Gijs van der Loo - HEINEKEN
President
My name is Gijs van der Loo, I am Dutch and in my daily job I am a sales director for HEINEKEN Slovensko. HEINEKEN probably doesn’t need much of an introduction, but what many people don’t know is that we have an extensive portfolio of Slovak brands that we produce and sell; the most famous ones being Zlaty Bazant, Corgon and Kelt. We have a very large brewery and maltery in Hurbanovo, where we produce more than 150 million liters of beer. After having worked in the Netherlands, Mexico and Romania, I moved to Slovakia at the start of this year with my wife and our baby son.
I am really honored to be a (interim) board member and represent the Dutch business society and our dear members in Slovakia. From my first experiences, I believe there are huge opportunities for Dutch and Slovak business to cooperate and achieve great successes in Slovakia and the Netherlands and I am dedicated to support this wherever I can. On the board, I am responsible for marketing, and I will work closely with my board colleagues and our members to promote our activities. I am looking forward to meeting you at one of our upcoming events.
Richard Kellner
Vice President
In addition to standing in for the chamber president, I am primarily responsible for coordinating our activities with other foreign chambers of commerce in Slovakia. Every year our chamber organizes a number of interesting events with our peer chambers. These include field trips to companies operating throughout the country, speed business meetings and business breakfasts. Teaming up with other chambers of commerce helps to broaden the scope of events and enables our members to get in touch with companies not present normally at our events. We also intend to join forces for initiatives such as the joint Investment Survey. Although the calendar for the reminder of the year is already filling up, we are always looking for new ideas. So if you have any, please let us know!
Bart Waterloos
Treasurer
Bart Waterloos studied Applied Economy at the University of Antwerp and was awarded an Master Degree in International Accounting and Auditing from the University of Gent, which included two foreign study stays of three months in Cork, Ireland and Gotheborg, Sweden. He joined VGD-Belgium in 1998 after working for KPMG-Belgium for one year. He moved to the VGD Prague office in the summer of 1999. He is currently partner of the VGD-AVOS Bratislava office (where he moved in April 2004). He has been registered as an auditor with the Belgian Chamber of Auditors for 5 years and also obtained a Slovak audit licence at the end of 2010. He speaks Dutch (native speaker), English, Slovak, and has a good understanding of French and German.
Nick Barends – BRNDS Intermediary
Professional and Leisure Events , Charity
My name is Nick Barends and I am a Dutch native, born and raised in Haarlem. After living multiple years in Spain, Malta, and the Czech Republic, I decided to settle down in Bratislava where my partner is originally from. I have started my current intermediary services business four years ago, providing tailored business solutions particularly in relation to import and distribution of premium Dutch food and beverage products on the CEE market. As a part of this I also handle international sales, marketing and event organization for multiple brands. Hence most of my business network and experience stem from the gastro and hospitality sector, however I am always keen to take on various new projects even if it means stepping outside of my comfort zone and expanding my skillset.
I am honored to become a member of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic, and I believe that there are many opportunities to be pursued in respect of Dutch-Slovak business and trade. Furthermore, I am glad to support and promote the Chamber’s mission in any way possible. I look forward to building new business connections (and friendships) with you all!
Michal Špaňár – UNION
Public and Governmental Affairs
My name is Michal Špaňár and since 2015 I have been working as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Union poisťovňa and Union zdravotná poisťovňa, Health and Commercial insurance companies within Dutch Achmea holding structure representing together 650+ employees and approx. 750 million euro turnover.
I have accumulated over 25 years of business experience in the field of financial services and went through various management positions within ING Group, SulAmérica, Allianz and Achmea in Europe, South America and Asia.
Over last few years in Slovakia both Union companies have grown significantly – first there was a major organic growth and last two years the growth accelerated through two acquisitions of other insurance companies in Slovakia. What I am particularly proud of is that for last two year Union has been recognised by in-depth KPMG review as the most customer centric insurance company in Slovakia.
I have been actively participating in various activities in the Chamber over the last years and I am very much looking forward to further enhance cooperation with passionate team at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic
Sonia Kania – ARVAL
My name is Sonia Kania and I am honoured to be an interim board member of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. I graduated from the Law School at the University of Hertfordshire. I worked for the Crown Prosecution Service as a paralegal and then, after moving to Slovakia, I chose to shift my career path to a more human oriented field. I found my passion in HR, employer branding and marketing. I started my career at the BNP Paribas group in 2015 and became HR and Marketing Director at the Arval Competence Center Bratislava. I am very active in various forums representing HR activities and I am always actively exploring new ways of making the business more e昀케cient from the human capital point of view. In my work, I look to bring a western European approach and culture to our Slovak environment, combining my experience in the UK in various fields with my understanding of the Slovak mindset, being one myself. I believe with my experience, knowledge, expertise and, above all, enthusiasm for my professional subject, I can bring fresh insights and ideas to the Chamber. I believe that in Slovakia we have amazing human capital which can be further enhanced in terms of potential by fostering meaningful connections between our education system and business. In my new role as a board member, I would like to primarily focus on creating appealing opportunities by explaining our business needs at students’ unions and universities. I am also a mother of two very active boys. Together, we enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing, golf, hiking, travelling and much more. In all aspects of my life, I am always looking for new ideas and ways of making things more e昀케cient, therefore I am looking forward to meeting with our partners and colleagues at our upcoming events and exciting conversations!
