...the crux of the matter is that we all work
for the finest business there is
Typical Heineken
organisation. You are given more responsibilities and so your
personal growth there is faster." After three challenging years in
Africa, Mr Hooft Graafland was appointed Marketing Manager at
Heineken Nederland. That was followed by the switch to General
Management, this time in Indonesia.
Mr Hooft Graafland: "The periods I spent in Africa and Asia helped
to change my outlook as the years went by. You learn to see things
more in relative terms, you get a much broader overall view and
you no longer automatically look at everything from the perspective
of the country in which you happen to have been born and brought
up. In my view, working abroad not only helped me to advance
further in professional terms but it was also good for my personal
development. As an individual you never stand still, you keep on
developing further." Three years later Mr Hooft Graafland was called
back from Indonesia to assume the post of Corporate Marketing
Director in Amsterdam.
His next post, as Director of the Heineken Export Group, was held
by Mr Hooft Graafland for only one year. On 27 February 2002,
he was nominated as a new Member the of Executive Board.
"The crux of the matter is that we all work for the finest business
there is and that we all contribute to making it grow further.
There is a nice metaphor about office premises that I sometimes
used to typify Heineken: you have modern skyscrapers filled with
the very latest technology, and you have elegant and historic
canalside mansions with creaking staircases and leaky faucets.
Heineken radiates the warmth and intimacy of a splendid town
house located on a city centre canal, but everything inside the
premises is extremely modern and efficient. And that is unique."
And this, says Mr Hooft Graafland, is also typical of the way in
which Heineken works: "We are a successful organisation.
To achieve that, we work together in an open and informal, but
highly professional way. I remember the time when HRH Queen
Beatrix, accompanied by a trade delegation comprising Dutch
captains of industry, paid an official visit to Indonesia. Mr
Vuursteen was also in that delegation. My colleagues from other
Dutch businesses were very nervous: the Chairman is visiting us!
They worked nights preparing their presentations. But I was
looking forward to the arrival of Mr Vuursteen - he is a source of
inspiration. We talked about work, there was an atmosphere of
trust and we had a lot of fun as well. Typically Heineken."
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