Producing ISIC’s high-quality products requires professional sourcing of a wide range of specialized components. Fortunately, the woman leading this task brings both passion and expertise in niche industries. Katerina Hougaard, our Head of Sourcing, works in close collaboration with suppliers, production, sales and R&D. Together with her dedicated team, they ensure that ISIC has the necessary components to maintain production. Her role demands a broad overview and strong coordination across multiple departments, and with her extensive experience, Katerina handles these responsibilities with confidence. Having been with ISIC for over a year, she already shares: “We have suppliers whom we consider almost like family.” This close relationship with suppliers, that Katerina and her team has established, plays a vital role in sourcing the right parts for ISIC’s products.
She explains the responsibilities of her role and the entire sourcing department, saying: “Our job involves finding the right components at the right prices and the right quality, so we can support our production and deliver great products.” Her top priority is ensuring that the right parts are always available, allowing production to run efficiently and enabling us to consistently meet customer demands. Several of these components are custom-made for ISIC’s products, designed in close collaboration with our suppliers and our R&D department. As Katerina explains: “Therefore, our suppliers must have the right skills, machinery, certifications, capacity etc." She underscores the significance of partnering with experienced and trusted suppliers, as ISIC’s products must consistently meet high standards, certifications, and quality requirements.
In addition to leading supplier relationships, Katerina is also involved in projects focused on category management, where she implements strategies to improve sourcing processes. She emphasises how these approaches provide a better overview of suppliers and optimise collaborations, making them more cost-efficient without compromising on quality. She makes it clear that at ISIC, we never compromise on quality.
One thing to note about Katerina is her wealth of experience and broad knowledge across various fields. Katerina’s journey to becoming Head of Sourcing reflects her diverse educational and professional background. With a bachelor’s degree in building construction and a degree in marketing economics, she built a strong foundation of skills. Her previous job experiences sparked a passion for sourcing, inspiring her to focus her career in this field. She still finds her education highly valuable in her current work, explaining:
“Although my career took a different path, I use a lot from both my educational backgrounds. For example, the technical aspects from my bachelor’s in building construction help me read and understand technical drawings, and that has been a huge advantage for me.”
As she gained experience through various roles, it became clear that sourcing was what motivated her the most - especially sourcing in niche industries, where the components often need to be custom-made, certified, or crafted from specific materials. Her natural curiosity is one of her strengths, enabling her to collaborate effectively with different industries.
“I enjoy working with suppliers because you learn so much about different industries. Take glass, for example. It’s not just glass, there’s so much more to it. It’s incredible. It’s a whole science, and that’s what I really love.”
In her role, she works closely together with the R&D department to review various parts and explore alternative options to enhance cost efficiency, suitability and production flow. She particularly emphasises the excellent teamwork at ISIC, highlighting the weekly meetings between departments where collaboration and consultation are key values she cherishes among her colleagues.
The sourcing team is a smaller unit, which is something Katerina appreciates, as they have established a very close and efficient teamwork environment. She speaks highly of the people in her department, emphasising their support for one another and their mutual learning, while also highlighting their extensive experience and competence. It is her first experience in a leadership role. She is excited about the opportunity and expresses how much she thrives in this position, noting that it is something she genuinely enjoys.
Katerina is clearly very passionate, and it is particularly her interest in the marine industry and her collaborative approach with colleagues that drives her work. With her expertise and authentic, humorous personality, she has cultivated strong relationships with partners and colleagues that are invaluable to ISIC and crucial for maintaining smooth production processes. Every day, Katerina ensures that our production team has the right parts to manufacture our hardware solutions for customers. Delivering reliable hardware that meets our customers' demands on time is always our top priority at ISIC, and Katerina plays an important role in making this possible.