Noor Rustam, Senior Logistics Specialist

“I go by the rule of nothing is impossible, there is always a way.”

A “can do” and solution-focused approach characterizes Noor Rustam, as she’s progressed on her development journey from administrative secretary to a senior logistics role within Linxon. She’s proud to work for a company that not only nurtures a culture of growth, but cares about the person behind the role.

“I like to live by the concept of you never actually stop learning,” Noor underlines, adding that development isn’t confined to certificates and education. “In my opinion, life events and the people around us are a bigger contributing factor. Surrounded by the right people – family, friends, colleagues, managers – you become a stronger individual. I am highly driven by the desire to grow professionally, and I go by the rule of nothing is impossible, there is always a way.” This desire for growth and embracing new experiences has shaped Noor’s career. She always considered herself a numbers person and thought she was destined for a financial role. However, the opportunity arose to support the Supply Chain Management (SCM) team at Linxon UK in 2021 and now she’s convinced that her future lies in logistics. As she says, “I have found a good match for my love of numbers and my passion to always be active in the job.”

Testing resourcefulness to the limit in a pandemic

“My top tip is to always be open to change as this is how you achieve growth,” Noor continues, and this was her outlook when she joined the company back in October 2018 (when her unit was still ABB). “I had never worked in this industry before and it turned out to be the best decision I made,” she says.

After 8 months in her initial administrative role, she became Logistics Officer in the Bahrain branch, contributing to the on-time, on-budget delivery of gas-insulated switchgear and related equipment for 8 substations within Linxon’s 4 projects in Bahrain. When Covid-19 hit, her resourcefulness was required more than ever. “We had to find alternative delivery solutions as lots of cancellations were unavoidable,” she recalls. “But with strong team work, we made it happen!”

The sky’s the limit

Cooperation is the name of the game in her current role, in which she handles multiple shipments for multiple projects in different countries of the MEA region. As an intermediary between project managers, the SCM team, Finance, freight forwarders and suppliers, she arranges delivery dates and other requirements between all parties and makes sure that all customs-related payments are made upon delivery. This all has to be done without delays – as in logistics, she says, “crucially, time is money and on-time deliveries contribute to on-time substation energizations.”

As if this wasn’t enough, Noor is also the marketing communications point of contact for her unit and she has set her sights on expanding her role in the future. “I feel I’m in the right place and aim to lead a team of logisticians one day. The sky’s the limit!”

People come first

As well as offering challenging roles and the chance to progress, Linxon also supports its employees’ wellbeing and mental health. “I am proud to work for a company that not only cares about the output of an employee, but also genuinely about their wellbeing and development – and I think that’s honestly rare to find,” Noor says.

She appreciates the support given by the Linxon team and overall culture – as well as the opportunity for development, whether via training, getting certified or advancing on the job. “I believe the most important point in a job is the culture – it can either drive you to thrive or put you down to fail. With the correct support, anything and everything can be achieved,” she concludes.