Faces of TLF - Sharon

Meet Sharon, a Senior Business Consultant and Team Manager in our Dutch office.

Introduce yourself: Who are you and what do you do within TLF?
I’m Sharon Ma, a senior business consultant at TLF. I work with customers from all over the world to improve their planning and operations, mainly in supply chain, logistics, and workforce areas. I help identify problems and opportunities and turn them into practical solutions. At the same time, I also work as a team manager.

What do you like about your particular role?

1. Every day brings new challenges. I work with customers from different industries, and each company has its own unique problems to solve, so the work never gets boring.
2. I like that I get to see how different industries work in real life — such as metals, protein (meat), airports, and automotive. It’s very interesting to understand their production processes and think about how we can improve them. I’m constantly learning something new, which makes the job very rewarding.
3. I really enjoy the opportunity to travel as well. Visiting customers in different countries allows me to experience new cultures, meet new people, also try different foods, which is a lot of fun and a great part of the job as well!

What’s your favorite part about working for TLF overall, please explain.
I’ve been working at TLF for almost 10 years, and it’s been a place where I’ve learned and grown a lot. I joined as a fresh graduate and developed into an experienced consultant thanks to the many opportunities and support I received along the way.

TLF has helped me grow not only professionally as a consultant, but also personally outside of work. The trust, guidance, and chances to take on new challenges have played a great part in shaping who I am today.

Who are you outside of TLF? Family/ friends, etc. How would they describe you?
Outside of TLF, I’m a Guzheng (Chinese zither) player and instructor, and many people call me “Teacher Ma.” I teach students of all ages, from young children around 4 or 5 years old to adults over 70.

It’s always inspiring and touching to see people pursue a hobby they truly enjoy, regardless of their age, talent, or anything. Their passion and dedication motivate me just as much as I encourage them.

What do you like to do for fun/hobbies?
I have great passion for many things, especially music. Guzheng is one of my main interests, but I also enjoy exploring other musical instruments. I have a long list of instruments I’d like to try, such as Guqin (another type of Chinese harp), Yangqin (kind of a Chinese hammered dulcimer), drum kits, large Asian drums, and some unusual instruments like rain sticks and shell rattles. I also enjoy collecting different instruments of the same type to experience and compare their unique sounds.

Beyond music, I’ve recently started practicing calligraphy and learning chess as new hobbies. I also enjoy drawing and dancing, and I practiced sword in the past, although I’m not actively doing these at the moment.

Any fun hidden talent or skillsets?
Oh yeah, sometimes I join the dragon dance performances as well, mostly during the Lunar New Year.

A message to all?
Enjoy life, enjoy work, and enjoy every moment. 😊