A Day in the Life - Sandra Kovacevic
For Sandra, the mix of strategic thinking and hands-on work, a variety of projects, and a great team dynamic make her role worthwhile.
Sandra Kovacevic
Consultant, dss+
What does a typical day look like as a Consultant in the DACH team?
A day as a Consultant in the DACH team varies by project phase. I split my time between working from home focusing on presentations, documentation, and meetings and being on-site, collaborating with client leadership and colleagues on large projects.
What I love about my role is the mix of strategic thinking and hands-on work, the variety of projects, and the great team dynamic. Juggling multiple tasks and deadlines can be challenging, but it keeps things exciting and supports my professional growth.
Why did you choose a career in consulting?
I never specifically aimed at consulting. What really intrigued me was dss+ and its origins, knowing the high standards DuPont stands for. A career at dss+ sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. I wouldn't say I deliberately chose consulting, but I definitely chose to stay in it once I experienced the work and the impact we can make.
What do our values mean to you?
Our values of respect for people, health and safety, the highest ethical behavior, and environmental stewardship truly resonate with me. They match up perfectly with my personal beliefs and are essential in guiding our daily work. Although these values might seem straightforward or obvious, real-life situations often show us that they are not always upheld, which makes having such strong values even more critical. What I love most is that we truly live these values in our work, in the way we behave and communicate. They constantly remind us of the high standards we aim to uphold and the positive impact we strive to make.
Why did you join dss+?
As I hinted in my previous answer, a big part of why I joined dss+ was its heritage. Another major factor is definitely the purpose of dss+, which is to save lives by transforming culture. We aim to empower people to be the drivers and carriers of that change, whether it's in safety, sustainability, operations, or all of these areas combined. It's not about a one-size-fits-all solution, but about finding the perfect approach tailored to each client's specific needs and capacities. I love that we focus on ensuring their people are the drivers of this change, and not only us, consultants.
What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of every positive change and step forward I've witnessed or heard about from the work of my dss+ colleagues. I'm especially proud of those projects where there's some skepticism from leadership, thinking their people can't change because they've been working the same way for decades. Those transformations make me the most proud. In general, it might sound cliché, but knowing that we make an impact organization by organization, and that we contribute to making the world safer, is definitely something I'm honored to say I'm proud of.