One day he works in Westland, the next in Rijnsburg. Wherever he is, one thing is certain: his agenda is pretty full!

As a commercial manager, he is a jack of all trades. Whether it concerns monitoring sales to supporting the Marketing team. Gerben Kuivenhoven is an important link within the WBE Group.

Curious what his (busy) days look like? Read the entire interview with Gerben.

Tell us about yourself (age, relationship, place of residence, etc.) 

My name is Gerben Kuivenhoven, 39 years old, married, living in Rijnsburg with my wife Jolanda and 2 beautiful daughters Isabelle and Anne-Fleur.

What are your hobbies (besides the hard work at WBE)?

I really enjoy going to the gym and after an hour of strength training I treat myself to a half hour of sauna. On the weekend I take a mountain bike trail with a few friends and on Sundays I like to go out with my family.

What did you study? 

I studied Havo at the Pieter Groen College in Katwijk.

What did you do before you started working at WBE?

My parents often told me in the past: go learn now, otherwise, you will end up in the flower industry. They were right...

After the Pieter Groen College I did not know what I wanted to do. I started working full-time at a car company where I already worked on the weekends. A good friend of mine who worked at WBE Rijnsburg at that time told me that they were looking for someone on the floor. That is how I started my story at WBE in 2001 and so I ended up in the flower industry.

In which department do you work at WBE?

The commercial department.

At which branch do you work?

I mainly work at the main office in the Westland. But I also regularly visit Rijnsburg and Aalsmeer.

What does your average working day look like?

Fortunately, my working day looks different every day. I monitor sales, prices, numbers of products, customers across all branches, keep an eye on the market and developments and respond to them. Talk to salespeople and customers and think about how we can improve cooperation and stimulate sales. I support and think along in the Marketing of WBE. When there are (commercial) problems or issues, I jump in or assist and always try to find a solution.

What do you like best about your job? 

What I enjoy most is visiting customers with the salesperson. Entering into dialogue with the customer with the aim of strengthening cooperation. There are always points for improvement and those are the challenges that give me energy.

What do you like least about your job? 

What I like the least is taking minutes of a discussion or meeting, I prefer to leave that to someone else.

What is your favorite product? Why? 

My favorite is salal. It is a perfect filler with a long shelf life and WBE has the strong brands / suppliers in house, which also makes selling the product fun.

Do you have any ambitions within WBE?

After various positions within WBE, my ambition now is to fulfill my new position as commercial manager as well as possible.