New colleague: Maikel Bach – Account Manager Germany

IVS is growing! One of our ambitions is to enhance our market position in Germany. Our team was therefore expanded with Maikel Bach, account manager for Germany, as of 1 October. As his last name suggests, there is definitely a link with our eastern neighbours. 

How did you get on to IVS?

Maikel: "I came across the job of Account Manager Germany via LinkedIn. I had been looking for a new challenge in a new industry for a while. The description tied in nicely with what I was looking for: a sales position with Germany as the work area." Why? "German is my second language, I read and write it fluently, have a German passport and some of my father's family live in Germany, so I feel quite at home there. Incidentally, I also speak the Helmond dialect fluently. My wife and I and our two daughters thoroughly enjoy living in Helmond. There was an instant mutual click during the first interview with Director Frank Dielissen, and soon it became clear that with my sales experience, I can help IVS to progress."

Your focus is on Germany – what is your plan?

"The next few months are all about gathering information. First, I would like to get to know IVS, the industry and the products. I am scheduled for a crash course in the ins and outs of compound feed manufacturing at the Feed Design Lab in Wanssum. Germany has great potential for new customers. It is an uncharted area and therefore we are approaching the work in a structured way: first sowing, then harvesting. I will do the preliminary work, after which it becomes a team assignment to optimally fulfil the customers’ wishes. In this respect, I see myself as a hub between the customer and IVS. When I'm with a customer, I represent IVS, and when I'm at the office, I represent the customer."

Why did you choose IVS?

"IVS is still at the beginning of its possibilities. It has already proven its added value in the Netherlands with innovative solutions and beautiful products. The ambition now is to achieve the same across the border. It is easier to make a significant contribution to the growth and development of a smaller company. Frank and Hans are used to giving employees a significant amount of freedom, and that is ideal for me. I've been hired to open doors as widely as possible and put IVS on the German map within three years from now. That's the challenge I'm looking forward to taking up."