Dean Clark
Joined Infineum in 2000
I joined Infineum in 2000, initially in a six-week post as a contractor working as a Supervisor in the technology centre, with the intention of it being a stepping stone to getting a full time job with an IT company.
Within the first couple of weeks I met a lot of interesting people from different cultures and countries and realised I was working for a truly global business.
A year later I was still here and was offered the role of Testing Services Supervisor. This primarily involved a lot of interaction with third party test sites and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then in 2003 I took up a Supply Chain Leader role for Europe and Asia Pacific. It was a customer focused and collaborative position, still based in Milton Hill but with travelling required and it was another great experience.
In 2006 another opportunity arose and I was appointed as Sales Account Manager (EMEA) for the fuels and lubricants business. This showed an enormous amount of faith in me because these two parts of the business are often kept separate.
Having been in the sales team for around three years, Infineum felt it would be beneficial for me to expand my knowledge in the supply area to broaden my outlook on the business.
So I became Supply Demand Planning Leader, looking after a remote set of demand planners scattered around the world. It was a really interesting time and I learned a lot about supply and long term strategic planning.
Around 18 months later I was offered the role of Specialities Global Market Manager, which was my first ever specialist marketing role. I must have circled the globe two and a half times over and I loved everything about the job.
But in 2013 the position was broken up and assigned to various portfolio managers. So after a handover I was assigned a new position at the start of 2014 as Technology Services Leader, looking after the R&D operational aspects of the business at Milton Hill.
After two years I was promoted to Global Technology Services Manager with responsibility for all five business and technology centres (R & D Operations) across Infineum.
In 2018 I moved to the position of Marketing Advisor, Fuels.
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Year
Position
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Information Centre Supervisor
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Testing Services Supervisor
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Supply Chain Leader (Europe and Asia Pacific)
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Sales Account Manager (EMEA)
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Supply Demand Planning Leader
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Specialities Global Market Manager
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Technology Services Leader
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Global Technology Services Leader
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Marketing Advisor, Fuels
Typical day at Infineum
There isn’t a typical day in my experience, which is one of the things I love most!
What’s the best thing about working at Infineum?
Autonomy. This is without doubt what has kept me at Infineum for 16 years - being in control of my own destiny. You have flexibility to do the job the way you think it should be done and the way you want it to be done.
Also the fact that you’re given the opportunity to showcase your skills beyond the original job you were hired for and are actively encouraged to progress and explore new things.
Describe the culture at Infineum
There is a strong cultural identity with people from across the world working here and staff are encouraged to talk to each other openly - almost at a peer-to-peer level.
What’s been your career highlight at Infineum?
I absolutely loved my time as Specialities Global Market Manager. I got to meet and work with so many different people across the world and at times felt like I was the luckiest guy alive!
What piece of advice would you give to someone interested in joining Infineum?
Keep an open mind about your career direction and be willing to contribute to driving it and yourself forward. Also be willing to take a risk and step outside of your comfort zone.
