It all started a few years ago on Saint Martin, where his adventure at WBE began.

Now, almost 10 years later, he is still working at WBE, but then at the office in the Netherlands. We spoke to Cees Jan, who as a financial director is always aware of the ins and outs of WBE.

ead all about his work, his start at WBE and more in the interview.

Tell something about yourself (age, relation, place of residence etc.)
I am Cees Jan Roos, born on 28 October 1966 in Gouda, so I will be 55 this year. I am married to Lonneke Cramer and we have 3 children: Karel, Wessel and Emma and the 5 of us live in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel.

What are your hobbies (besides working hard at WBE)?
In terms of hobbies, things have changed since the Corona era. Before, I could be found at the gym twice a week, but nowadays I try to ride my racing bike at least twice a week. Furthermore, I like to be somewhere on the football field at the weekend, standing along the line at Rijnsburgse Boys or one of the other amateur clubs to which we are connected as a sponsor. I/we also like to travel, but that has been on the back burner for over 1 ½ years now.

What education did you do?
After my VWO, I obtained my HBO Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (SPD) and, through my work, I followed various internal and external courses in the field of organisation, taxation, acquisitions and valuations.

What did you do before you started working at WBE?
After obtaining my secondary school diploma, I started working at KPMG in Rotterdam, in addition to studying one day a week; after almost 10 years, I was hired as an office manager at the then Stolk & Partners (now DRV) in De Lier; this is where I first came into contact with WBE, where I was involved in auditing the annual accounts and the private affairs of Jaap and Ineke. After 2 years in Westland, I got the opportunity to go to Sint Maarten to build up a 'new' office at KPMG. After 6 years at KPMG doing various jobs throughout the Caribbean it was time for a next step and in 2003 I started Hassink & Roos together with a former KPMG director. In 2004, Mark Stolk called me to say that Peter Baak was 'in the neighbourhood' to set up a company in the region. Now Curaçao was still a 1 ½ hour flight from St. Maarten but eventually I met Peter & Philip and eventually WBE International was founded; not on Curaçao but on St. Maarten. As a (part-time) director, I wanted to know more about the trade and so, from 2009 onwards, I joined them on their travels to suppliers in Central America and later the United States. During the wedding of Jacqueline & Peter on St. Maarten in 2011, I was asked to join the WBE group as financial director, which eventually led to the conclusion of our foreign adventure and a move to the Netherlands at the end of June 2012.

What department do you work in at WBE?
In the financial department as director.

At which branch do you work?
From that date onwards, my place of employment is Honselersdijk, but I can regularly be found at the various locations of the different (subsidiary) companies.

What does your average workday look like?
I usually start at the office around 7-7.30, depending on the location. In general, I work until 4-4.30 pm in the afternoon. In the evening, I sometimes have a (telephone) consultation with Ana/Mafer of WBE International in Guatemala or with other suppliers in Central America or the United States. During the day, I am mainly occupied with financial matters, but I also deal with various matters in the field of HR, automation, facilities, organisation, certification etc.

What do you like most about your job?
The best thing about my job is the diversity; despite the fact that many things return every day, week or month, there are always new things to do and the floriculture sector and everything that is directly or indirectly related to it is constantly changing.

What do you like least about your job?
There is not really anything I don't like, but I do find it difficult that we sometimes deal with parties who only go for the lowest price and ignore quality; as far as I am concerned, WBE stands for high-quality product and reliable service, and that simply comes with a price tag.

What is your favourite product? Why?
I love the diversity of products we offer our customers; whether it is the regulars like salal, leather fern or aralia or the seasonal products. If I have to choose a favourite, I would go for the various eucalyptus products from Northern Italy and Southern France.

Do you still have ambitions within WBE?
Ambitions is a broad term - I think it is important that we, as management, maintain a sustainable and tenable WBE organisation, for now and for 5-10 years to come. And of course, I hope to be part of that for as long as possible.