Martijn Knol Email & Phone Number

Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

I have to be honest: during a restructuring this role was created, and after many years leading Sales Support I thought it’d make a change. I was right about that, except not the right one for me. For Christmas I gave myself the conclusion that after growing up at TomTom/Webfleet the time had come for a change of scene.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

What's better than leading an Amsterdam team of four or five great SaSu's? I found out after my promotion to Sales Support Manager (a position that had not existed previously), getting to work with teams in Leipzig, Warsaw and Barcelona. Process improvement, building dashboards, performance reviews, coaching, projects, stakeholder management; "kat in 't bakkie", as a Dutch person bolder than myself would say.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

From CS team member to SaSu Manager, it had been quite the ride at TomTom Telematics. Early 2019 the business was acquired by Bridgestone, and renamed. Lest I rest on my laurels for a time I managed the Accounts Receivable team in parallel with Sales Support.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

I regretted accepting the role nearly every second of the day for three months after becoming the Team Lead for Sales Support (and CRM, but I'll immediately admit that I failed to give the CRM members the required attention). Who'd have guessed that being a great performer's no guarantee for being even a mediocre leader? I lost sleep, I had migraines for the first time since giving up smoking years earlier, I was close to begging for my previous job.But after some time something clicked. Two habits made the difference: carefully planning (which includes prioritisation: you can't have one without the other, in Sinatra's words) and regular contact with the team. By the start of 2015 any regret had been replaced with a drive to be the best Sales Support Team Lead the world had ever seen.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

Honestly, I did not even know "Sales Support" was a thing when I applied for the Sales Support UKI role. My manager from Customer Support had encouraged me. Lo and behold, it was just the job for me. Checking and filing contracts, resolving payment issues or conflicts*. It was in this time I went from being a good employee that completed tasks correctly and efficiently, to one that takes initiatives, looks for improvements and ways of helping the organisation... which set me up nicely for the next role.* I once saw an interview with a diplomat, and he said that in any conflict he knows he's found the right solution when everyone's mutually unhappy. It's an excellent observation to keep in mind through life.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

After a brief vacation in Barcelona, I was ready for my new challenge at TomTom Work. I'd still be supporting customers from the Dutch corner of the world, but now in a B2B setting.

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

This started as a part-time role, next to my "Cultural Anthropology" studies (which you might notice I don't list in the "Education" section: it took all of three weeks to realise that it wasn't for me). Some time elapsed, I increased the working hours, and it turned out I wasn't bad at this technical support thing. My supervisor must have agreed: one morning when TomTom's CEO Harold Goddijn visited the department, he was escorted to my desk to listen to a handful of real customer calls.A particular highlight from this period was a call from Dutch television presenter Philip Freriks about the whereabouts of his order.

The Hague Area, Netherlands

I turned up at Shell's The Hague headquarters in a new shirt and decent trousers (the recruiter from my interview had insisted) for a stint at their STIA (Short Term International Assignment) Desk. From day to day, being part of the team included a lot of waiting for managers' assignment approvals, various STIA Desk members - myself included - falling over one another to have something to process (entering data on SAP, calculating allowances, organising flights), and lunch.

Paris Area, France

I traded Utrecht for Paris with big ideas of becoming a film maker. Alas, after two months I'd run out of anything in the bank (unless we consider negative amounts), so I had to find employment. I was in luck: Pixmania needed a bilingual Dutch/French speaker to support their Benelux customers. Perfect: I could speak one of these languages. My French skills weren't tested, and I was hired.After a spell in the Customer Support team I joined the newly formed "Pôle Administratif". As a pôler, I processed many a financial transaction, processed orders, followed up on shipment issues. By the time it was time to return to The Netherlands, more than two and a half years later, I'd met some amazing people (including MTV legend Ray Cokes, who was at the office filming a commercial one afternoon), and learned a little French.

Utrecht Area, Netherlands

Around the time of the Enschede fireworks disaster, I came to the realisation that spending more time (theoretically) and money on my studies was a waste of both. I'd find my first job and during the summer decide my next move. Despite my Robert Smithesque hairdo, I was offered a position at De Slegte bookstore. I started, literally, in the basement among the literary works, and history and self-help books, and worked my way up to the ground (bestsellers, cooking, hobby, kids) and famous halfth (art, photography) floors. I was trusted with more responsibilities (opening and closing, daily admin, bank deposits), as well as my first experiences in leadership when the boss was away (which often included the words "alright guys, let's take it easy. We've done enough for one day").