Padel connects colleagues at MULTI.engineering

What is your position at MULTI.engineering?

Danie: “I’m officially a student at Ghent University. Currently, I am pursuing a doctorate in engineering with the help of MULTI.engineering. They are providing valuable resources and expertise for my PhD. So, in essence, I am enrolled at a university, but the practical work and project focus are in the maritime & offshore unit of MULTI.engineering. That is where my main occupation lies right now.”

Juan: "I work as a Sales and Project Engineer at MULTI.engineering, where my role involves close collaboration with the business development team within the maritime and offshore unit. From an engineering perspective, I focus primarily on tender projects for new builds, including ships, offshore vessels, and dredgers. I enjoy capitalizing on new project opportunities while meeting the technical requirements.”

How and when did you meet each other?

Juan: “Danie and I met at the office. We work together in the same team.”

Danie: “When I found out that Juan also plays padel, I was really excited. At that time, I was already very interested in playing padel. From that moment on, we started practising together and taking it more seriously. We always have a lot of fun on the court.”

How often do you play padel together?

Danie: “We try to meet regularly, and I would say, once a week is the general routine.”

Juan: “Exactly. It is fun to keep improving ourselves, it really helps us to keep pushing forward.”

Do you compete in tournaments? How many matches did you win?

Juan: “Yes, we do compete in tournaments and we won one at the beginning of the year. We have played a lot of matches together. In addition, we played together in our club’s inter-club team, which is part of the padel league between clubs.”

Danie: “In total, we have won approximately fifty matches together. I guess it is quite an impressive number. We have definitely worked hard for it.”

What makes padel so enjoyable for you?

Juan: “I think it is the competition. We make a nice team and we understand each other on the court. We already played tournaments together and we can keep going up in the ranking.”

Danie: “For me, it is a very nice social activity as well. On the court, you are always interacting with the other players. It is very fun to meet new people. I am also interested in the sports competition. So, it was a natural thing for me to take it more seriously and make it one of my hobbies.”

Does padel contribute to a good work culture?

Danie: “Yes, I think it definitely does. It encourages more interaction between colleagues. It is not just about work, it is a social activity. So, you are engaging with people in a different environment. Everyone is more relaxed and you can have fun together outside the office. It builds stronger relationships between colleagues.”

Juan: “Indeed. As Danie mentioned, it really helps with collaboration and having a more personal connection with colleagues.”

How do you get other colleagues excited about playing padel?

Juan: “Our colleagues know that we play quite often. Some ask us to play together or join the club.”

Danie: “One of the biggest events we yearly have at MULTI.engineering, is the padel tournament. It is organised for all the colleagues, no matter what level they are. It is a really fun event and we are happy to join the tournament and enjoy ourselves.”

Do you have future plans regarding padel?

Danie: “For me, it is all about getting better. I want to play a lot, I prefer to play weekly and compete in tournaments now and then.”

Juan: “I am also focused on improving my skills. Hopefully, we can involve more companies in the region and organize a joint padel tournament. It would be great to bring more people together.”