Behind the Scenes with IT Specialist Pascal Leijten

26 June 2025

IT Specialist Pascal Leijten has been with Ritra Cargo since 1 July 2015, so he will soon be celebrating his 10-year work anniversary! He may be a few years older now, but he remains just as sporty and certainly no less enthusiastic about his work as when he first started. Pascal began in the Export Department, and has since progressed to the role of IT Specialist. What prompted this career shift, and what does his current role entail? Pascal is happy to explain what he loves most about numbers, ‘problem-solving’, and making everything fit together!

Introducing Pascal

Ritra’s IT Specialist Pascal Leijten was born and raised in Hoogvliet, a district within the municipality of Rotterdam. He lives just 100 metres from his childhood home, with his partner Marissa, their four-year-old son Sam, and their dog Milo. In the autumn, the Leijten family are looking forward to the arrival of a baby girl.

Pascal is a true family man. In addition to relaxing holidays with his family – ranging from camping in France with a tent to staying at a sunny, luxurious all-inclusive resort – he enjoys a beer with his “best mate”, his father, in their backyard. When his grandson Sam has tennis lessons, grandpa, along with other family members, loyally stands by the sidelines.

Describing Pascal as sporty would be an understatement. For example, he was one of Ritra’s participants in last year’s Harbour Run and played football from a young age at clubs in Rhoon and Poortugaal. After suffering several injuries, he had to hang up his football boots, but that certainly didn’t mark the end of his active lifestyle. His current challenge lies in competitive tennis at TV Zalmplaat and Friday evening padel games. If there’s any time left, he enjoys a bit of gaming.

Pascal, Marissa & Sam

Pascal’s Career So Far

After completing his studies at the STC, Pascal started his career at a forwarding agent. As an import clerk and Agent Coordinator (similar to inside sales), he gained extensive knowledge. He later moved to Dordrecht, working in the moving department of an international forwarding company. There, he gained skills in areas such as sales, and also ventured into the private market.

On 1 July 2015, he joined Ritra Cargo. Alongside colleagues Andre Kurpershoek and Peter van Herk, Pascal spent several years as part of the export team. After expressing a desire to develop further within the company, Ritra worked with him to figure out the best way to make that happen. A career aptitude test provided the answer, showing that his interests and strengths lay in IT, sport, and logistics. Looking back, Pascal now understands this better:

 “What I was missing was ‘a bit of problem-solving’. Unlike many other people, I actually enjoy it when something is not quite right. Let me figure it out, make all the calculations, and make it work. I’ve always been interested in mathematics. By working with data in SQL and manipulating it the right way, you can ultimately create the whole picture you’re aiming for.”

A Day in IT

What does an average day look like for Pascal (and his colleague Theo Kock)? Our IT specialists begin the day by checking emails and going through open tickets (client-related queries). Maintenance is also a key part of their day. The division of roles is clear: Theo is the more analytical of the two, and prefers to document processes, while Pascal, with his operational experience, has a better feel for the work itself and can assess how to make it easier in practice.

Since the launch of APEX, which supports the Ritra application and in which all colleagues are (or will be) working, questions have been coming in about all the features and options.

Pascal: “Although we’ve been working on it for two years, questions are only now starting to come in since the launch. After all, the rest of the team is only just starting to use it.

But their value extends beyond just internal matters. They are also involved in meeting new client needs and developing software solutions in supply chain management, such as TRACOS, which plays a significant role in both the front end and back end.

Pascal: “When you’ve built something, it’s really rewarding to see it later and know it’s being used as intended. However, it’s important to proceed with caution: even adding just one small field can bring everything to a halt.”

Once a year, the pair attend the ‘APEX outing’ – the APEX World event. They attend around 4 to 5 sessions each day for two days, learning about the latest developments and networking with industry peers. After (nearly) ten years of service, we don’t need to ask if Pascal has found his rhythm. However, he already has plans for the near future.

Pascal: “AI, the next project in many areas.  Of course, we’re fully engaged with this at Ritra as well. Right now, we’re developing it for reading invoices and packing lists, but in the future, it will evolve to have a much larger role. I’m looking forward to it!”

Would you like to find out more about Team Ritra?

A big thank you to Pascal for his openness! If you’re curious about other personal stories from Team Ritra, check out our News page, Who are we? or our Team page!

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