One thing that I like is having the influence to create a positive environment and healthy culture by leading by example.
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What is your full title and how long have you been in your current position?
I’m a manager, Fund Services, based in Amsterdam and have been with CSC for the last three years when I joined as senior fund accountant.
Give us insight into your role and what you do.
I’m currently managing the fund accountants from legacy CSC and the financial account managers from legacy Intertrust in Amsterdam. Overseeing the team of 12, my main goal is getting the different groups together to form one team. The financial services experience I gained from my previous positions, including at VISTRA, are helpful as these roles provided me a solid understanding of both groups, and the key differences between providing administration services and domiciliation services. CSC’s integration with Intertrust Group, while also focusing attention on our group, has been foremost in mind for the team.
Why did you choose to work for CSC?
I joined CSC through a former colleague from VISTRA. After our discussion over coffee, I was very enthusiastic to come to CSC.
What do you love most about the culture at CSC?
What I love most is that I’m a big part of making our culture. Setting the tone for the team is a crucial part of a manager’s responsibilities. How your team responds to challenges and interacts internally is often based on the manager’s behavior and the example they set for the team.
I get a lot of support from my manager to ensure that we are creating the right environment for everyone. As everyone is different and has different needs, we try to ensure that each person feels included. It’s rewarding to be able to contribute to building a positive culture instead of standing on the sidelines.
So what gets you excited to come to work every morning?
Post the CSC and Intertrust integration, we really need to think ahead about how to move forward. Two different groups, coming together with the same goal. Getting together as one.
What gets you excited about coming to work in the morning?
Our people like the interaction. We have a lot of people coming in fresh and very motivated. That gives me a lot of energy as well—to see everyone get excited when they come to the office even though they could be partially working from home. Sometimes in the other parts of the tower, with other companies, I see that they’re completely empty, and I think “Yeah, we’re doing something right here.”
When you talk about CSC and your job to people outside of our organization, what do you think is surprising to them or intriguing about us?
I would say, the long term view that we have as an organization. Most of my friends are not in the industry. Some of them are with smaller companies and start-ups. They have short-term goals and are trying to survive the financial year. Same for many of our competitors. They have shareholders and private equity to answer to and often must keep their eyes on short-term goals. Another thing that’s surprising is how our lines of communications are open here. We are more in touch with the people in the organizational structure above us, and even as an international company, we have easy contact with headquarters in the U.S. With many companies, you know your country’s managing director, but you don’t know what’s happening above that line— it’s like a black hole. It’s quite different with CSC—you have a direct connection.
What is the work-life balance like?
Luckily, I inherited a very short sleep pattern from my father. I naturally only need five or six hours for proper rest. I don’t have to put on an alarm clock anymore as my biological alarm goes off. I’m lucky with that. To make the most of the time before work, I exercise by running, playing sports, or other fitness. It keeps me relaxed when I arrive at my desk.
Occasionally, the team goes somewhere after work for drinks and just to enjoy the end of the week. Other times, I go out with just my girlfriend and we visit restaurants, walk in the park, just simple things. Furthermore, I love art, especially avant garde art, even though it’s really hard to understand for someone that mostly works with numbers (as every accountant will tell you). My girlfriend has a professional art background, so most of the time I let her do the talking and explain it to me. For once, I’m not the one mansplaining!
What kind of opportunities do you see developing in the industry? What are some of the challenges and opportunities that you see facing it?
With the ever-increasing complexity of regulations, attracting the right people for the long term will be the biggest challenge. As a global company now, there’s an opportunity to grow and serve a new set of standards and make sure that we have English-speaking associates who can perform in the international market. Nevertheless, with our older, established clients, we can’t just rip everything open and make changes to services that they already have. Finding the right mix between international colleagues and Dutch native speaking colleagues, while also providing our international colleagues the framework to learn the Dutch language in an effective manner. We see that new fund clients here in the Netherlands want that and that will provide us the best advantage against our competitors.
Have we piqued your interest? Consider joining us.
CSC offers exciting, career-building opportunities that allow our people to drive their career in the direction of their choice. A multi-time Top Workplace, we're a business, legal, and financial services company that provides knowledge-based solutions to clients worldwide. We're also the trusted partner of choice for more than 90% of the Fortune 500®, more than 90% of the 100 Best Global Brands®, and more than 70% of the PEI 300.
From our headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware across offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, CSC prides itself on a record of growth and stability. We've been privately held and professionally managed for more than 120 years.
We are the business behind business®. With us, you'll provide world-class client service while growing your career.
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