RETAIL
making luxury feel personal
Premium is not a price point. It's a perception.
While dealing with brands like Cartier, Dita and Dior, my focus was not purely commercial performance. It was the connection between product, Guests and Teams.
While directing a mix of boutiques (De Bijenkorf, shopping malls, street doors, outlets) I focused on building product knowledge, storytelling and human connection.
One result I am grateful for? The smallest store reached #5 across the whole Benelux, Nordics & UK region for volume of sales of the newly launched META gen-2 AI glasses.
Thanks to my A-Teams, we were awarded for the best cross-selling performance in the region, combined with an industry-leading 0.2% shrinks.
from interactions to customer service
At Nike, I was brought in to help turn customer service from a transactional interaction into a genuine culture of service.
I introduced the SOLE customer-service programme in a high-traffic outlet welcoming 650,000 visitors a year, making service and selling part of its culture .
The result? The store moved from the bottom of the ranks in the EMEA region to #3 for conversion rate & UPT; and sick-leaves dropped by 50%.
Great service isn't something you add to the experience. It is the experience.
from "cheap glasses" to the Olympics
I helped develop the e-commerce & showroom experience across EMEA, while bringing new categories to life — including ski goggles that eventually made their way to the Winter Olympics.
From design, production and creative to marketing, customer care, operations, showrooms, HR and finance, at Polette I helped reposition the brand, refresh its artistic direction, expand its physical presence and rethink the omnichannel experience.
We also launched the world's first 100% biodegradable acetate frame — a product that went far beyond the shelf and found its way into the Financial Times and Vogue.
my first general manager role
At Rosie Lee I learned what it means to direct all the functions, furthermore sitting on the agency side of the table.
We formed an A-Team of 11, and delivered simultaneous retail installation campaigns across more than 600 stores throughout EMEA for the Nike-JD account. Alongside this anchor account, we included Heineken, Converse, DAF and Punkt in our portfolio.
The Amsterdam office became the most profitable in the global network, turnover grew 30% above budget... because the office-vibe indicator constantly scored above 9/10.
At RL I learnt something I still carry today: teamwork is like rowing.
crafting experiences "to-go"
At Key Merchandise, I helped a phenomenal Team to build retail-experience propositions, primarily for the Heineken Experience.
We also developed products for new clients, such as Walibi, Naturalis, Madurodam, and launched I Love Holland, developing its licensing with the Netherlands Board of Tourism.
Because everybody likes to bring back home a piece of the experience.
turning merchandise into emotions
At ISCO, I worked at the intersection of merchandise, leisure and marketing — helping attractions turn their stories into products people could take home.
From Gardaland and Sigurtà to new business development across Europe, I worked on the creative and commercial sides of this wonderful company.
There, Mr. Francesco Isoni, one of my Mentors, taught me: before selling, buy... trust.
RECRUITMENT &
DEVELOPMENT
RECRUITMENT
"Squaring the circle"
Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.
As a trainer and a coach, I can't completely agree; as a recruiter I do understand that. That's why I always looked for the mental attitude behind the professional.
After enjoying years of interviews on my own, I also associated with Awayke talent solution and its wonderful Team of independent recruiters and head hunters.
My priority: hiring, developing, and retaining talents. Because strategies, tactics, and plans don't execute by themselves.
TRAINING
Success is a mental attitude
One of my gifts: teaching how to transform an interaction into a meaningful experience, where genuine care turns into a competitive advantage.
That's why I design tailored programmes for Hospitality, Customer service, and Sales.
Undivided attention
Active listening
Mindful communication
Extra mile
In my world, it's an art: buying trust; serving; selling-for; leaving the "impression of increase".
COACHING
The unconscious real wonders
The unconscious mind stores experiences and memories; controls thoughts, emotions, habits, decisions and behaviours; and influences daily lives without us even realising it.
Paradigms are mental programs shaping how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. While operating in the background, they determine our dominant thoughts and feelings, attitudes and results.
Limiting beliefs are assumptions accepted as true about personal abilities and external factors. They are the causes behind feeling stuck, or not enough. Every limiting belief can be shifted through constant spaced repetition.
VISITOR
ATTRACTIONS
Unleashing pirate spirits
What happens when a sailing trip becomes an adventure?
Not a tour. Not an activity... Another dimension.
Costumes.
Characters.
Food.
Music.
Seafaring.
Spiced rum.
A little danger.
A lot of imagination.
At TPE I see pirate enthusiasts sliding back in time, entering into another world.
A realistic, immersive adventure transporting you to another world, another era: slide to the Golden Age of Piracy, live as a Pirate.
Leave behind your clothes, phone, and identity. Dress like a pirate, step aboard a wooden tall ship, and set sail on an unforgettable voyage.
Eat authentic pirate fare with your hands, raise a mug of rum while singing sea shanties, master the art of knot-tying, and sail towards freedom.
Working with Jim Pattison Jr.
What do you do when the doors aren't even open yet? You build the experience before the first Guests arrive.
Exhibits.
Branding.
Activations.
Distribution.
Advertising.
Sales.
Training.
Operations.
At Ripley's Amsterdam, I helped take a new attraction from set-up and opening through to a stable, profitable operation.
Dressed in a lion-suit, I personally converted walk-ins into paying guests to prove to a junior Team how to turn the "impossible" into I'Mpossible.
The magic behind the scenes
Sherlocked is a little jewel. I joined during a critical phase of growth and helped stabilise the Team and the two existing venues, then launch and operate the third experience.
With Victor and Francine, I reshaped the Team, developed training and knowledge management platforms; I wrote a guest-experience manual, I worked with suppliers, property, maintenance, F&B and commercial partners.
Occupancy grew; revenue grew, reviews above 4.8/5. And yet... what I treasure the most is what Guests don't see: 22 game masters creating worlds for them.
shaping a new corporate identity
From a constellation of consulting companies to a Group consolidating all of them.
From a fairytale logo to a new global visual identity: logo, claim, pictures, website.
my first strategic repositioning
I enjoyed working at Parco Giardino Sigurtà, strategically repositioning the attraction: from a calm place for elderlies, to a paradise for families and even youth.
After conducting a market research validating my intuition, we changed our services, brand identity, CRM, advertising, roadshows, merchandising, events.
We first targeted families with children, expanding the fruition of the garden: hospitality, F&B, rentals, guided tours, bike tours, and retail. Then youth, with cosplay events.
The new claim "Una meraviglia unica al mondo" encapsulated the essence of our new strategy: wonder. The results were amazing: increased attendance, revenue, profitability.
Growth doesn't necessarily come from selling more of the same. It can come from changing what people perceive you are.
my initiation into theme parks
Mirabilandia (and then the theme park industry) taught me one of the most valuable lessons in experience design: people don't come for the rides alone.
They come for anticipation.
The atmosphere.
The thrill.
The story.
The food.
The merchandise.
The moments they take home.
At Mirabilandia, I worked across marketing, events and retail — learning to link attraction, communication and commercial opportunities around one core: the Guest experience.
turning merchandise into emotions
At ISCO, I worked at the intersection of merchandise, leisure and marketing — helping attractions turn their stories into products people could take home.
From Gardaland and Sigurtà to new business development across Europe, I worked on the creative and commercial sides of this wonderful company.
There, Mr. Francesco Isoni, one of my Mentors, taught me: before selling, buy... trust.
HOSPITALITY
Members' club: private events
Members' Club: private gala
Guest experience
Guest experience
