Thursday the 28th of March marked my last day at New10. Also after more than 12,5 years my good marriage with ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and one of its daughters (that sounds a bit weird, but nothing weird in this context 😅 ) ended. It all started in september 2011 in the midst of the financial crisis with an awesome group of just graduated 'trainees'. Challenging times where on top of that two banks, former ABN AMRO and Fortis, had to become one. Starting with the group of trainees was really the best start I could imagine with so many intelligent and fun people. Some of them became friends for life, a huge 'bonus' that I never imagined upfront. I did many fun assignments, saw different parts of the bank and even got to work in Singapore for three months during my traineeship.
Also, starting (and later ending) my first own company with fellow trainee David de Weerd, designing and launching our own watch brand, was something that was a side effect of working at the bank that probably would never have happened else.
I saw many great departments within the bank, met even more great people, learned a lot, was able to try out and take responsibility, able to advice lots of people on data and innovation and got to make the step towards for me the most fun part of the bank, New10. There I got the full responsibility of everything that had to do with payments, and on top of that I became a real Mambu champion ;-). Fun times where I learned a lot and also was able to do and change a lot. The culture of New10 is something unique, a place where truly everyone can succeed. Not just that, it is the most welcoming warm bunch of people you can wish for in your work life...and maybe even generally in life.
Two years ago I signed for my contract end date taking a 'career switch arrangement' that is part of the Collective Labor Agreement of ABN AMRO. This meant I would work for two years only two days at New10 and dedicate the rest of my time to my own company, berg & maan. One of the many great opportunities ABN AMRO and New10 also have to offer.
Now it is time for new chapters in my life. A new chapter already started with the birth of our son Olav last autumn. When it comes the work, the idea was to fully focus on berg & maan but something new and super exciting came on my path... but more about that later!
I want to thank all the great colleagues and friends I met at ABN AMRO and New10. The are simply way too many people to mention all of them in person and I would surely forget to mention people as well. THANK YOU to all of you who helped me becoming the person I am today 🙏