Elisabeth Schoppmann is just as structured in her garden as she is in her work as a project manager for HPC. She thinks about which flowers or grasses she could use to shape individual areas and then implements the project. “I really enjoy the prospect of creating blossoming landscapes and reaping the fruits of my labour,” she says happily.

At HPC, her focus is on port consulting and strategy. The transport economist prepares market studies and financial analyses within the scope of master plans for ports all over the world – whether in Angola, Colombia, or Turkey. “For example, I analyse the ports’ commercial potential – which goods can be handled there and for which customers that would be relevant,” she explains.

Elisabeth joined HPC in 2013, and she has been involved in the development of major projects from the very beginning. These projects involve a high volume of investment. “That’s why it’s so important to work precisely,” emphasises the native Franconian. “We have a great deal of responsibility, and our work often affects the development of entire regions.”

"For Elisabeth Schoppmann, who holds a doctorate in economics, the successful privatisation of the Greek ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki was noteworthy: she was involved with the project for five years as part of a consulting consortium. “In Greece’s situation at the time of the financial crisis, it was important for the society and the country to see substantial profits – and we managed to achieve that.” Piraeus has since blossomed into the largest container port on the Mediterranean.

A project on the Black Sea coast of Georgia changed Elisabeth’s private life substantially. While providing technical and financial advice for the new deepwater port in Anaklia, she met her husband in the HPC team. As a result of their flexible working hours, the consultants can manage family life with their young daughter so well that Elisabeth Schoppmann moved up a career level in early 2022: “As a project leader, I am responsible for the quality of the work and for exchanges with customers and project partners.”

After just a short time in this position, she has already gained an insight: whether in project work or gardening, the important thing is not just the blossoming landscapes but the daily encounters with the unexpected. Flexibility, strong nerves, and perseverance are her most important tools.