Richard van der Veen is a socially active soccer-fanatic and a team player. When it comes to communicating with people, Richard likes to help colleagues by listening, coaching and motivating them. He gets energized leading others and is a driven organizer who lives for to-do lists. Let’s hear more from him.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Richard van der Veen and I’m 50 years old. I was born in Amsterdam where I also grew up. Today I live in Oostzaan with my wife and son. My son and I are both passionate about soccer, we love to watch and play it. I used to be team-captain on the soccer-team and organized activities like an indoor soccer competition at my former workplace. That was a fun way to get to know each other. I like to be around people and good communication is essential when interacting and playing together with your team. You have to make quick decisions, motivate one another and enhance leadership for better relationships. I like to take charge of situations and guide a group towards a common goal.
What did you do, prior to this?
I got a degree in Banking, Finance and Insurance and always wanted to be an equity trader. I did get to work as an option trader for ABN AMRO bank for several years, but due to automation, lots of those jobs were made redundant. With the help of a career coach, I investigated other skills and interests of mine and switched to Project Management roles. Since then, I have worked in many different industries: from logistics to the pharmaceuticals, and for the past few years I have been working with Microsoft software.
What will you be doing at Appsolutely joins Valtech?
I have to say I am excited that I will be working as a Project Manager for Appsolutely joins Valtech! I will be responsible for guiding the teams towards the implementation of Salesforce applications and other Salesforce products. This will be for the bigger projects and maybe for international rollouts as well.
Why did you choose Appsolutely joins Valtech?
I was contacted via a recruitment team for this job. At first I was a bit reluctant, as I know Salesforce but have never worked with the software before. But during the interviews I came to realize that we had a lot of shared values. We had a common attitude towards project management and other topics, concerning the work and the people. We kept on talking for quite some time at the end of my interview. Having these shared values meant that I felt a genuine connection with the people I talked to. We both have the same high standards and can support each other in this. Connecting people is what drives and motivates me. That’s why I ultimately chose to work here.
What challenges and goals do you see for yourself?
In every big project, communication is key. But also, managing expectations. To me it’s important that our customers get what they ask for. That they can take me at my word and the promises I make. I want to build a good relationship and a long-term partnership with my customers. I want to inspire them but also my team. Lead change and set goals that align with the vision of Appsolutely joins Valtech. I don’t like doing something just for the purpose of doing it. I hope that what I will be doing has never been done before and resonates with my team members. Speaking of which. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone. I like to connect and get to know them in depth, learn more about the organization and who is responsible for each task. I hope I can find my way quickly within the company, create my own network and hopefully soon, everyone will know where to find me too.
What are your interests, outside of work?
My wife and I really like to travel. We love going on summer holidays and European city trips, but we also like to travel outside of Europe. Every year we try to go on a skiing trip as well. I like skiing but my wife is crazy about it and very good, I might add. Even my son is better than me but I’m getting there. Mostly the variety of holidays and seeing different parts of the world is what attracts me the most. But I also enjoy having dinner or a party with friends and family.
What are your expectations from this job?
I think it’s important to embrace change, not only for the customer but also for ourselves. We need to think critically and keep asking ourselves: are we doing the right thing? For our customers and our products. Is it fitting for the time we live in, or do we need to make some changes? The world is constantly changing, and we need to be on top of those changes. Don’t sit down and wait. We need to grow and adapt quickly. I think that is what makes a company great, and I am positive that Appsolutely joins Valtech shares those values too.
Are you curious to see if we have a perfect opportunity for you too? Check our vacancy page for open positions and have a look at the latest developments at Appsolutely joins Valtech.
