This document provides a summary of the December 2009 issue of the Belkin company newsletter. It discusses various work-related topics, events, and achievements over the past year from different regions around Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It also profiles an employee and product. The main article describes the business challenges of operating in Russia, including a tough economic climate, volatile retailers, and complicated certification and import processes. It notes the long traffic times in Moscow as well.

1. TAEB
BEAT
ISSUE 3 December 2009
NIMas corNEr IN thIs IssuE
• From Russia with Love
• he Belkin Truck Drivers
T
& Transport Department
• Christmas around EMEA
• Christmas Recipes
• erson Profile:
P
Manfred Tiefenbacher
Dear Team, • roduct Profile:
P
Comfort Mouse range
It’s that time of year again and
• emo Board
M
it’s always good to reflect on our
• elkin Hollands’ Halloween Party
B
achievements and challenges in and
• ummer Photo Competition
S
out of the work place.
It’s also very exciting to think about • Speed Shopping
the prospects of the new year. From • Lunch & Learn - Dutch lessons
a work perspective we experienced • Venus travels
one of our most challenging years • pening of the Game Room -
O
in our history. We were faced Dutch Office
with an unprecedented economic • icnic in the Park 2009 - UK
P
climate, deep introspection on
how we manage many parts of our From russia with love • elkin Sponsors the yearly
B
BBVA Marathon in Madrid
business, as well as having to say • The BUPA Great North Run
Private comrades! I still can’t to legally import empty printed
good bye to some of our colleagues. • ho did these youngsters grow
W
believe one year has passed boxes for repacking, but gladly
Despite this all we still managed up to be?
since I was asked to come to look the other way to those
to deliver a year and improve our Russia for Belkin. What better generous competitors who wish Plus more…
work environment. We should all be work and personal challenge to declare their accessories
very proud. The new year is upon than to come to Russia at the as potatoes. Let’s not forget Let’s not forget those lovely, but
us and as always the challenges start of an economic crisis and one of my favourites, the lovely costly work meals out - no dinner,
we have ahead will further develop beautiful snowy winter, right? certification process where no vodka, no trust, no deal.
our character and values. However, Little did I know this meant some very specific and costly No story about Moscow life would
a tough business climate to certificates are needed to confirm be complete without mentioning
before the new year is the holiday come of minus 50% declines in that in fact the product listed does
season and this is the time to reflect the traffic. There are 20 million
retail sales and outdoor climate not in fact need certification. residents in Moscow, I wish I
on all of what we have experienced of minus 20 degrees during The retail landscape is as could say how many own cars
good or bad. This is also the time the day and black snow. volatile as they come. Several because it feels like everyone
to devote to our family, friends and I have had the good fortune previously strong retailers has one. The metro alone moves
relaxation. I look forward to seeing of doing business all over the have fallen under the wave of some 7 million people each day.
you all in the new year! world, but working in Russia is bankruptcies and poor cash But people here love using their
one of those once in a lifetime flow. All the global brands are cars, and with petrol costing
experiences you just don’t pass fighting for their slice in Mvideo, around 0,30€ cents per litre, you
up. Rebuilding and localising Eldorado, and MediaMarkt as can start to see what ‘fuels’ the
the Belkin ‘franchise model’ these folks actually pay their bills. legendary congestion. I don’t
sPEcIaLs in Russia has made for a
great learning experience and
Retailers want to learn from us
and are giving us freedom to do
even want to think about the
number of hours I sit in traffic.
been one interesting ride. things the Belkin way. If only doing I am so thankful for my Tunebase
Where else can you find business here could be more X as I can at least enjoy an
distributors commanding 100% efficient. episode or two of Top Chef or
mark-ups and more control With all the new ideas we bring, Mad Men while I inch along the
of the channel because they we need too many meetings to motorway staring at the sea
can manage the Olympic sport really get the needle to move. of stopped car taillights and
of importing and providing It gets further complicated by headlights. Now if only I can get a
countywide distribution. Where having to sit in traffic 2 hours blue siren for my roof so I can slice
the borders make it impossible each way for a 1 hour meeting. through the traffic oligarch style.
Continued on Page 10
thE BELKIN trucK Product ProfILE BELKIN hoLLaNd -
drIvErs & traNsPort haLLowEEN Party
dEPartMENt
Comfort Mouse Range
Halloween What a night!
Party
Friday 30th Oct
ober
5pm - 9pm
Place: Canteen
Costumes requ
ired!

2. ISSUE 3 December 2009 storIEs
thE BELKIN trucK drIvErs
BacKGrouNd
Belkin started its own fleet of
delivery trucks in 2004. There
are now 9 units (cabs), 1 unit
(cab) with trailer + drag and 16
trailers.
todays tEaM
ryaN European Transport
At Belkin for 3 years
MErrIcK Planning Manager
wENdy
At Belkin for 1 year Admin Transport Clerk
tayLor
thE drIvErs
tIM Drives: KX56 CWO
At Belkin for 5 years
BLow Scania 620
KEvIN Drives: KX05 DXT
At Belkin for 5 years
harrIs Scania 420
staNLEy Drives: KX06 EDP
At Belkin for 5 years
NIchoLLs Scania 420
chrIs Drives: KX55 DXK
At Belkin for 5 years
BouGhtoN Scania 500
MartIN Drives: KX55 VMV
At Belkin for 4 years
LyoN Mercedes Actros 440
toNy Drives: KX56 CWP
At Belkin for 3 years
MILLwaIN Scania 500
KEIth Drives: KX05 HHE
At Belkin for 2 years
rawLINGs Scania 420
vINcE Drives: KX05 HHD
At Belkin for 2 years
PayNE Scania 420 Wagon & Drag
darrEN Drives: KP54 CVH
At Belkin for 1 year
McGEE Scania 420
GrahaM Drives: KX05 DXR
At Belkin for 1 year
GoadBy Scania 420

3. storIEs ISSUE 3 December 2009
& traNsPort dEPartMENt
BacK hauLING Goods
INsIdE
Rather than have empty trailers on the return
thE caBs journeys the team back hauls goods for other
The drivers cabs all companies.
have different specs In September 2009 they back hauled a revenue
inside them. They have of £43,935 across 43 return loads which is their
to be a home away best figure of the year.
from home, as all the The back haul goods have included
drivers sleep overnight the following:
in their cabs when on Beer, computer
long delivery runs. parts, breakfast
At the back of all the cereal, part baked
cabs is the sleeping bread, wine, nappies,
area and there’s a CD honey, DIY tools,
player for a little night slot machines,
music ! dental supplies, christmas decorations, carpet
tiles and clothing for TK maxx.
thE traILErs
They hold 26 standard They provide free
pallets or 33 euro loaded publicity, day and night,
pallets. The wagon and spreading the name and
drag trailer holds 30 the presence of Belkin
standard pallets / 37 across Europe and the
euro loaded pallets. UK. The design and
There are several trailer artwork for all the trailers
designs. The distinctive and cabs was produced
graphics of the trailers by David Bloor who
make the vehicles stand worked at the UK office
out on the motorways as part of the EMEA
and highways of europe. graphics team from Dec
2003 to Dec 2008.
thE dIstaNcEs drIvEN
During mainland europe delivery runs, a driver
is usually away all week. A driver on UK deliveries
can be expected to be out and back in the
same day.
In a typical weeks work a driver can expect to
cover many miles. All journeys are subject to
tachograph rules. This means a max speed of
55 mph.
Currently the fleet delivers to destinations in the
UK, Germany, Belgium, Holland, France and Spain.
We are starting to deliver to other countries and
have recently visited Italy, Denmark, Sweden,
Poland and the Czech Republic with other
countries on the list to cover.
by: Andrew Albrecht & Ryan Merrick

4. ISSUE 3 December 2009 storIEs
chrIstMas aro
chrIstMas IN thE chrIstMas IN PoLaNd chrIstMas IN thE
czEch rEPuBLIc Apart from all the regular preparation uNItEd KINGdoM
(Christmas tree, cleaning the house, buying
presents etc.) in Poland on the December 24th,
Christmas eve, the dinner is most important
event. It starts when the first star appears
in the sky, but if you cannot see any stars
(clouded..) then around 6-7pm.
I think the biggest difference is that we do most
It feels as if Christmas comes earlier and of our celebrating on the 25th.
earlier every year: decorated Christmas trees Here is a rundown of our usual xmas day:
in shopping areas, as well as light chains and 9am - Get woken up by mum, usually have a
decorations on the main streets from early hangover as I’ve been out with friends the night
November. Kids of all ages write their ‘letter before, last year was the first time for over ten
to Jesus’ (listing what they want to get this years I didn’t.
year) and giving it to their parents. This makes
10am - Get woken up again by mum, finally
all the monsters smartest kids in the world. The most important thing is sharing “oplatek”
decide to go downstairs.
Many people already buy their presents in (see above) - this is a very thin white wafer that
is the main and most important item on the 10:30am - Opening presents, parents and
October to avoid the overcrowded shopping
Christmas table. aunties and uncles having breakfast with bucks
centres, then also buy leftovers the night
We all come to the table, stand up and say fizz, I could swear they always told me drinking
before (December 23rd).
some prayers - once we are finished with that in the morning was bad, but its xmas I guess.
december 24th - The last chocolate from the we take a wafer. everybody takes a piece, and 11am - Finish opening presents, granddad is
advent calendar has been eaten. They Listen then goes to another person, breaks a little usually asking what time xmas dinner is going
to carols or watch the fairytales on TV. The piece from their wafer, letting them break a to be ready as he wants it at 12pm, my mum as
morning is for decorating the Christmas tree piece from their own wafer, and say wishes to she does every year says were not until 2 pm.
and to taste all the cookies mummy baked, themselves for the coming year. 12 pm - Cheesy xmas music starts, I know 2
then look forward to the night. Only those You go round the table until you are finished days of this lies ahead.
will see the golden pig who don’t eat meat with everybody. Nowadays we only have a Please not cliff richard again!
for lunch. This gives the cook more time for white version for the table, but some time ago, 1 pm - Everyone’s ready and we’ve tidied up
dinner preparation because the traditional 20 years lets say, you also had a pinkish and the wrapping paper, dinner preparations have
karp soup, fried karp and the potato salad blue version - to share with the animals. This started, although the turkey would have been in
takes time to make. All the decorations and was when most people in the country kept overnight and my mum starts soaking the xmas
lights are up, small tables are full of cookies, animals (farmers) for eg. cows, pigs, chickens cake in brandy weeks before.
dried fruits and nuts; and the Insense sticks etc., so you shared it with them to stay in
burn - as we return from our walk. As soon 2 pm - Keep Nephew and kids amused while
peace for the coming year. Legend says that
as we see the first star the Christmas dinner dinner prep carries on, parents etc. have moved
animals were allowed this one evening in the
starts. After dinner something rings, the onto beer, wine etc now. Ring relatives that live
whole year to speak the human language.
candles are lit and all the presents appear. further away, wish them a merry xmas.
We sing 2 or 3 carols and enjoy the presents Then you can sit at the table and eat. 3 pm - Dinners still being done, no doubt the
for the rest of the evening. sound of music or chitty chitty bang bang is on
The table is dressed with a white table cloth
but its better than the music continuing.
and underneath the cloth we place threads of
4 pm - Dinner is ready, we sit down and pull
hay - this tradition comes from the fact that
crackers etc the hats never fit my head so
baby Jesus was born on the pile of hay in a
eventually will get ripped. Everyone exchanges
poor shed. You have to set as many plates as
the terrible jokes and swaps the cracker items
there are people sitting at the table, plus one
to get something slightly less naff.
more plate - this is for the unexpected guest.
The tradition says you have to open the door 5 pm - My one duty of the day, lighting the xmas
for anyone showing up at your door that night, pudding, I pour far too much brandy on and my
because this could be Jesus - on the night stepdad moans, I manage yet again to nearly
when Jesus was born Maria and Josef were burn the house down, but not quite.
asking people to give them some room and 6 pm - Dinner is done, can’t move, too much
they were sent away and ended up in the shed. turkey and stuffing, everyone gradually starts
If then anybody shows up, you ask them to the falling asleep in chairs etc while bad xmas tv
table and immediately set another extra plate continues.
for another eventual unexpected guest. If story 8 pm - Party games start, everyones moved
repeats - you add a plate again. onto spirits now, usually singstar, DVD quizzes,
board games etc etc. My brother as usual is
On the table on the Christmas eve must be as
overly competitive.
many dishes as many there were apostles - 12.
10 pm - Its been a long day, everyone goes to
That seems a lot, but if you include for instance
bed fairly early.
also bread and compote in this number, it is
not so bad to keep up with the tradition. Its always a great day despite all the quirks.
by: Libor Tošovský by: Magda Piotrowska by: Martin Worth

5. storIEs ISSUE 3 December 2009
ouNd EMEa
chrIstMas IN fraNcE chrIstMas IN sINtErKLaas &
sLovaKIa chrIstMas IN hoLLaNd
Following the old Roman traditions the sinterKlaas - The Dutch
Christmas in Slovakia were celebrated from are busy too - shopping
24th until 27th of December. for, and more importantly,
The preparation for the Christmas meal making presents. Tradition
included the baking of Christmas wafers. demands that all packages
In old times, this work was usually coordinated be camouflaged in some
by a teacher, who chose children that would imaginative way, and that
give the wafers out to the families in the village. every gift be accompanied
by a fitting poem. This is
In France, Christmas is a time for family and for the essence of Sinterklaas: lots of fun on a day
generosity, marked by family reunions, gifts and when people are not only allowed, but expected,
candy for children, gifts for the poor, Midnight to make fun of each other in a friendly way.
Mass, and le Réveillon. Children, parents, teachers, employers and
The celebration of Christmas in France employees, friends and co-workers tease each
varies by region. Most provinces celebrate other and make fun of each others’ habits and
Christmas on the 25th of December, which mannerisms.
is a bank holiday. However, in eastern and Another part of the fun is how presents are
northern France, the Christmas season begins hidden or disguised. Recipients often have to go
on 6 December, la fête de Saint Nicolas (Sint on a treasure hunt all over the house, aided by
Nicolas day). In some provinces la fête des Another important part of Christmas was also hints, to look for them.
Rois (Epiphany (la fête des Rois) is usually the preparation of the Christmas food. Its
The real giver is supposed to remain anonymous
celebrated the 6th of January, but in other roots go back to the time when the solstice
because all presents technically come from
places in France it is celebrated the first Sunday celebrations were connected with big parties,
Sinterklaas, and recipients say out loud “Thank
after January 1st) and is one the most important where mainly meat was eaten. The Church,
you, Sinterklaas!”, even if they no longer believe
holidays of the Christmas season. therefore, ordered that people should fast
in him.
In Lyon, 8 December is la Fête de lumières, on the 24th of December, in order to get rid
when Lyonnais pay hommage to the virgin of these celebrations. The Roman Catholics
Mary by putting candles in their windows which were allowed to eat fish, and they laid the meat
light up the village. onto the Christmas table and ate it only after On christmas day the whole family comes
midnight. together for: Christmas Breakfast. That’s
between 12-14 people (depending on who has a
The fish is also a favourite dish because of their
boyfriend or girlfriend).
scales, which symbolized money and wealth.
Nowadays, the fish is served with potato salad. The tradition started when I was a child my mum
would lock the door to the dinning room and my
The traditional Christmas dinner is a soup,
brother, sister and I were not allowed to get in.
made mostly from sour
She always acted very secretive.
cabbage, lentils, peas,
beans and sometimes We had
also from dried to wait
mushrooms. upstairs in
french christmas traditions On the first and second our rooms
Christmas Days (25th until the
French children put their shoes in front of the
and 26th December), people did not have to dining
fireplace, in the hopes that Père Noël (aka
fast anymore and so they ate meat together room was
Papa Noël) will fill them with gifts. Candy, fruit,
with different side dishes, such as barley, completely
nuts, and small toys will also be hung on the
beans, peas and other pulses and cabbage. finished
tree overnight. In some regions there’s also
and
Père Fouettard who gives out spankings to bad Throughout the Christmas period there was
breakfast
children (sort of the equivalent of Santa Claus always been plenty of
was ready.
giving coal to alcoholic drinks, such
the naughty). as wine and homemade We always got new clothes so we were really
schnapps offered to the dressed up. She would go all out. The table was
In 1962, a law
guests. all decorated and she had put presents on our
was passed
One of the symbols of plates and lots of food. Still don’t understand
decreeing
Christmas is also the why because we were small kids and didn’t eat
that all letters
Christmas tree. Up until then that much :-)
written to
Santa would the houses were decorated Anyway, Christmas music was put on and then
be responded with green branches or sticks symbolizing we had breakfast together. It was great.
to with a prosperity and protection. In towns, the tree Nowadays we still do the same except it’s no
postcard. When had an aesthetic function. At the beginning the longer behind closed doors. We now all help her
a class writes branches or trees hang from the ceiling, above with preparing the table, with the decorations
a letter, each the Christmas table and only later they have she still gets, but we still have a fantastic time
student gets a been put into stands and decorated with ginger together. Lots of fun!
response! breads, nuts, apples and other goodies. Now after Christmas breakfast we go home and
do our own things.
by: Thibault Goussin by: Veronika Mravcova by: Josian Sweens

6. ISSUE 3 December 2009 chrIstMas rEcIPEs
Panettone recipe dutch apple Fritters (apelbeignets)
Ingredients
• 6-8 firm tart apples
• 2 cups beer
• 2 cups flour
• 1 pinch salt
• Oil or vegetable shortening, for deep frying
• Vanilla sugar (granulated)
Panettone is a rich Italian Christmas cake. It is a spongy, directions
yeasted cake with plenty of fruit and tastes good sliced and 1. Peel and core apples and cut into lengthwise slices between 1/3 and 1/2 inch thick.
spread with butter. Alternatively eat a slice of fresh panettone 2. Mix beer with flour and salt until smooth and free of lumps.
with a glass of sweet wine, such as Vin Santo. It’s a versatile
3. Dip apple slices into batter and let excess drip off.
cake and can also be used in a variety of desserts – and if you
4. Fry a few slices at a time in fat heated to 370 F.
have some left over after Christmas and it’s a little dry, then
use it in a trifle instead of ordinary sponge, or toast it and eat 5. urn once so they become golden brown on both sides - about 4 minutes in all.
T
with butter and jam. 6. rain one a paper towel and serve warm sprinkled with sugar.
D
7. Makes 6 to 10 servings.
1 teaspoon sugar * ANILLASUGAR: Place 1 pound confectioners’ or granulated sugar in a jar with 2 or 3 vanilla beans.
V
1 tablespoon dried yeast 8. Close jar tightly and let stand for 48 hours before using.
4 tablespoons milk (or buttermilk) Replenish sugar as it is used up. Use as called for in individual recipes.
100g (4oz) butter Beans need replacing only after 4 or 5 months.
50g (2oz) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
3 (free range if possible) eggs, beaten
Finely grated rind of ½ a lemon spanish Brandy truffles (truffles recipe with a touch of spanish cognac)
Finely grated rind of ½ an orange
400g (14oz) plain (all purpose) flour or white bread flour, sifted Basic ingredients
1 teaspoon salt • 250g good quality cooking chocolate
• 50g butter
100g (4oz) raisins or sultanas
• 80ml fresh cream
75g (3oz) chopped mixed peel
• 50g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp brandy
Method:
• 50g cocoa powder
1. reheat the oven to 400F, 200C, Gas Mark 6. Butter a
P
20cm (8 in) cake tin and line with lightly buttered
greaseproof paper. directions
2. Pour the milk (or buttermilk) into a bowl, then sprinkle on 1. Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place in a glass bowl over simmering water (make sure the bowl isn´t touching
the water) - you mustn´t stir the chocolate as it melts
the sugar and yeast. Leave for around 10 minutes –
it should start to go frothy. 2. When the chocolate has completely melted remove from over the heat and add the butter and the cream and
mix together well
3. Combine the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and beat
them together until they are very fluffy. Then beat in the 3. Add the brandy and the icing sugar and continue mixing until all the ingredients form a thick smooth mixture
eggs gradually, followed by the lemon and orange rind (and 4. Place the mixture in the fridge for about 30 mins
the vanilla extract if you’re using it). 5. Finally form small balls with the mixture and lightly dust with the cocoa powder - place on a plate to serve.
4. lace the flour and salt in a large bowl. Now gently fold in
P
the milky/yeast fluid, followed by the creamed butter/sugar
mixture. Mix them all together until you have a soft dough. French champagne soup
5. ut the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for
P
about 5 minutes until it’s smooth. Ingredients:
6. hen place the dough into an oiled plastic bag (or cover with
T
• 1 bottle of Champagne
a tea-towel and leave in a warm place). Leave it for about an
• 200 g of fresh raspberries
hour until it has doubled in size.
• 1 glass of Cointreau
7. Sprinkle the raisins/sultanas and mixed peel over the dough.
Knead until they are completely mixed in. Place the mixture • 1 glass of syrup of cane sugar
in the cake tin and leave it in a warm place, until it has
doubled in size again. It will take about 45 minutes.
8. When it has risen, bake it in the oven for 10 minutes, then Preparation (5 Minutes)
reduce the heat to 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4 and bake it for 1. The day before, mix the raspberries, the glass of Cointreau and the glass of sugar syrup in a salad bowl.
another 30 minutes. When it’s done it should be golden
2. Leave overnight.
brown and firm to the touch. Cool the panettone, and dust it
3. Put the bottle of Champagne in the fridge.
with icing sugar.
4. Pour it on the mix just before serving and enjoy when it is cold.
by: Francesco Baldrighi

7. ProfILEs ISSUE 3 December 2009
MEMo Board
MaNfrEd BELKIN INtErNaL BEta
tIEfENBachEr tEstING ProGraM
VP of Finance for Belkin EMEA
Would you like a chance to get hold of networking
products before they come out? FOR FREE!
Manfred is the VP of Finance for As part of our continuing efforts to improve our
Belkin EMEA. He joined Belkin on products and ensure they deliver the performance
September 1st. and customer experience we have come to
expect we are soon going to begin our internal
He joins Belkin after working for 17.5 testing program for networking products. This
is open to all levels of technical experience and
years at Phillips, of which the last 10 anyone employed by Belkin, I don’t just want
years has been in the Netherlands. “geeks” responding so don’t feel shy to answer!
The program will involve the participants being
In his last role Manfred acted as given upcoming products while they are under
Financial Director for the Phillips development and those people to use the products
Consumer Lifestyle Sales Organization for the Benelux and and test certain aspects and provide feedback and
reports back on different aspects of the product
was based in Eindhoven. to PM. The testing will have to be done outside of
working hours so you must be willing to invest your
Before that he covered several roles as Financial Controller own time in the scheme, the reward is that once
in the Phillips Consumer Electronics Headquarters in you’ve completed testing the products in most
Amsterdam. He also collected several years of experience in cases you’ll get to keep that product for nothing,
the industrial environment within Phillips in Vienna, Belgium, or get a free sample later on if we require it back.
Hungary and Hong Kong. They must be willing to:
• Spend time using the product, both in an
In his private life Manfred used to be a fanatic Volleyball player unprompted (treating it as an end user)
participating in the national Austrian competition for many and it some saves prompted manner
years. He also used to Mountain bike and Snowboard in his (Following specific instructions).
spare time. • Provide written feedback in the form of short
reports and in some cases grades of the
Since most of his hobbies are not really fit for the Dutch product in terms of performance, ease of use.
mountains he currently spends a lot of time with his family. • Provide sensible product suggestions
for enhancements on the products.
Daughter Lena (3 years
and also soon welcoming If you are interested let me know, please confirm
another member to the you could do the above and what a quick run down
of what networked devices you have and internet
family expected in April connection. I will then let the ones chosen to
2010. participate know and will contact them once the first
program begins. Of course those involved will be
required to sign an NDA to confirm they won’t allow
early knowledge of products outside the organization.
Contact: martinw@belkin.com
by: Manfred Tiefenbacher by: Martin Worth
coMfort MousE raNGE
Product
Belkin have developed a brand new range of mice which
place your hand in the optimum position for working
ProfILE
in comfort. The new mice are shaped in the design
preferred by ergonomics experts for ultimate comfort
wherever you use your laptop.
The new Wireless Comfort Mouse has been
ergonomically designed to provide the most
comfortable shape to fit your hand and has a
clever magnetic perch which attaches the mouse
to your laptop so you can move easily from room
to room without leaving your mouse behind.
The new Bluetooth Comfort Mouse connects
wirelessly to laptops with built in Bluetooth
technology so there’s no need to use a
Bluetooth dongle with your laptop. The mouse
also features the same ergonomic design as
the Wireless Comfort Mouse.

8. ISSUE 3 December 2009 EvENts
BELKIN hoLLaNd
Halloween party
Halloween
Party
Friday 30th Oc
tober
5pm - 9pm
Place: Canteen
Costumes requir
ed!
octoBEr 30th 2009
If you work with so many different cultures
there is always something to celebrate!
30 people joined in for our evening halloween
party!! It was a fun night!!
For those who dressed up to scare the others it
was hysterical. Gruesome zombies, vampires,
mental patients, pirates, bats and more scary
characters crawled out of the woodwork.
But you know food, drinks, games and
decorations that’s all easy to arrange.
Having people dress the part that was
something we couldn’t control. ...check out
those pictures…it was amazing!
A mafia game was organised which brought
out the fighting spirit in some people!!
Winners were the US team.
A few of our colleague’s had never been to a
Halloween party before and they went all out,
beautiful costumes, great make up and the
props were just outrageous. Three prizes were
presented to the winning costumes.
thank you everybody for making it
a halloween party to remember!
by: Josian Sweens & Marie vd Boon

9. EvENts ISSUE 3 December 2009
suMMEr Photo for thE NExt EdItIoN BaBy PIcturEs
coMPEtItIoN Next Issues competition is for the cutest baby pictures, seeing as
Belkin is re-populating during the next few months.
Thank you to all the participants, the photos were all amazing. They will Closing date is April 25th 2010.
be put to a vote on Intouch and the winner will be announced in the next
issue.
Last EdItIoNs coMP: hoLIday Photos
Last Issues competition was for your photographs. To send in your
1 2
holiday photos, sunsets, crazy fun pictures. A prize will be given for the
best photo. Voting will be on Intouch.
coMPEtItIoN
sPEEd shoPPING
An original Open2Europe concept
(our French PR Agency), Speed
3 4 Shopping is a day-long event
designed to promote our products
personally to over 200 journalists
from the French consumer and
specialized press.
Whether it be during their lunch
break or between meetings,
journalists can easily find a
moment in their day to stop by,
thanks to a central location with
public transportation nearby.
5 6 Sneak-previews of upcoming
products so that Speed Shopping
attendees have « scoops » to write
about. Products are staged in an
original and logical way in order
to help journalists understand the
products’ usefulness.
A « Shopping list », filled out by
each journalist during his visit and
handed back to us at the exit, will
allow us to keep track of which
7 8 products he/she was interested in.
by: Delphine Pichois
LuNch & LEarN
On September 17th we started
the Dutch lessons at the Belkin
Amsterdam office. Since I am not
BELKIN uK socIaL charIty EvENt a qualified teacher, I prepared
myself by going to the University
to follow some lessons and see
how they teach the “Delftse
method”.
We started out with 16 students The Dutch classes are on
Winner of the Belkin UK Social “BBC Children in Tuesday evening and Thursday
but along the way we lost 4 so
Need”, “Guess the cake weight” competition. evening after office hours.
right now we have a firm group
of 12, beginners and more
the winner was: advanced students.
I also noticed that the Dutch
colleague’s in the office help out
lorna Mcdowell in the Finance dept It’s tough to study another by talking to them in Dutch.
The Cake Weighed : 2108g (4 lb and 10.35 oz.) language next to their regular They all make great progress and
We had a sheet with 230 different weights to choose from. Belkin work days but they all by the end of the course (end of
make the time. April 2010) they will all be able to
You gave £1 a go to BBC Children in Need...then picked a weight.
The students are very speak fluent Dutch.
The lovely “Smarties” topped sponge cake (made especially for us),
enthusiastic and some even
was supplied for the competition by Faye
use their lunch time to study. by: Josian Sweens
by: Andrew Albrecht

10. ISSUE 3 December 2009 EvENts
froM russIa wIth
vENus travELs LovE continued…
“…Gonna travel, gonna Only an $80k gift to the right
official and you can be that guy.
travel wild and free I’m
So outside of working and sitting
gonna pack my bags in traffic, how is life in Moscow?
because this great big For starters, very few people
world is calling me…” speak English. I have been trying
to learn the Cyrillic alphabet so
I can at least read a menu and
know which stores sell what.
Deep-deep inside of big cold Mother Russia a little Most of sales people in stores are stuck to the The letters are not what they
town in a small state called Bashkortostan, located computer in the store chatting on ICQ to their friends seem – a ‘P’ is a ‘R’, a ‘3’ is a
on the border of Eurasia and Siberia in the great Ural and when you enter the store they give you the “ oh, ‘Z’, a ‘C’ is a ‘S’, etc. Learning
Mountains. People live as we are over here in Belkin NO! What do you want?!’’ stare. And if you are not to speak the basics is key to be
able to negotiate with the taxis
but are different in many ways. local – be prepared that everyone will try to “pull your
and order a beer. I wish I had a
leg” especially if you are on the market. bit more cultural insight to share,
Locals are called “Bashkirs” and But generally people are friendly in their own way as they tell me this city is covered
they speak the Bashkir language. as the life is very hard over there. Just to give you with Museums and Theatres.
The name Bashkir is recorded for an example: over here if we go to Media Markt we It is part of my personal FY10
SMART plan to better round my
the first time at the beginning of can afford to buy from our salary a €350 flat screen Moscow experience on that front
Local girl Carina the 10th century in the writings of 32’’TV – over there the same TV costs €450 in now that my wife is over here. It
the Arab writer Ibn Fadlan (have Russian Rubles about 20 000 RUB and most of people has been fun exploring the real
you read it?). At that time, Bashkirs lived as nomadic earn between 8 000 – 12 000 RUB a month. The old Russian restaurants – learning
generation like retired folks get even less: 3 500 – to eat Pelmeni, Borsch, raw
cattle breeders and bread horses:
sturgeon and all kinds of pickled
4 500 RUB a month. vegetables. Don’t forget those
But that was back then. Today The local food though is something various rounds of full bottles of
majority of that little city are to experience! Usually there is flavoured of vodka.
Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars (not lots of food on the table! There is We have also met many expats
in Moscow who have shown
tartars – don’t mix nation with a tradition – if guest has arrived us the hottest restaurants and
food), Bashkirs, Vietnamese (don’t to the house then family (usually trendiest nightlife hotspots. The
ask me how they have ended up there). women) will be preparing a big meal for the guest quality of restaurants and variety
Today that little city is famous (in while the host (usually men) will entertain the guest of ethnic food options available
with alcohol and chat. is a welcome surprise. Although
Russia) for building helicopters (the
the fact that Moscow is Top 3
only thing is that they don’t know how most expensive cities in the
to sell them). Some of Bashkir foods: world, makes going out tough on
the old ABN AMRO card once
Winters in that area can be very Manti – or meat dumplings similar the FX hits the bank statement.
severe. The temperature might to steamed Dim-Sums
go down to -430. Summers are
usually warm and dry, average
Winter snow storm.
temperature of +250 or even +300. Vack Belash –
Pedestrian paths are
cleaned with tractors meat pastry
The very cool thing about that little city is the nature: Ragu –
wild forest, fast current rivers, very fresh air. Not cool or simply a well-known stew
things: people are not really friendly (in fact most of them
look grumpy) – you are not respected if you are showing Any idea what’s the name of the city I am talking about?
soft personality. Service in stores is really bad – you
almost need to apologies for entering the store and To be continued…
asking sales person a question.
oPENING of thE GaME rooM - dutch offIcE
The Game- We have a huge the opportunity to really let
Room saw it’s flat screen our hair down (for those of
official opening TV with a Wii us who have hair) is great.
on the 21st of console and the It is safe to say that this is simply It is a nice feeling to be back here
October 2009 accompanying the beginning of things to come. for yet another winter season as
by Nima. This Wii Resort game, a professional Belkin has made good on one of Russia is definitely feeling more
was done officially with a ribbon Dart Board and hopefully we will the requests from her employees. like home and I have enjoyed
cutting ceremony (corny but cool) be adding some more goodies Let’s hope that this is only the tip getting to know Moscow. I look
with the help of our fellow of the ice-berg forward to seeing what this FY10
Due to the hard work of the Belkinians and Nima of course. and that we chapter in Russia has in store for
Employee Forum and the will be seeing us. I would like to thank all the
assistance of Inger Since the opening the many more Belkin teams for their support of
Jansen we now have Game Room has seen great things the Belkin Russia business as
a great location many of us blowing happening we work thru the growing pains,
to spend the few off steam, all for our within the deliver on our targets, and build a
fleeting minutes that own reasons. Just Belkin B.V. sound foundation for the future.
Belkin allows us to. the fact that we have office.
by: Efrain Montesinos

11. EvENts ISSUE 3 December 2009
BELKIN uK socIaL BELKIN sPoNsors thE yEarLy
PIcNIc IN thE ParK 2009 BBva MarathoN IN MadrId
On November 1st, more than 7,000 athletes joined BBVA,
ANCUR & Belkin in the yearly Carrera Solidaria BBVA in
Madrid, Spain.
ACNUR is the division of the BBVA Bank that leads
community donations to support educational projects in 3rd
We set up a Belkin Social
world countries. This time the donation gained from the 2009
Committee this year after requests
BBVA Marathon will go to support the children in need of the
from the Employee Forum meetings.
refugee camps of Dadaab, Kenya.
We came up with the name BUS
Each of the 7,000 participants donated 5 Euros, and with
(Belkin UK Social) and organised
BBVA duplicating the proceeds, we reach almost €70,000
our first event which was a Picnic
that will benefit the children of Kenya.
in the Park at a local village park,
Irchester Country Park. Belkin participated with the donation over 150 Mobility Soft
Goods products to give away on the web and with the main
It was a fantastic day, the sun was
winner prices.
out and everybody had fun. We had
a very successful raffle on the day ACNUR supports 3 refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya that
and Anita Smith (UK Warehouse) help over 118,070 children in need. We hope to continue the
won the prize of £100. relation with ANCUR so with the help of our products we can
also provide support to children in need around the world.
After the success of Picnic in
the Park we organised a trip to
Peterborough Dog racing which
also went brilliantly and everyone
enjoyed themselves- requesting that
we do a trip there again.
We have plenty of future events
planned and are currently
completing the calendar for 2010.
by: Faye Drage by: Ana Camargo
thE BuPa GrEat North ruN
We appreciate your support and sponsorship as we have managed to
raise over £6,000 for our charity Alzheimer’s.
On Sunday 20th September, Chris and Andrew ran 13.1 miles in the
biggest annual half marathon in the world! They ran to raise funds for
the Alzheimer’s Society.
Chris and Andrew teamed up with 9 other pals from
the village of Olney, and called themselves “Olney
Old Knees”.
If you would like to contribute to Chris and Andrew’s
fund raising, it would be very much appreciated.
You can contribute on-line via:
http://www.justgiving.com/olneyoldknees2009/
....or stop by Chris and Andrew’s desks (UK Office).
The BUPA Great North Run, was shown Live on BBC1.
From 9.30am to 1.30pm, Sunday 20th September 2009.
Andy and Chris meeting up at the finish. With a few mates from
Olney where Chris lives, they joined 50,000 runners and it was a thaNK you for sPoNsorING us for a Good causE!
fantastic and amazing experience! by: Andrew Albrecht & Chris Dodd

12. who Is who: 1. Andrew Albrecht, 2. Suzanne van Gemert, 3. Nima Ahmadinejad, 4. Magda Piotrowska, 5. Veronika Mravcova ,
6. Ana Camargo, 7. Marie van der Boon, 8. Benita Vleugels, 9. Marie-Claude Falardeau, 10. Joey Tang, 11. Tyler Sheble, 12. Inger Jansen,
13. Martin Worth, 14. Peter Pleunes, 15. Filippo Schiavon. 16. Wieteke Lemmen, 17. Alvaro Villalvilla Merelo.
14
16
15
17
10
12
11
13
9
9
6
8
7
5
2
4
3 1
who dId thEsE youNGstErs Grow uP to BE?
EvENts ISSUE 3 December 2009

13. ISSUE 3 December 2009
NEw ParENts wEddINGs
GA G
R EEL
rowan agustin sheBle Michal kaczyk
Tyler & Yazmin Sheble Zdzislaw & Ewa Kaczyk suNGEEta PaBLa
Born: 5th December 2009 Born: 24th October 2009 Married Anoop Singh
Date: 14th October 2009
olivia denash
Martin & Anitha Denash
Born: 12th November 2009
gye
Bright Aboa
Milan roBert van de ven Max roBert haanaPPel Married at the Maharaja Farms
Jean-Paul van de Ven & Charlotte Blom Arnt & Colinda Haanappel Palace in Hoshiarpur, India.
Born: 29th October 2009 Born: 5th November 2009
NEw startErs LEavErs
Chris Eisn
Francesco Baldrighi colin BlakeMore er + Filipp
o Schiavon
Distribution Account Manager - Italy Web Developer - (UK)
Date: 1st October 2009 Date: 16th October 2009
Fraser henderson
Miguel roca National Account Manager - (UK)
Account Executive - Spain Date: 16th October 2009
Date: 15th September 2009
duncan siBley
National Account Manager - (UK)
vicki Monk Date: 16th October 2009 2009
HR Administrator (UK) - Maternity Cover
Date: 5th October 2009
joost van klaveren
Country Manager Benelux - (BV) thew Carr
Date: 30th September 2009 eens + Mat
Josian Sw
esther houghton
Key Account Manager - UK
Date: 2nd November 2009 EMEa says Goodbye to
Joost van Klaveren (after 7.5 years)
Pedro araujo On the evening before his last day we went out
Account Manager - Spain
with the team for a nice dinner. Had some good
Date: 1st November 2009
laughs and nice campfire stories. We handed
over a nice framed poster which has become a
jiM nirMan tradition in the Benelux team when people leave.
National Account Manager - UK
Date: 2nd November 2009 Alvaro Jere
We gather all kind of z
pictures that are made
alex ingleson during the time on events,
Operations Administrator - UK parties, office etc. Normally tori
Date: 2nd November 2009 + Laura Cas
it’s hard to find nice e Falardeau
pictures of people but even Marie-Claud
enrique ernesto in the digital world.....Joost
Account Executive - Spain was there! We’ll miss you!
Date: 15th September 2009
We hope you liked this Christmas issue of our Belkin EMEA Newsletter “Belkin Beat”. We need your help to put together even
better next ones! Because... a newsletter needs content and that should come from you, our EMEA colleagues!
Please forward all your copy & photos to: BelkinBeat@belkin.com & marieb2@belkin.com.
Next Edition will be in May 2010 as I will be away on maternity leave till mid April.
BELKIN NEwsLEttEr
Created by: Peter Pleunes, Wieteke Lemmen, Ana Camargo
Designed & edited by: Marie van der Boon
Please send all material and stories to The editor team: