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FRESH SPECIAL<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Menno van Breemen (37)<br />
has worked at <strong>Aartsen</strong> for the<br />
past ten years as Managing<br />
Director of Asia in Hong Kong.<br />
Since January 1, he's been<br />
appointed as our company's<br />
Commercial Director/CCO<br />
and co-shareholder, now with<br />
the Breda headquarters as a<br />
permanent location.<br />
Asia | "The significant contrast with the<br />
Netherlands is that everything runs 24/7 in<br />
Asia. In our sector, for example, the working<br />
day starts at 1 a.m. Everyone is constantly on<br />
it and doesn't stop working during the weekend.<br />
You automatically adapt to this dynamic and we<br />
raise the bar for ourselves there every week.<br />
We constantly hype each other up. I want to take<br />
that work ethic and mentality to the Netherlands<br />
and Belgium. With that drive, we continue to<br />
build on the evolution of our company."<br />
Breda | "I'm the one who had the most difficulty<br />
moving back home compared to my family. It felt<br />
like I was leaving my child, <strong>Aartsen</strong> Asia, behind.<br />
You miss the city, speed, life, hustle, and bustle.<br />
I live in Breda; if you look out the window, you'll see an occasional car<br />
passing by. Fortunately, we work so hard at <strong>Aartsen</strong> that I don't have<br />
much time to stare out the window [laughs]. This was the best move for<br />
my family and me, with a view to the future within our company. I will stay<br />
involved with the team in Hong Kong as I'm still managing them and in<br />
my new role as CCO of the entire group, my involvement will not decline.<br />
I want to seize this opportunity and put my heart and soul into the growth<br />
of our organization. I like to say: if everything seems under control, we<br />
are just not going fast enough."<br />
Ambitions | "I am driven, energetic, impatient and tenacious by nature.<br />
I'd rather bang my head against the wall ten times than give up. That<br />
drive will come in handy again in my current position. As a commercial<br />
department, we face critical challenges. I want our commercial teams in<br />
Breda, Venlo and Belgium to operate much more as a unit. By exchanging<br />
figures and other factual information more adequately, we keep each<br />
other sharp and strengthen <strong>Aartsen</strong>'s clout on the global market. This also<br />
includes integration with our team in Asia. With our new ERP system Fresh,<br />
we have the engine for it. I was listening to people and coming up with<br />
ideas to retake steps. I emphatically want to focus much more on data.<br />
Relying solely on the old gut feeling stems from the era before digitalization.<br />
The feeling is hugely important, but the strength will be the combination."<br />
Core Values | "When I was active as an entrepreneur during my university<br />
days, I was often one of the youngest in that industry, and again when I<br />
started at <strong>Aartsen</strong> Asia. A decade ago, I couldn't even tell an apple<br />
from an orange; I succeeded because I was allowed to grow within the<br />
business. As a manager, I now want to return the favour: I want people to<br />
become independent thinkers, learn from each other and make sure they<br />
can handle their responsibilities while continuously growing and trusting<br />
that we have their backs."<br />
Do you<br />
know what<br />
we really grow?<br />
Grow<br />
24 | AMBITION<br />
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