1. What do you still hope
to achieve in your career?
I would like to work on a large global scale
project. I would find it so interesting to
work together with a very diverse group of
individuals, learning from one another by
sharing knowledge and experience.
Looking back, what advice would you
give to your teenage self?
I would tell myself to take a year or so to
travel internationally and explore the world
before entering the world of work.
What advice would you give
to someone looking to grow
their career as you did?
Don’t be too fixated on your next step;
I never really planned mine, things just
happened. Focus on doing what you like
to do as this tends also to be what you’re
good at and will be noticed by others.
Work closely with your team and get
to know those around you. Be curious
and explore every opportunity within
a business and never rule out options
before you have fully investigated them.
What tips would you give others to effectively manage change?
What are you passionate about
outside of work?
I like to play golf with my husband, for fun
and competitively and have recently taken
up running- having previously thought
I never could! I also love to cook and wine
and dine with friends.
This is My Story
Take your
time in the early
stages to get to
know where the
business is now
Speak to as many
people as possible
in order to understand
the many points of
view on the
situation
Invest energy in
building strong
relationships...
...this will prove
invaluable when you
need to influence
people to work through
change towards
a new goal
And remember that
planning on paper is
simple, but executing
a plan in reality may
require more thought
and tenacity!
Dinette Koolhaas,
Neuchatel,
Switzerland
Who inspired you to be
who you are today?
The people who have inspired and
influenced me the most are my parents.
Together they started two grocery busi-
nesses from scratch and managed them
for over 40 years. They were an entrepre-
neurial, dynamic duo and always looked
for new opportunities to grow the busi-
nesses. They also taught me the impor-
tance of team work.
How did you get in to the staffing industry?
I had been working within a logistical consultancy organisation for around 5 years. ‘Unique’,
as owned by USG people, was opening a new branch n the eastern part of the Netherlands
and I successfully applied for a Sales Executive role within the fast-growing market. I held this
position for just over a year before taking the first of several internal promotions. Initially
I became Branch Manager of a failing branch then later, once I had turned the branch around,
I went on to become the District Manager, before joining the country leadership team as the
Regional Director. I went on to work on some of USG’s new business acquisitions specialised
like Secretary Plus and mass customised like Start People, which was 5 times the size of USG.
3 years later, whilst on holiday in Italy, I took a call from a head hunter regarding a position at
Kelly. That is where my Kelly story began and now 5 years down the line, my current position
has become the longest I’ve held!
