My Career: ‘My role at the Port of Cork has evolved over the years’

Name: Bogusia Solak-Mazur

Age: 41

Lives: Carrigaline, Co. Cork

Job title: Systems Support Officer

Salary bracket: €50,000-65,000

Education background:

I graduated from the Jagiellonian University in Poland and taught English as a second language in a primary school.

After I moved Ireland in 2006 I became an accounting technician, completed a Human Resource Management diploma, became an Internal Auditor, and completed many more courses including diplomas in a holistic field.

Hobbies:

Havng a holistic approach to health has been a big part of my life. Since completing my first diploma in 2011, I have continued to add more modalities to restore energy, balance, and so much more in my practice. You can find me on Instagram at bogusia_reflexology_holistic or Facebook at Facial Reflexology - Bogusia Solak Cloud Nine Bay.

As a Sagittarius, I love exploring new places. I loved recent trips to Costa Rica, Japan, and China, and I’m planning more adventures. Nature is my go to place to find harmony. You will find me in my garden to reset my mind.

Pilates and yoga are in my life since I was 20. I like reading books on holistic modalities, neurohacking, micronutrition, coaching, and psychology.

Describe your job in five words:

I facilitate cross-functional alignment between environmental, energy, finance, and systems within the engineering team.

Describe yourself in five words:

Resourceful, consistent, adaptable, collaborative, practical.

Personality needed for this kind of work?

Be adaptive, have logical and analytical thinking, be self-motivated and a good communicator.

How long are you doing this job?

I started at the Port of Cork in 2006 in the accounting system implementation team in the finance department. I went on to work in the engineering department, human resources, and in commercial before moving back to the engineering team where I settled for good. My role has evolved throughout the years.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

I have worked in the Port for quite some time and worked in different departments. That gave me a better understanding of how teams work, the various systems they use, and opened the door to improving efficiency through the incorporation of proven methods.

Describe a day at work:

My day involves assisting engineers with purchasing and payment of services, and reporting on an EU funding project in Ringaskiddy Port. As an internal auditor, I ensure the company is complying with environmental and energy ISO standards.

I also work on improving the efficiency of systems in the engineering department.

I am involved in the board meetings, and am coordinating the ESPO conference, which will take place next year in Cork.

I am also a safety representative and so much more.

How many hours do you work a week?

35.

Is your industry male or female-dominated?

Male.

Does this affect you in any particular way?

No.

Is your job stressful? Rate it on a scale of 1-10:

It varies, but on average 7.

Do you work with others or on your own?

I work on my own and as part of the team.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

I will work as long as I can. We need purpose to wake up every morning. I will invest more time to be physically in good shape and wish to keep my mind sharp.

Best bits:

Having an empowering boss and collaborative colleagues.

Worst bits:

Not sure, as I try to keep a positive attitude most of the time.

Advice to those who want your job?

Know your talents and strengths and follow them.

Any other comments?

We live every day and die only once, so make every day count.

Each week, we feature career profiles of women working in Cork in WoW!

If you would like to find out how to feature, email mary.cororan@theecho.ie.