"Spotting and responding to opportunities in the market"

17 July 2020

MY NAME IS DAAN. I CHOOSE ESSENT.

“When I started at Essent in 2019, my role as a Team Manager was focussing on the development of E+ products and services for business customers. When a seperate business unit for E+ was subsequently established, I was offered the fantastic opportunity to broaden my horizon; in my new role, the focus is on product and service development for the business as well as the consumer market and I can once again manage a great team.

OK, TELL US MORE.

“My team is responsible for all products and services in the field of sustainability, hence the name of our department: E+ Activation. E+ stands for Energy+. Simply put, we deal with everything except the traditional electricity and gas products. Within our department, we work with the segments of solar, heating, insulation and energy advice. And together with our regional located service partners, we provide a portfolio of products that meets the needs of our customers. Suitable products for every customer segment at the right price. This includes things like solar panels and insulation, but heat pumps are another good example.”

SPOTTING AND RESPONDING TO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MARKET

“It’s interesting to be able to contribute to the energy transition in the Netherlands, and our team is really good at it. We develop new ideas and, in order to measure success, we set up small experiments to test these innovations. Being able to scale up the successes is great, but I also think that it’s just as valuable to find out what doesn't work. Not everything works, so we have to let go of some ideas, but we can quickly develop and launch other ideas. A good example is the recent change in legislation and regulations for businesses, which greatly increased the reporting pressure for companies regarding sustainability. We then launched a new service within 3 months together with one of our subsidiaries and were able to help many of our business customers. That's why we do it. "

1 + 1 = 3

“I find the collaboration with our service partners very valuable. These companies have so much product and market knowledge and, together with us as a central team, we can offer our customers the best solution. This collaboration is worth its weight in gold. We can also learn from them based on how they work, with the pragmatic approach that our service partners have as an example. We strengthen each other on several fronts, not only in terms of content, but also in our way of working, which is great to see.”

NICE JOB AT A GREAT COMPANY

“The diversity and variety make my job really enjoyable. At any given moment we could be making plans for launching a new product, or working on a competition analysis or on a partnership with the KNVB. And regardless of my position: Essent is really a great company to work for. People work together towards a goal, there’s a lot of team spirit and there are few hidden agendas. Look, corporate politics are everywhere but it’s not much of a problem here. When I walked into Essent for the first time, I immediately felt at home. There’s a good atmosphere and colleagues are always ready to help each other. And that team feeling also translates into cosy get-togethers on Friday afternoons. Many companies say they do it, we actually do it! The advantage for me is that I live close by and can always cycle home.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO POTENTIAL ESSENTERS?

“Be curious and stay curious. I had been following Essent for a while before I came to work here, but there were no suitable vacancies at that time. Out of interest I continued to follow Essent as a company and when a message came from my former manager that he wanted to bring me to Essent, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. My tip to future colleagues is therefore: immerse yourself in us, activate your network and ask around. Then you’ll get a good idea of whether Essent suits you as an employer. We work with almost 2,000 people here at the head office, so there’s a good chance you already know an Essenter, either directly or indirectly. And if you get that job with us, keep that curiosity, there is a lot to learn here!”

Daan (35 years old) has been working at Essent since January 2019 and lives in the heart of Den Bosch. In addition to working at Essent, he enjoys cooking for his girlfriend, riding his racing bicycle and playing the piano.
 

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