Cashing in on opportunities: Daan van den Berg

Even as a business engineering student, Daan already showed great ambition. His part-time job in men's fashion put him on the road toward business and retail. After his studies, he started as a recruitment consultant. When his client Nedap had an opening in sales for the Benelux, he jumped at the opportunity himself. Some 8 years on, he's now responsible for the Asia-Pacific region as Sales Director. This characterizes both Daan and Nedap: plenty of opportunities, but you have to seize them yourself!

From Groenlo to Shanghai & Hong Kong

Following his start in the Benelux, Daan created his next position by landing a huge international customer. In Groenlo, he was given responsibility for sales and key accounts in the EMEA region. The international experience he gained there served him well in Shanghai, where he was involved in the merger of the Shanghai and Hong Kong offices, resulting in relocation to Hong Kong.

Freedom and trust

After eight years, you could now say that Daan is a familiar face in the organization. With the opportunity to keep filling international positions and to work abroad, the job remains challenging and dynamic. Freedom and trust characterize Nedap. And this fits well with Daan. You're sent off on an open assignment. The KPIs are there, of course. But input and numbers aren't the only yardsticks.

"Here are the keys to your office. Go figure it out with your team. It's a great feeling getting everyone on board, full of energy!"

Daan van den Berg

For his people in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Daan's open way of working and direct way of communicating are new, but they handle it well.

The world via Zoom

With the borders closed to both personal and business travel for the last six months, Daan and his wife have used the time to get acquainted with Hong Kong, their new place of residence. The limitations have had a significant impact on business. All meetings are held via Zoom for as long as the borders remain closed. This runs completely counter to the personal way of doing business in much of Asia. In China, for example, the best translation of "How are you?" is: "Have you eaten yet?".

Plenty to do

He and his team have built a solid foundation. It's now time for the roll-out. He's looking forward to the moment when he can visit customers, colleagues and business partners once again, in Shanghai and throughout the region. And his goals for the near future? Keeping his people on the right track. Making sure the organization is ready for the future and self-sufficient. Able to serve customers with all of Nedap Retail's innovations and building the business further.

Sales Director Asia-Pacific

Daan van den Berg

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