“There are plenty of opportunities to help you develop — if you take the initiative”

Mariska Ernes-Jeurissen, business consultant

“Seven years ago, I was keen to take a new direction in my career, which is how I ended up applying for a job at APG. Being a business information consultant, I was immediately in my element: APG was purchasing a new ERP system. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there for part of the roll-out of this high-impact project, as I was on maternity leave. But upon my return, I had a series of fresh challenges to take on, such as introducing and developing agile working in our team. I must say, we’ve managed to achieve something truly special as a team.

After a few years, I was ready for the next step – I can’t sit still for long! Following talks with my manager, I embarked on a career path to work my way up to a managerial position. It was incredibly fun, educational, and valuable. And that’s precisely what makes APG a great employer, in my view. There are plenty of opportunities to help you develop, but you have to take the initiative and commit to them.

Shortly before my manager’s retirement date, he told me they already had a successor in mind — cue long pause. My initial reaction was confusion: That they thought I had the potential to become a manager for our team came as a bit of a surprise. After all, I personally hadn’t realized that I’d already reached that point... Although I’ve always wanted to grow into a managerial role, I wasn’t sure that it would ever happen. Their firm belief that I was ready was a huge confident boost. And I haven’t regretted it for a second! It felt daunting at first, but it’s turned out to be an extremely positive experience.

I think it’s important for APG to create value for society. How many people can say they work for a company that impacts the financial future of nearly five million people? I'm working, as it were, for my father’s pension (he worked at the Police department) and my sister’s pension (she works in education).

It’s also hugely appealing to me that APG has so much influence and impact on sustainability and human rights. And we also value diversity!

Diversity is also one of the reasons I studied International Business in 2001 and enjoyed a year abroad in Calgary, which I can safely say was the best semester of my student career.

Despite my work not being especially internationally oriented, the fact that I’m not pining for that aspect is testament to the positive dynamics in my current role. Our team is the bridge between the Business and the IT organization — we’re the essential connecting piece. I deal with many disciplines and areas of interest and consult daily with colleagues at HR, Legal, and Finance. After all, I want to achieve results that enable them to perform their work more efficiently and effectively. And you don’t achieve those results alone. So, as a manager, I try to look beyond my own team; I try to network and, of course, collaborate. When you achieve your goal by working together, even if it doesn’t go smoothly all the time, it’s very satisfying.

In addition, working at APG means you have all the freedom and opportunities, be that in terms of training or terms of employment, to develop yourself. But the best thing about my job is that I work with people who I get along with. People of different ages, with a range of experiences and backgrounds in ICT and Finance. It’s a fantastic group of people, each of whom is uniquely passionate and driven in their work. We’re constantly improving and optimizing processes and systems and demonstrating the added value, as well as the business value, of these improvements." 

#doyouseeyourfuturewithAPG