Passionate about branding and recruitment. Fascinated about what 'ticks' people to work and engage in companies. Challenged about how to energise companies, and find, create or enforce their uniqueness? Building brand cultures to attract and inspire the right brand talent. Even more relevant today then ever, since brands nowadays are formed by real experiences and real communications by real people. Branding inside out: winning the engagement and passion of the most important customers of the organisation first; their own employees.

Employer branding in a holistic view is a most fascinating field in the interdependence of marketing, communications, HR, organisational development and leadershipt. Challenges my thinking, creating and doiing capabilities every day.

In my role as strategy director at ARA M/V we cocreate with our clients in strengtening their employer brands. Our projects go from finding the essentials in the organisational identity, and from these qualities building a brandculture, making communicationconcepts, building communities and delivering communications means that are authentic, relevant and differentiating.

We work and worked among others for Allen & Overy, ASR, ATOS, BAM Group, Boer & Croon Strategy Consultants, CBS, CWI/UWV, Dutch Government, Nuon, Ministries of Social and Foreign Affairs, Microsoft, Municipalities of Rotterdam, Schiedam en Den Bosch, Fortis, La Place, Mazars, Mammoet, NIBC, Loodswezen, USG, Croon Electrotechniek, Parnassia Bavo Groep, Province of North brabant, Nashuatec, Royal Dutch Airforce, Sara lee, TBI, Yacht, a.o

Chairman (2008-2014) and actual member of the board (2014- ) of Recruiters United : , the organisation for recruitment- and labor marketingprofessionals in the Netherlands

Teaches Internal - and employer branding courses at post graduate courses Brand Management and HR strategist at the AOG school of management. 'Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie' lessons at Lectric Nextcommunication

Member of advisory board for master 'Marketing' at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Human Resources at the Hogeschool Rotterdam.

Co-author (togehter with Chris Kersbergen and Job Mensink) of the book Merkcultuur, on building stron brandcultures. Companies with people driven brands and brand driven people

Artlover, collector, familyman, reader,occasional sportive.

(grateful to have 'borrowed' the visual from the sublime dutch artist Ruud van Empel)