Marlous Kottenhagen (26)
Data engineer at BigMile, joined October 2021
What do you do at BigMile?
‘As a data engineer I am part of the backend team that works on the foundation of the software. Recently, for example, I have worked on the new routing functionality that has been added to the BigMile Emission API.’
What do you like about your work at BigMile?
‘This is my first job after graduating. I specifically wanted to work at a company that is not that big. I really like it that everybody knows each other and the informal working atmosphere. Dyon, our CEO, also walks in from time to time. On top of that, I really like the nature of the work that we do. That we create tools that help to reduce the carbon footprint of companies.’
How often do you go to the office and what is the first thing you do when you get there?
‘Currently, I go to the office about once a week. I like working hybrid. It is such a relief when you do not have to take a full day off when for example your dishwasher is broken, and someone comes to fix it. Soon BigMile is planning to relocate and once we do, I plan go to the office more often.’
If you had to teach someone else something, what would it be?
‘My in-laws got me into cooking. Since I like Italian food very much, I started learning how to make my own pizzas and I would share this knowledge. How to let the dough rise for 24 hours and how to roll out. Simple toppings are the best. My boyfriend’s brother once came up with the idea to use kimchi as a topping. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish whose components can vary but usually include some combination of vegetables, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, salt, and fish sauce. The mix is pickled and fermented. This pizza was not a big success; it tasted rather salty.’
What superpower would you like to have?
‘Being able to fly – preferably fast, would seem awesome. I would fly south like the birds, or go to Italy to get my morning coffee, fly above mountains to see what they look like from above or fly above cities in the evening to look at the pretty lights. Never being in a traffic jam also seems a great advantage. In real life, I avoid flying in a plane whenever I can. When my boyfriend and I went to London recently, we took the train although it is not cheap.’
