceived difference between the client’s employees and agap2 consultants?
No, there was not perceived difference. We worked hand to hand following the same goal.

How does agap2 contribute to your daily life at work?
I am constantly interacting with business managers, who also get feedback from clients, making sure that both clients and consultants work well together and that the project is driving towards success.

Meet Tim

If you work at agap2 you may surely know Tim Srkala who has been one of us for 4,5 years now. During this time, he has already managed over 100 projects as Business manager, Senior and now as Head of Division Industry.

But first, here’s more about…

…his place of origin: I come from Schenkon a municipality on the shores of Sempach Lake in the canton of Luzern.

…his family: Currently I am living in Dietikon not so far from Zürich City with my wife and my two kids.

…his hobbies: I enjoy playing tennis and sport in general. Spending time with my family is also one of my favorite hobbies.

…the languages he speaks: I speak Czech, English, German and some French and Russian.

…how to get him to laugh: What puts me in a good mood is positivity and good energy in general.

…what would be essential to him on a desert island: I would take my family, some water and good mood with me to enjoy every moment to its fullest.

…his last vacation: I spent my last holidays on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.