A creative who loves to mean something to people

Quite frankly, I was immediately triggered by the word customer advocate. Tell me more! 

‘Basically, it comes down to helping colleagues understand the customer better. And that starts with data. We collect data on customer satisfaction and customer experience – qualitative and quantitative –and from that data we look at how we can serve Zeeman’s customers even better.’  

Are you a data person? 

‘More of a creative person who likes to work with and for people. That’s why I call myself a customer advocate. Data helps me empathise with our customers’ experiences. What is going on in their world, what do they need? And how can we adjust our business accordingly? I like to think about that from a brand perspective. What can a brand mean to people? How do you make a brand like Zeeman strong? I was also working on that during my studies. We also did an assignment for Zeeman at that time.’  

But you didn’t start working for Zeeman right after graduation, did you? 

‘No, Arnoud Versluis had put me in touch with Fightclub in Breda, a creative and online marketing agency, where I stayed after graduation. I remember very well that on the first Monday I worked there, I was allowed to go to a client with a colleague, and I read up on it in the car. I think that’s when the seed of my interest in brand perception was planted. Three years later I joined Zeeman textielSupers, where I am now Brand & Customer Journey Specialist.’  

I saw on your LinkedIn that you also chair the Diversity Network there? 

‘Well, chair… I prefer to call it captain.’  

How did that come about? 

‘About two years ago, the CEO said he wanted to do the quarterly meetings differently. And to start right off, he said, who would like to be CEO for a day? Now, I was always someone who likes to be on stage, so I raised my hand. Yes, at BUas I was also comfortable putting on a star costume for a presentation, so I figured, I could handle this too.’   

And what did you have to do as CEO for a day? 

‘Raise an issue at the next quarterly meeting. No matter what. At first I had no idea what to talk about, but then I suddenly thought of the topic of Diversity & Inclusion.’  

Suddenly? 

‘Okay, not suddenly, it was quite relevant to me at that time in my life. I wanted to spark a kind of open discussion. Without any preconceived goal really. I thought, if I can inspire even one single person in the room, then it’s already a success for me.’    

And how did it turn out? 

‘I got mostly positive reactions. And then you start thinking, there’s more to it, I’ve created a momentum, how am I going to continue? And how can I shape that? Then I started organising sessions and the Open@Zeeman network grew out of that. We now do this with a team of seven people.’    

From left to right: Wilmer with colleagues Caroline van Turennout and Erik-Jan Mares 

And what kind of sessions were these? 

‘Sort of talk shows on topics like unconscious bias. People are often unaware of exactly what they say or ask, and what that does to another person. Just think of a question like, ‘what country are you from?’ – often asked to people of colour. Or suppose you were to ask me, ‘do you have a girlfriend?’ I’d have to go a long way round to answer that. Questions like that can make people very uncomfortable. Whereas you can just ask if someone has a partner or a relationship.’  

Sounds simple. 

‘It isn’t. I really do realise that. I sometimes make mistakes myself. I was in a workshop setting a while back in the context of gender identity and then I said something like, come on guys, we should be able to do this! Kind of stupid.’   

What has the network brought you?  

‘It gives me an awful lot of energy. I have to confess, it was down for a while because I was struggling with burnout. I find myself quite enthusiastic and positive, but when you notice that you can no longer turn the negative into something positive, something has to be done. I then went into therapy, which helped me tremendously. And that experience in turn helps me in my work for the D&I team. When you break D&I down, it’s really about being considerate of each other. You’d hope to see a bit more of that in this tough world.’  

What do you like about working for Zeeman? 

‘That it is in itself a very social brand. Helping each other has always been part of it. Of course we want to maintain that and at the same time make the company future-proof. For example, we are in the process of building a new distribution centre to accommodate the Click & Collect system. Although some people enjoy picking out items in the store – we used to have little awnings over the displays to create that perfect market feel – many now prefer browsing the website from the comfort of their own home. Then they come pick up their order in the store – because, of course, with the prices we charge, we can’t exactly offer home delivery.    

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

‘Not an easy question. I definitely want to continue working on the D&I policy within Zeeman. After all, that is what we do with the network, a bit of nudging here and there, to help shape the policy. And when you then see what we have achieved within two years and that I have actually instigated this purely from personal motivation and involvement, I am quite proud. In any case, I want to mean something to people. I find the themes of learning and development, but also coaching very interesting. But maybe in five years I’ll be on a stage? I have done improvisational theatre and am going to do a course in event moderation. My ambition over the next few years is to work as a moderator or host for events. I get a real buzz from telling other people’s stories.’   

So, heading for the stage then? 

‘Absolutely – I love performing on stage. With my experience, I know how to grab and hold an audience's attention. At Zeeman, I’ve already hosted quite a few events, including the Zeeman Future Challenge with students from various universities, and of course, Open@Zeeman, which was kind of like a College Tour. I enjoy being that “young pup” who asks the question everyone’s dying to hear the answer to.’  

What about teaching? Or a guest lecture? 

‘In my senior year, I received a guest lesson from our Chief Marketing Officer, but I didn’t know that at the time. During the application process, I ran into her again. Who knows, maybe it would also be something for me, giving a guest lecture like that? Arnoud can always call me, but he knows that!’   

Interview: Maaike Dukker-‘t Hart