Diversity
Published: June 25, 2018
Diversity
Published: June 25, 2018

Our Colleague Bart is a Hero Saving Dogs

Meet Bart Martens, our Technical Manager from Protective and Marine Coatings (PMC), who is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In his free time, he is a passionate photographer and carries out volunteer work that helps stray dogs to have a better life.

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In 1999, Bart started working at the local Uithoorn wall paint factory, in the processing department and then moved to the PMC laboratory in 2000. He is currently in the process of transferring from his current role as a Technical Manager in PMC, Middle East, to a Global Product Management role based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

As a Technical Manager, he directs the Field Service team, coordinates complaint handling and manages the local product portfolio. In his new Product Management role, he will focus on strategy and development plans.

He will be supporting Chemical Resistant (tank and pipe) coatings and Nuclear certified coatings in the PMC portfolio worldwide.

Hope for Strays Dogs

Bart is a keen photographer, he started photographing shelter animals eight years ago in the Netherlands. He now uses these skills to photograph dogs at a local Stray Dog Center in Umm Al Quwain.

Helping out at the dog shelter has certainly enriched my life! I now have lots of heartwarming stories to share and I have adopted a puppy, I could not resist!

The center houses about 120-150 rescue dogs at any given time. His photos are uploaded on their social media and he has helped the shelter increase its adoption rates. His beautiful images have also been used on the stray dog website and on adoption flyers.

The difference a professional portrait makes verses a quick phone snap can be quite dramatic.
 The area in which the shelter is built was donated to the charity by a local sheikh, however, everything else, from food to medical bills, are funded by volunteer activities.

Currently, the sun roof needs to be replaced, and the shelter is looking into a more permanent solution, including a solar powered ventilation system. Bart decided to do a two-day personal pet event to raise funds for the dog’s shelter. People paid to have their pets professionally photographed and all the proceeds helped pay for the outstanding medical bills at Umm Al Quwain.

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