How the pandemic helped me rediscover Mavim US

My name is Leo Salomons. As a Value Engineer at Mavim US, my focus areas cover multiple aspects of our operations here; from marketing & sales support to implementation & delivery, and customer adoption and product road mapping. I’m relatively new in this role, as is my role to our US operations. Prior to joining Mavim, I had spent practically my entire career at large, multinational management & technology consulting organizations, but as with many, the COVID pandemic brought with it an opportunity for me to reassess what it is that drives me in my work and how I would factor that into my next career move. I was granted the opportunity to help build Mavim’s American organization and operations almost from the bottom up; a challenge I welcomed with open arms, not in the least because of the fact that Mavim and I share a common trait: our Dutch roots.

United by Dutch roots

I had already crossed paths with Mavim in the past. When I lived and worked in the Netherlands, I once had the opportunity to work with a prior incarnation of the company’s software, and so I recognized the name when I became aware of Mavim’s forays into the Americas. My curiosity was piqued, as it just so turned out that at that time, I was exploring opportunities to rekindle my ties with the Netherlands and Dutch organizations. I was probably just missing the Dutch culture after having lived in the United States for quite a while, and so the appeal of the language, the working culture, and the ability to contribute to a Dutch success in the US market proved to be an opportunity I just couldn’t resist. With the experience of having operated in both cultures, and the ability to feel at home in both, I sometimes find myself acting as a mediator between the US and Dutch organizations, which is yet another fascinating aspect of my role.

Building a new organization: Mavim US

While the Dutch and US entities are part of one and the same organization, the day-to-day realities of operations differ considerably between them. The US entity is after all a new venture, in a new and different market and country, with a different culture and way of doing business. There is a lot of support and guidance we receive from the more established Dutch counterpart that has been in operation successfully for close to three decades. All the experiences and learnings during that time are readily shared with us, which has helped us accelerate significantly since we’ve established operations here. Helpful as this has been, not everything that has yielded success in Europe is transposable to US operations, nor will it be a guarantee for quick and easy success. Building the US operations from the ground up means we are in a process of figuring things out while we go, understanding what works and what doesn’t, and what constitutes the best approach and formula for success. It is these challenges, the need to stretch yourself in your knowledge, abilities, and skills to meet these goals, that make achieving the results we have to this point so rewarding. And while we pause to celebrate our successes and achievements regularly, we know that we have a road ahead of us that is equally littered with challenges as well as rewards.

In that regard, our growth as an organization in the US is almost like a metaphor of the development of child. There is a stage of dependency on the parent, then there is increased self-reliance (often accompanied with rebellious attitude!) to then culminate in maturity, self-sufficiency and renewed relationship based on equal footing. We are undergoing a similar voyage in our development as a US operation and in our relationship with the Dutch entity of our company. This is another aspect that makes my job, as well as that of my colleagues, so exciting. We feel responsible for the growth of our branch, and we celebrate our growth and success together. But we also celebrate together with our Dutch colleagues, with whom we ultimately share the same goal. This unites us, both in the US, as well as collectively across the organization.

Want to contribute to our growth as well as your own?

If you would like to have a chat with Mavim about how you could contribute to the growth of Mavim US or how you’d like to grow professionally, we’d love to hear it! Drop us a message via the contact form or apply directly on one of our open  vacancies.