’t Komt Allemaal Goed – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright. Do you feel the same way?

“Surely, that became clear during my studies. I was 16 and started my studies during the coronavirus period. That did not start very well and my graduation project was also a struggle, but I did complete it all within four years’ time”.

Which was not really necessary, I mean, you were 16 when you started studying?

“I intended to take a gap year, but that was impossible due to the coronavirus. I then started to take a look at study programmes. I visited the open day of BUas for Hotel Management, and there I saw that Facility Management was also an option, which directly appealed to me”.

Where did that idea of the Hotelschool come from?

“I did a social work placement at a hotel in secondary school. That’s how I got interested. But things went differently. At BUas, I got in touch with Wil Gooskens from Facility Management, who also supervised all my work placements and graduation project more or less”.

He is retiring soon, did you know? What did Wil mean to you? I’ve just heard you say you were ‘struggling’ during your graduation project?

“I suffered from procrastination; was mainly engaged in organising the InterSib, the intro week for new students. So I had put hardly anything on paper for the first deadline. Wil was flexible; just shoot me any text, he said, and then we’re going to talk about it. And when you were talking to Wil, it was going to be alright. Have you thought of... and then he came up with something else that I could use. Wil has done so much in the Facility field. He has a wealth of knowledge and was always able to help you further”.

And you were meanwhile busy with the InterSib, and you were a member of ‘t KAG?

“After almost two years of having online classes I was happy I could do such things! I did not really have an InterSib myself. I only knew my classmates from the screen. Three boys and the rest were girls; we called ourselves the three musketeers”. 

How did that musketeer join ‘t KAG?

“The second-year manager who supervised me in the production kitchen of Sibelicious was a member of ‘t KAG. When I heard about it, I immediately signed up. I got to know so many new people as a result”!

And do you still see them? Now that you have graduated?

“Now we have ‘t BAG – ‘t Blijft Allemaal Goed (Everything’s Gonna Remain Alright). We come together at least once a year, and then we do something interesting together. Special Beer parties, inspiration sessions, all this with former members of ‘t KAG”.

You were chair of ‘t KAG for quite some time. What did it bring you?

“A student room! Just joking. I had put myself forward as a candidate and felt I should move into  student accommodation. And I succeeded in finding a room, precisely on the day I was elected chair. My landlord is a former member of ‘t KAG. But OK, what did it bring me? It is actually a kind of business that you run together, and being on the board with friends is quite a challenge. So yes, I learned a lot. And what I’ve just said, I made many friends as a result of it. I’m leaving for Australia on Friday to visit a KAG friend”.

Still active for ’t KAG or BUas?

“I’m still on the audit committee of this student association. And I’m still in touch with Jack Maas. I arranged a bit of sponsorship for the InterSib last August. I already knew that I would start a traineeship at ISS, so I immediately fixed 50 water bottles”.

That’s very brave of you. But ISS already knew you, right? You did your work placement there?

“That’s right, at Amgen in Breda. The key account manager of ISS that supervised me did a traineeship herself five years ago, and she told me that it would be something for me too. By the way, she was also a BUas student, of Hotel, Maxime de Lange”.

Talking about this traineeship, how does that actually work? How do you get in there?

“The application procedure is quite an intense process. We started with 40 people and after a few tough selection rounds with all kinds of assessments, just a few of us went to the ISS headquarters in Copenhagen for the last round. There I was, a 20-year-old kid, in front of the entire management team. However, I was picked out and was one of two candidates chosen to begin as a Global Management Trainee”.

And what do you do as a trainee?

“It’s an accelerated programme to eventually become Site Manager at one of ISS’s customer locations. You may see it as a mini-career in which you go through several steps. In the first tour, as we call it, you start working operationally. I worked at the Detention Centre in Rotterdam, a public-private environment, for three months; very different from a commercial business. I was just one of the cleaners. When you are going to be a manager, you need to know business operations, that’s the approach”.

So, with your feet firmly planted in the clay.

“Exactly! Super instructive. In the second tour you’re taking on a coordinating role. The role of Site Manager. I did so at two locations. At DAF in Eindhoven, one of the longest-term contracts of ISS, and with a new customer, a company in chemical technology. Two extremes, I’d say. I wanted that myself, especially because I find the experience with a new customer very valuable”.

A full programme, 18 months, right?

“That’s right. I’m now almost at the final stage, in which you gain experience as a Key Account Manager. That’s the person who oversees everything, so to speak, who’s ultimately responsible for multiple accounts. But first, I’m going to do an exchange programme. I’ve signed up for three months in Singapore. I hope it’ll work out”.

Of course, it’ll work out. ISS is an international business, I gather?

“You can find us all over the globe. The head office is in Copenhagen. I have been there a few times. It is originally a Danish company. It has a long history; I heard a story that the company used to track livestock. If you had lost your horse, you could call ISS”! (laughs)

Wonderful story! How is your story going to continue?

“I might want to gain far more experience abroad. First, I’ll see if the Singapore story is going to work out. And if not, I’ll  do something else. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”!

Interview: Maaike Dukker-‘t Hart