A people-centric approach: Rianne Klaver-Verbruggen discusses her journey with Strohm
With over 20 years’ experience working as a member of the subscription team at a Dutch trade publisher, Rianne Klaver-Verbruggen joined Strohm in 2017 and has since become an indispensable part of the team.
Progressing from her initial role as part of our receptionist team, Rianne took on the position of management team assistant five years ago as the company grew and the demands of the management team increased. Since then, she has been a lynchpin in Strohm’s day-to-day operation, organising multiple teams to ensure coordination for travel and agenda planning, as well as supporting internal events to celebrate the hard work completed across the year.
One such event includes the bi-annual Strohm Family Day, which will be celebrated on the 1st June. Reflecting on her role in this significant internal event, Rianne said: “Started nearly six years ago, our Family Day is a really important date in the Strohm calendar. With our team growing so much over the past few years, as our technology experiences increasing global demand, events like this are really valuable for making sure we welcome new members of the team.
“During the event, we invite our personnel and their families to our facility in IJmuiden for factory tours, informative talks, games, and a BBQ. This year, like the last Family Day, we even have a bouncy castle for the kids! In previous years, this has been a really successful event, bringing the team even closer and developing positive workplace relationships. I’m really proud to have been a part of developing this and supporting our existing people-centric culture.”
As part of her role, Rianne is also responsible for organising travel across the business and is a central contact for the Strohm team across the world.
“Because I have so much contact with our teams in different regions, from the Netherlands to Brazil, I have got to know multiple people across different levels of the company. I’ve been really lucky in this regard, as the whole team embraces a sense of togetherness; this is reflected in our team events and strong connections across the business.
“For example, we are developing plans for a lunch-buddy programme, where any member of the team can sign up to pair up with a colleague during lunch. Activities like this are a natural progression of the sense of camaraderie already felt within the company and I’m proud to have played a small part in fostering this ethos.”
As a company that always has its eye on the future, Rianne also supports Strohm by applying sustainability practices across her work.
“On a project level, our focus has been turning more and more towards sustainability with our CCUS and hydrogen activities. However, we’re also looking at how we can improve our everyday sustainability. For me, this means booking the most economical travel options, which have the lowest carbon emissions, and embracing greener travel options like public transport and trains.
“One of the most interesting projects I’m involved with, in the travel aspect to my job, was arranging the movements of the Field Service Group, which was launched early last year. The group includes multiple team members from across the globe, who are deployed to the field to support with end fitting termination process, as well as the final testing of our pipelines.
“As part of a project that required the team to be deployed in India, it was a real challenge to coordinate employees from across the globe. However, we overcame this hurdle and were able to deploy all team members successfully, before returning them all back home.”
This international focus is something that Rianne mirrors in her personal life, embarking on regular camping trips across the Netherlands and beyond.
“Every year, in the summer, me and my husband take three weeks to travel abroad with our folding camper. This year we plan on heading off to Germany and Austria, taking in the local culture in familiar and new areas. Of all the places we’ve been lucky enough to visit, my favourite place so far has been the countryside of England and Scotland, particularly Devon in the South-West of England
“During our weekend trips in the Netherlands, where me and my family are based, we are regularly joined by our two children and their friends. This has also opened up a lot of opportunities to get to know different parts of the country, helping us to grow closer with friends and family across the Netherlands. We’ve been really lucky to visit many different places with our folding camper and look forward to many new adventures in the future.”