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From Nurse to Reliability Leader: The Journey of Vanda Franco
The lubricants industry is full of fascinating stories, but few are quite as unique as the journey
of Vanda Franco. Originally aspiring to become a nurse, Vanda’s career has taken her from marine chemistry and pharmaceutical manufacturing to petrochemicals, lubrication, machine reliability, and ultimately becoming a respected voice within the global reliability community.
In this episode of Beyond the Blend, Vanda shares lessons on learning, resilience, adaptability, and why listening to machines may be one of the most important skills in modern industry.
An Unconventional Career Journey
Many people assume successful careers follow a carefully planned route. Vanda’s story proves otherwise. Her original ambition was to become a nurse, but university entry requirements led her towards chemistry instead. What followed was a series of opportunities that continually expanded her knowledge and experience. From studying marine chemistry and conducting research projects to working in pharmaceutical manufacturing and petrochemical operations, each role built upon the last. Rather than seeing career changes as setbacks, Vanda embraced them as opportunities to learn something new. Her story highlights how adaptability often creates opportunities that a rigid career plan may never reveal.
A Lifelong Commitment to Learning
One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is Vanda’s passion for learning.
Interestingly, she does not describe it as a strategy or a deliberate habit. For her, learning is simply a natural part of everyday life. Reading, researching, observing, asking questions, and understanding new environments became a consistent thread throughout her career. Whether working in marine science, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, or lubrication, she approached each opportunity with curiosity. Her philosophy of ‘wearing the t-shirt where you are’ reflects a commitment to fully investing herself in whatever role she holds. That mindset has enabled her to continually evolve professionally.
The Power of Practical Experience
Education provided the foundation, but practical experience accelerated Vanda’s growth.
Throughout her career, she sought opportunities to see how theory translates into reality. In pharmaceutical manufacturing she learned not only about laboratory testing but also production processes, packaging, stability, and quality control. In petrochemicals she participated in laboratory commissioning, equipment calibration, and workforce development. This exposure to multiple parts of the value chain helped her develop a broader understanding of how businesses operate. It also reinforced the importance of combining technical knowledge with practical application, something she continues to advocate today.
Taking Risks and Creating Opportunities
Moving from Portugal to Qatar represented one of the biggest decisions of Vanda’s career. Rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity, she took proactive steps to create one. While working as a nursery teacher, she spent afternoons visiting companies and physically handing out CVs. In some cases, this approach led directly to interviews on the spot. Her experience serves as a reminder that persistence often matters as much as qualifications. Rather than relying solely on online applications, she found success through direct action, personal initiative, and a willingness to step outside her comfort zone.
Building a Career as a Woman in Industry
Working within industrial environments has not always been straightforward. When Vanda arrived in Qatar nearly a decade ago, there were significantly fewer women working in operational and plant-based roles. She often encountered assumptions that women were better suited to office environments than industrial sites. Rather than accepting those limitations, she consistently demonstrated her capability through action. She insisted on visiting sites, engaging directly with operations, and understanding problems firsthand. Over time, competence and commitment helped her earn credibility and respect. Today, she also
recognises positive changes as more women enter technical and operational roles across the region.
The Importance of Relationships and Trust
Technical expertise is important, but Vanda’s success has also been built on relationships.
Throughout the conversation, she speaks warmly about customers who have become trusted
professional partners. These relationships extend beyond technical discussions and often begin with conversations about family, wellbeing, and shared experiences. Trust is earned through consistency, responsiveness, and genuine care. Customers know that when they face challenges, Vanda will be available to help. That trust allows her to move beyond being a service provider and become a valued advisor who contributes to operational success.
Educating Rather Than Selling
Although her role has changed many times throughout her career, Vanda believes she has always remained an educator.
Whether teaching science to young children, training laboratory teams, or supporting industrial customers, her focus has consistently been on helping others understand. Within lubrication and reliability, this means translating technical information into practical recommendations. Rather than simply presenting laboratory data, she helps customers understand what the results mean and what actions they should take. This educational approach strengthens customer relationships and supports better decision-
making across organisations.
Listening to Machines
Perhaps the most memorable idea from the conversation is Vanda’s belief that machines and lubricants are constantly communicating with us. The challenge is whether we are listening. Oil analysis, vibration trends, temperature changes, and operating conditions all provide valuable information long before a major failure occurs. Too often, organisations focus only on alarms or critical limits while ignoring smaller changes in performance. Vanda encourages organisations to view machine condition monitoring as a conversation.
The earlier those signals are recognised and understood, the greater the opportunity to prevent failures and improve reliability.
Lubrication as a Strategic Asset
A common misconception is that lubricants are simply consumables. Vanda challenges this thinking directly. She believes lubricants should be viewed as assets that play a critical role in machine health and operational performance. Drawing comparisons with human health, she explains that we do not simply replace blood when something goes wrong. Instead, we monitor health indicators and take corrective action. The same principle applies to lubrication. By treating lubricants as valuable assets and monitoring their condition effectively, organisations can reduce failures, extend equipment life, and improve reliability
outcomes.
Looking Ahead
While technology, sustainability goals, and industrial priorities continue to evolve, Vanda remains confident about the future of lubrication and reliability. Machines will always require lubrication, monitoring, and maintenance. The challenge is helping organisations operate more efficiently, safely, and sustainably. For Vanda, the future is not about replacing reliability practices but improving them. Better monitoring, better education, and better decision-making will continue to create opportunities for those committed to keeping machines running effectively.
Summary
Vanda Franco’s journey is a powerful reminder that careers are rarely linear. From aspiring nurse to respected reliability professional, her success has been built on curiosity, adaptability, continuous learning, and a willingness to embrace opportunity. Along the way, she has become a trusted advisor, educator, and advocate for better machine health practices.
Her story demonstrates that technical expertise is important, but resilience, commitment, and
a genuine desire to help others are equally valuable.
Subscribe to Beyond the Blend
Beyond the Blend shines a light on the people behind the lubricant industry. Through honest conversations and personal stories, the podcast explores the journeys, experiences, and insights that shape our sector. If you enjoyed Vanda’s story, subscribe to Beyond the Blend and join us for future conversations with the people helping move the lubricant market forward.
