In today’s blog post, we’re taking you with us on a little coffee break at the TimeChimp office in Amsterdam to meet one of our operational masterminds: Luuk Gielen. Outside, the weather is grey and rainy, but inside Luuk’s mood is the right opposite. Cheerfully, he talks about his challenges, which means the conversation is really about the challenges of staffing and consultancy agencies as well as IT teams. ‘Those are the customers who we give daily insight into the productivity of their people, so they can continue to monitor project profitability.’
Grab a coffee, lean back and learn more about Luuk and his role as Head of Commerce at TimeChimp!
Meet Luuk Gielen – Head of Commerce
- Team NL
- Lives in Alkmaar
- Born in Limburg
- 44 years old
- Drinks his coffee black ☕
How Luuk ended up at TimeChimp
Before coming to work at TimeChimp, Luuk’s expertise was in hardware rather than software. He worked in the office furnishings industry and modernized many companies both nationally and internationally. ‘It was an interesting time because there were many innovative products on the market due to the rise of remote work and the increasing attention to the health of office workers.’
In search for a new challenge, Luuk eventually decided to enter the SaaS jungle and start as Head of Commerce at TimeChimp in November last year. Since then, he has made a big impact.
What does the “Head of Commerce” do?
As our Head of Commerce, Luuk is responsible for the ‘marketing’, ‘sales’ and ‘customer success’ teams at TimeChimp. As the captain he steers the ship and gives directions, so his crew is able to set sail towards a Treasure Island full of happy customers.
‘We want to grow strongly, and it’s my job to manage that process well. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Such a process takes time. As a management team, we want to establish a clear structure. We discuss the progress of our strategy every month and communicate this internally openly and clearly.’
Luuk is happy with the enthusiastic and ambitious people in his team. ‘We can really help customers improve their time management. This has a direct impact on their cash flow and profit margins. My biggest challenge at the moment is to expand the team quickly and find the right people for it.’
But Luuk’s ship is not the only one in the TimeChimp fleet: He works closely with Stephanus, who manages the product teams. ‘We have to do it together. I look with admiration at the technical challenges they face. We can only grow if we continue to innovate and improve our product.’
Luuk emphasizes that in a growth process, it’s important to keep your eye on the ball: ‘The ball is our current and new customers. Those are the people for whom we make this product, and our objectives should be aligned with theirs. That’s why everyone at TimeChimp needs to know exactly what they need to do and who we’re doing it for.’
How Luuk Tackles Time Management
Just like everyone at TimeChimp, Luuk has also found a strategy for managing his time in the most efficient way possible: On Sunday evenings, he takes a moment to reflect on the past week and look ahead to the coming week. ‘I critically look at the appointments in my calendar and prioritize them. Then I have control over the week and the week doesn’t have control over me.’
After work & private life
Obviously there’s more to Luuks life than just TimeChimp. He values his free time and likes to spend it with his girlfriend, children, and friends. To maintain balance, he crushes his CrossFit routine a few times a week and is determined to master kitesurfing too. ‘Kitesurfing was one of the hardest things I’ve learned. I do like a challenge and don’t give up easily.’
In addition, he likes to read non-fiction books. ‘The books I think even my children should read are: ‘How to win friends and influence people’ (Dale Carnegie) and ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ (Stephen Covey). They are classics that are about connecting with other people and how that works.’
Want to know who else is working at TimeChimp? Check out our team!
