Tillbaka Vårt Planning & Operations team

“I see it as a great opportunity to develop my leadership qualities”

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Ivar van der Stam on his position as operations manager

Over two and a half years, Ivar van der Stam held several positions at Van den Bosch, gaining a lot of experience. In 2021, he was again asked if he was interested in another position. This time not at the Erp headquarters, but in Dubai.

“After completing my Master's in International Management, I started as a country planner at Van den Bosch, before making the switch to Business Control. The question of whether I wanted to work as operations manager in Dubai came as a surprise. Although I was already working as a business controller for our branch in Dubai, I didn't expect to be asked to go to Dubai myself. It shows that your work is appreciated, and that’s a good feeling.”

An opportunity not to be missed

“Nevertheless, it took me a week to decide whether to take that opportunity. After much deliberation, the inclination grew and I decided to move to Dubai. I have a financial background, so in terms of work I saw it as a big challenge. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity to develop my leadership qualities. This is something I've always wanted.”

Daily challenge

“The big difference from our Erp branch is that we’ve only been in Dubai for seven years. This branch is growing rapidly and so the biggest challenge is in guiding that growth so that we are also developing internally.”

Mix of cultures

“Just as 85 percent of the residents in Dubai are expats, at Van den Bosch we are also working with a good mix of cultures. It’s another challenge for me to learn how to deal with this - not many nationalities are as direct as the Dutch.”

Future

“I want to keep growing in my role as operations manager. For the rest, I go with the flow. A year ago, I wasn’t expecting to be living in Dubai now. I was given a great opportunity and I’m grateful for it.”