I am a Dutch national with a Finance, IT, and Business Development background. I have worked as a co-owner, as an employee, as a management consultant, and on contract. Indirect reports varied from a handful to 1200 plus. I have worked in Australia, India and Europe across a wide range of sectors such as Oil & Gas, EPC, Banking, Insurance, and Tourism. Some of them with Blue Chip companies like ING Bank and Shell. At the end of the day, the involvement and commitment of the people I work with matters. The tone at the top is crucial and its value often underestimated.
Although my core background is Finance, I enjoy working with IT. For me transparency and agility are of essence. I am therefore a fervent user of Open Source software. A lowering of cost is a pleasant side effect. If not going off for a ride on my racing bike or reading a book, you often may find me behind my Linux laptop exploring the latest open source technologies (like for building this website).
I am in the unusual situation of holding an OCI card (no work and visa restrictions) for India. This makes me an ideal candidate to expand a company’s presence in India. I would not look at exporting your problems but on creating agility and innovation. Why would that be a good idea? Because India has a very young population, it has many engineers, they speak English, and its affordable to try out innovative ideas.
I am trained as a zoologist (B.Sc.) in Sydney, a Financial Controller in Amsterdam, and an Information Security auditor (CISA) in cyberspace. I am an independent director and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Directors. It’s a multi disciplinary background but perhaps not as unrelated as you may think.
The cross cultural training courses I gave is all about animal behaviour: why do we do the things we do?
Cooperation and competition exist in both nature and socio-economic systems. It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change. Learning and personal growth is at the heart of an organization or individual’s ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. The key question is “does our rate of internal growth exceed the rate of external change?”
Education
- Building a Global Enterprise in India – Harvard Business School (2011)
- Managing Partnerships and Strategic Alliances – INSEAD, Paris, France (2010)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor – ISACA (2007)
- Master of Financial Control – Amsterdam Business School, The Netherlands (2004-2006)
- Bachelor of Science (Zoology) – University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (1982-1985)
- Teacher Training Institute – d’ Witte Leli, Amsterdam (1978-79)