Interview

Interviewing Patrick de Potter, former Health & Safety manager of Tesla’s European branch

By Alim Clinceanu HHS Student

From his work in the Netherlands Marine Corps to his work in developing Tesla within Europe, Patrick de Potter exemplifies the self-made professional in the safety and security field. His achievements and stories are numerous, making it sometimes difficult to envision how they could have occurred during the lifespan of only one person. Therefore, I feel privileged to have attended his courses, hosted by the Centuria Student Association, which gave me my first real look in the practical aspects of our course. It is undoubted that, for both me and the other participants, the time spent in Mr. de Potter’s presence numbers among the highlights of our time studying SSMS.

Besides serving as an introduction to the character that is Patrick de Potter, this interview also aims to raise awareness as to the courses he teaches within THUAS, which have real potential in strengthening an aspiring security professional’s CV, and are expected to resume once the Coronavirus restrictions are at least partially lifted. This interview is to be continued in a second part, which Mr. de Potter has agreed to, where we aim to gather questions from anyone interested to learn more, organizing something akin to a Q&A.

This short, but enlightening interview with Mr. de Potter is the first of its kind as part of an initiative by the newly expanded Centuria Writing Committee. In the future, we hope to bring you the experiences, knowledge and advice of more security professionals, as we expand our network.

Our deepest gratitude goes to Mr. de Potter for taking time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed and be part of this initiative.