About me
With about 25 years of working experience, I help marketing and sales leaders turn their strategies into action and results.
Before becoming an independent consultant, I worked at Capgemini Consulting and a boutique strategy execution company, where I developed deep expertise in strategy execution, and prior to that in marketing and sales at amongst others Dell, where I honed my commercial acumen.
I bring a critical and challenging approach to strategic content, elevating strategic thinking while maintaining an informal, engaging and pragmatic process. This ensures strategies are well-substantiated, feasible and owned by everyone involved. Additionally, this develops the strategic leadership skills of all participants and makes strategy more fun and energising.
I live in Amsterdam with my wife and three children, in a home we built ourselves. Outside of work, I recharge by spending time with family and friends and enjoying sports like running and ice-skating.
Professional education
I studied business administration (MSc) at the University of Groningen, including coursework at Stanford University (Ericsson scholarship) and UCLA (exchange program). This education has given me a holistic view of organisations. My master's thesis on radical innovation was published as a book by Pearson Education when I was 26, making me one of their youngest management authors.
During my tenure at Capgemini Consulting and a strategy execution boutique firm, I participated in various internal training programs focused on generic consulting &, facilitation skills, strategy execution, and Commercial Excellence. At Dell I participated in various internal training programs related to account and sales management. It provided me with proven and practical frameworks that I still build on today. For the Commercial Excellence part that culminated in my book "More sales, same people".
Beyond these in-house programs, I have completed several methodological trainings, including Lean Black Belt (UPD), Scrum Master (Jeff Sutherland), Scaling Agile Foundations (Prowareness), and Sustainable Business Strategy (Harvard Business School). I stay updated on new methodologies and selectively apply what is most relevant to my clients.
I have learned that at the end of the day it's not organisations that make strategy work but the very people who work at these organisations. To this end, I have pursued various people and collaboration trainings such as Systemic Consultancy (Bert Hellinger Institute), Change Management for Professionals (de Galan & Voigt), Visual Meetings (Business Models Inc), Introduction to Psychology (School of Life), and Group Dynamics (IOD). I elaborate on my approach to putting people at the heart of strategy in my book, "The Execution Advantage."