Bijl, partners in public relations

Esther Janssen

Travelling, discovering, experiencing and doing. This is me in a nutshell. With my backpack and armed with my plane ticket in one hand and the latest Lonely Planet for my destination in the other hand, I head to the airport. I've already made several trips. I once even travelled for a year - flying to another destination, rather than returning to the Netherlands, after visiting a country. Freedom at its best. It goes without saying that I enjoyed many wonderful experiences during that year: working in the Australian circus Monoxide, obtaining my PADI qualification at Gili Air and climbing the Wild Wall (Huanghua) in Beijing. This section of wall has not been restored, but left in its original state. Following a strenuous climb, the few tourists who venture up the Wild Wall are rewarded with a magnificent view, fanning out in the mist.

Rotterdam! During my year of travel, there was only one thing I really missed: Rotterdam - my home. There are many reasons why I live in the centre of Rotterdam and attend many events. My heart even beats more quickly when I drive over the Van Brienenoordbrug bridge and see the skyline of ‘my city'. When I drive along the Maasboulevard, I feel a sense of pride and know that I'm on my way home. The mentality of this city is in my blood, particularly the aspect of being open and direct. The fact that Bijl is now located in the heart of the centre and that I can be at my desk after a five-minute bike ride is priceless!

Learning, developing and reflecting. Life-long learning is another aspect. It's important for me to continue developing myself, learn about myself and the profession and to pass this knowledge on. Bijl not only offers me the freedom to do so, but also 40 communication professionals who can act as a sounding board and who enable me to keep up-to-date in the profession. I truly enjoy the communications profession. I've explored all manner of aspects: copywriting, producing magazines, supervising the production of printed matter, serving as a spokesperson and providing consultancy services. I recently began a programme to become a trainer at ICM. Now and then, I facilitate brainstorming sessions or a group of employees during an internal change process. Now I want to make this the focus of my professional development. I'm keen to find out how I will be able to use this in my work at Bijl.  

Work experience. In addition to this learning environment, I also enjoy freedom in my work at Bijl. At first, it required a bit of an adjustment on my part, as it is vastly different to the working culture of the police, where I worked for five years, involving a shift from regulations, procedures and hierarchy to a broader scope and creativity.
Since July 2007, after ten years on the customer side (KinderNet, Holland Casino, De Lotto and the Rotterdam-Rijnmond police force), I now sit on the other side of the counter. My previous experience helps me to respond effectively to the customers' desires and expectations. My previous work experience at commercial companies and a public enterprise are proving a great asset for me at Bijl. See also my LinkedIn profile.

Tags: Horse riding, Paris, Donna, ‘11 minutes' by Paulo Coelho, Paul Weller, Happiness, meditation, Niagara Falls, New York, Egon Schiele, Liesbeth, North Sea Jazz, Past Reality Integration, Anouk, Bangkok, Circus Monoxide, Rien ne va plus, spinning, moments of ‘blondness', Port Alberni, Namibia, Pouilly-Fume, Joni Mitchell.