Gianni

This week, Gianni Van Der Jeugd is in the spotlight! As a young professional in his early thirties, he has already had the opportunity to gain significant experience in commercial and General Management during the first 10 years of his career. This ranged from sports organizations to SMEs within the sports sector. He worked for RSC Anderlecht for 5 years, where he took on various commercial and leadership roles, acquiring skills in Sales, Account Management, Business Development & Commercial Partnerships. At the same time, Gianni learned a great deal about managing a (small, 1-5 FTE) team, budgeting, and P&L ownership. He is therefore looking forward to applying these acquired skills in a next challenge within a similar or completely different sector. 

How did you end up in this sector? 

After my sports management studies, I did my internship in a commercial role within a start-up in the sports sector. I enjoyed this (as did the company) so much that I continued this path immediately after my studies and actually never left the world of sports & sales. 

What does your work-life balance look like? 

Because I combined two simultaneous assignments until recently, one of which took place mainly in the evenings and weekends, this has honestly become quite unbalanced in recent years. I try to spend the few free moments I have with my partner & 3-year-old son as qualitatively as possible. 

What is the biggest advantage of working as a freelancer for you? 

The possibility to combine different projects simultaneously and, despite the busiess, still be able to maintain a high degree of independence and freedom in my schedule management. 

Why should a company choose you? 

I am the type of person who always goes all-in. Once I throw myself into a new challenge, I give it my all, including blood, sweat & tears 😊. In addition, I dare say that because of the experience already built up in combination with my relatively young age, I am currently at the ideal intersection of thinker & doer. I am able to think strategically and give direction to a project/story, but at the same time, I am not afraid to roll up my sleeves "to get sh*t done" when necessary. 

What do you happily spend money on? 

A good bottle of wine! And the better the company to consume it with, the higher the price tag of the wine can be 😉 

What is your motto in life? 

“Life is a game, play to win”. Mostly from the perspective: if you start something, do it with full dedication and give yourself 100%. 

What is your ultimate way to relax after a long workday? 

An engaging fiction series with a good glass of red wine in hand to completely dream away from the daily stress. 

Thank you very much for your contribution, Gianni!