An interview with Wouter Ubbels – Director of Business Development Americas for Nedap Retail

Three and a half years ago my family and I decided to take the leap and move to America. At the time I was working for Nedap based out of our headquarters located in Groenlo. Moving to America seemed like a good opportunity to contribute from abroad. And it was: I have not regretted the decision for a single moment. If you are open to the American way of doing and thinking, you will learn a lot. In addition, America is of course incredibly wide and diverse. In terms of working for Nedap, there are great challenges; there is still so much opportunity to expand our business.

Nedap’s way of being ‘bossy’

As a Director of Sales at Nedap Retail, I make sure we stay on track when it comes to our sales strategy.  At Nedap, we have a different business approach compared to American companies. For example, I am not necessarily right just because I am ‘the boss’. Nor do I tell anyone to work from nine to five. Everyone lives up to their own responsibility. We make sure to hire the best people who don’t need to be bossed around. Everyone knows what to do to offer our customers the most innovative solutions.

The 24-hour Nedapper

When you are a Nedapper, you are so 24 hours a day. This means that you can sometimes be challenged by colleagues after ‘working time’ by phone. But it also means that you could go home for private reasons without having to ask for permission first. This flexibility makes working internationally – in which you have to deal with time differences – much easier. What is helpful as well, is meeting each other in person at the office as much as we can. I always stress the importance of doing so. For instance, when you work a few days physically next to a certain colleague, you suddenly have a better understanding of the digital communication between the two of you.

A dynamic, international and innovative club

With experience in both countries, I can clearly see a difference between doing business here in America and in the Netherlands. For example, America is focused more on short term strategies. As a result, business can be less in-depth than in Europe, but it can also mean that you move forward faster.

As a Dutch organization in America, we are constantly discovering, learning and celebrating our successes. Which makes ‘now’ a great moment to join us. We are certainly going in the right direction, but at the same time we still have a lot of ambitions to achieve. If you were to join Nedap Retail in America now, it means you will be joining a dynamic, international and innovative club that is developing quickly. Nedap will offer you plenty of possibilities to truly add your personal value to the team.

Nedapper Wouter Ubbels

‘Nedap still has a lot of ground to gain here in America. That means that we are constantly on the move: we discover, learn and try. That also means plenty of room for you to make your own contribution. Everyone’s contribution is valuable to Nedap; even when you are new to the team! And that is especially important to me.  Oh and, traveling is going to be a big part of your job as well. You have to like to travel – like I do.’