What’s your life philosophy?
In the end, everything will work out for the best.
What’s your most prized possession?
I’d prefer not to refer to them as ‘possessions’, but my two children are the most important ‘things’ in the world to me.
Your favourite gadget?
My phone. It’s used as a diary, navigation tool, digital photo frame, connection to the world and much more. It’s even capable of making phone calls!
Early bird or night owl?
Definitely an early bird.
Describe yourself in one sentence.
An open and spontaneous person who loves to laugh every day.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Shopping… online or offline.
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist: there are no problems, just challenges. And for every challenge there is a solution.
Your favourite place to visit in the Netherlands and why?
That really depends on the goal of the trip. For shopping I love to visit ‘s-Hertogenbosch (southern Netherlands), but for a day of leisure, the Efteling theme park in Kaatsheuvel is perfect. And for a short holiday I like Texel, also called the ‘Ibiza’ of the Netherlands.
What secret skill do you possess?
Manipulation. I don’t know if you can really call it a skill, but it is useful sometimes.
What do you do in your spare time?
Shopping goes without saying, but also having a lot of fun with my children, friends and family, as well as cooking and doing different kinds of voluntary work.
What word do you use the most?
A Dutch word – dus. It translates into ‘therefore’.
What would you be a patron saint of?
Something to do with voluntary work. I am the chairman of an organisation that organises activity weeks for children. I also do other voluntary work.
What are you particularly good at?
I think I’m good at explaining information in a way that people can understand. That’s the goal of marketing.
What makes you happy?
Being with friends and family.
Favourite author?
US novelist David Baldacci.
Career
Describe your current job.
SOFEA Marketing and Communication Specialist. In this role I am responsible for all the marketing activities around the SOFEA rating system for sustainable office products.
Because of the ‘go live’ date at the end of 2017, there is a lot of work to do in the reseller, manufacturer and customer communities to create awareness around SOFEA.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
I would like to see more sustainable office products and make customers aware of their environmental impact.
If you weren’t doing your present job, what would you like to be doing?
I really love organising events. While this is part of my current job already, I would also like to plan things such as big fairs or festivals.
Your best piece of advice to someone who has just joined the OP industry?
Take your time to explore this complex market.
The best moment in your career?
There’s no particular moment. Instead, there are a lot of different ones, most involving the people I was working with at the time which made them special.
