In this series we interview various employees of Qimarox. This time we are talking to internal sales assistant Yvonne. Who is she, what does she do, and what does she think of Qimarox?
Who’s Yvonne?
‘I’m 49 years old and I’m from Twello. I’m married to Harjan and we have a daughter of nine, Roos. In my spare time I work out: I teach Pilates, which is a bit like yoga. I do that two nights a week at a sports club in Twello. My favourite holiday destination is Italy. For the culture, the food, the villages, the beaches… Actually, the combination of culture and nature.’
What’s your background?
‘I did a business studies degree, with a focus on Economics and Linguistics (HEAO EL) in Enschede, with three foreign languages, namely English, German and French. After graduation I started working in a sales department at a company in Weesp. It was a commercial agent that imported DIY products from Italy and Germany, among others. After four years I wanted to go back to the East of the country and ended up back in Enschede. I started working at a company that made gears, which is where my technical background started. At that company I also worked in the office sales department and later, when the company grew a bit bigger, I took on a more coordinating role. I worked there for a long time, until production was transferred to India. The Dutch branch was closed and that’s when I ended up at Qimarox. I’ve been working here for two years now.’
What do you do at Qimarox?
‘I’m in the office sales department for the German-speaking regions and work out quotations for customers who want an offer for a vertical transport solution. In this role, I take part in a lot of discussions about what’s best for a client. I follow up the quotations and always try to keep in touch with the integrators or the end customers. I also try to link the end customer to an integrator, and vice versa. I’m also at fairs for the German-speaking regions. I like that because it gives me an opportunity to meet my clients in person. For some time now, I’ve been partly involved in marketing, where I’m the link between sales and marketing. To help, but also to feed back from marketing to sales. I like this combination of sales and marketing the most.
As a child I spent a lot of holidays in Germany and I started speaking German early on. I noticed back then already that I found it quite easy. I learned it further at school and at the HEAO I even graduated in German. After that, I always spoke German in my work. The head office of my previous employer was in Switzerland, so I spoke German daily there and now at Qimarox as well.’
Why do you work at Qimarox?
‘Because of the international character of the company and a position that fits in very well with my background in terms of the work. Vertical transport is a very innovative product, and I like seeing it grow. That keeps me here, too, because I can see what kind of plans still lie ahead. I’d love to be a part of that. I think Qimarox has a bright future.’
How do you experience working in technology as a woman?
‘I’ve never had a problem with that myself but think it’s a shame it’s still perceived as a male profession by many people. I think Qimarox is already doing a particularly good job of ensuring diversity within the company: young and old, male and female, technical and commercial. I think that is the best mix for a company and I really like that.’
How is Qimarox as an employer?
‘Qimarox appreciates involvement and stimulates this through training and education. For example, I will be following a course in a few weeks to obtain the VCA Basic Safety Diploma. The company is also really alert to our needs. My husband and I have a daughter and so must deal with school hours, days off and study days. In that respect, Qimarox is very flexible. I work part-time, four days a week, and that was all negotiable.’
