Tell us about Willeke.
I am 54 years old, married, and live in the Dutch countryside. I love the outdoors. I have two dogs and eight horses, possibly a new foal next year, as one of our horses is pregnant.
I studied Animal Nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Since I wanted to do my practical training outside the standard group of animals—cows, pigs and chickens—I went to New Zealand to support in a PhD on feline nutrition. I did my Master’s thesis on canine nutrition at Utrecht University, clinical nutrition for pets. After my studies there, I was contacted by one of the professors in the program with news about a career opportunity in a pet food company as PD & QA manager. That was the start of what is now my professional path for almost three decades.
The company I started with became part of PPF. We are now Europe’s largest canned pet food / private label producer. I am honoured to help lead this achievement.
Which of PPF’s values are most important to you?
The company’s commitment to the well-being of its employees is impressive. For me, this commitment extends into the quality and health of the products PPF produces. I have always loved what I do and my pets are my standard. It is all interconnected. We make an incredible range of products, each safe and healthy. No pet owner should ever have to worry about this!
Honesty and respect are also core values for me. We have to be open-minded and passionate about our work. My team is flexible to work as they see fit and to be self-starters. We hold each other responsible for the promised deliverables, though I am not concerned about when and where those deliverables are worked on. I like to start early in the morning. Some do not. Of course, if something is urgent, everyone must take part.
You manage a distributed team. What is the secret?
The team is quite diverse, in addition to being distributed. I have adapted my communication methods to fit each member’s personality. This has involved coaching sessions and a better understanding of employees’ character traits through the DISC assessment, which stands for dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance. Our team is very mobile and interacts a lot. If one facility’s team needs input or help from a team member at another facility, we encourage information sharing and, if needed, site visits.
While the pandemic put great stress on my team and our communications, we made it work. I visit our facilities regularly, and we make it a point to meet once a year with the whole PD team, usually in October, not to talk about facts and figures but to engage with each other and have fun.
I believe in being entrepreneurial in your work and creating space for each team member to be visible. I encourage team members to make presentations about their work and their areas of expertise. I want to get them out of their comfort zones and in front of other departments and the company. This is done to support continuous improvement and prepare ourselves for the challenges we are facing together.
What is an exciting project you are working on? Something you are looking forward to?
We are refitting our facility in Ittervoort, the Netherlands, to be the home for PPF’s super premium paté production. This is exciting and an incredible opportunity to show off our teamwork across several departments. I am very passionate about my work and my team's work. I love the meetings and discussions with sales and potential new customers on how we can start cooperations. These discussions also lead to new ideas about production processes, quality assurance and procurement and brings solutions on how to best structure the plant for the future. Collaboration between departments really pays of in these developments.
Who inspires you?
Henrik von Eckermann with his horse King Edward. Henrik is one of the best horse jumpers of the world and together they make a(n almost) perfect team.
In their case 1 + 1 indeed makes 3. Henrik is an ordinary guy who could be anybody’s next-door neighbour. He found his dream horse King Edward, and together they have won lots of big tournaments. The horse would walk through fire for the rider. The dedication, commitment and respect between the two of them make the magic come true. Part of the story is that even this harmony is very delicate: during the Olympics in Paris this summer, there was a tiny “miscommunication” between them and Henrik fell off the horse. With this he lost the chance to win the Olympic title.
Despite this, their unity is still exemplary from the point of view of teamwork, commitment, respect and trust: even if you make mistakes or miscommunication happens, you can always learn from it and carry on.
