Thomas is shaping his ideal career in Twente

Thomas Krone is from Geesteren, in Overijssel. He was born there and still lives there. Why leave when you feel at home, and everything you need is close by? “I feel like a true Twente citizen”, Thomas says. What makes him one? His upbringing in the small village, his affinity for the Twente landscape, and let us not forget his sober attitude. When we asked Thomas how he imagines a true Twente citizen, he replied: “I think you can just trust what they say, they will not wait around and just get to work. If there is a challenge, we roll up our sleeves and ensure we get it done. In my opinion, that is also something typical of Twente.”

 “I live outside of town, and I’m always happy to be back after walking on the beach on vacation. Nowhere is as beautiful as here!”

Thomas loves the village life in Twente. “I like having a beer with friends in the pub. You can bike to the pub on your own, but there will always be someone there that you know.” Twente is also the ideal place for Thomas since he is very passionate about the equestrian sport, specifically about show-jumping. He and his family breed one or two foals annually at home, and they are prepared for the sport. Now that he is so busy with a study and his new job, however, this is not a priority. Nonetheless, Thomas is glad to have the opportunity for this in Twente.

Thomas did not have to leave Twente for his studies, either. He completed the Mechanical Engineering course at Saxion and followed it up with a year of BK5. BK5 is more focused on the commercial side of technical business administration, which gives students more insight into business life, in addition to technology. After all this, Thomas found a nice position as Jr. Area Sales Manager at Voortman Steel Machinery. However, he wanted to continue learning and is now doing a part-time master’s in Management Studies in Amsterdam.

One day a week in Amsterdam, what does Thomas notice? “Doing a part-time master’s is a challenge, but it gives me much new knowledge to solve business problems.”  But what else? “When you are there, you notice how sober the people in Twente are. Just act normal, that’s crazy enough”, he says. Thomas does want to continue living in Twente. Not just for living pleasure, but especially to build a career. Twente is simply the best place for innovative manufacturing industries. 

Voortman Steel Group is the perfect place for Thomas to grow. The company operates on an international scale, is innovative and is a big name in the manufacturing industry. Also, the company offers a development programme for young talent. Thomas will work in sales, and Voortman has consciously chosen to set up a new programme for this. In the coming year, Thomas will switch positions every four to eight weeks, such as assembly, work preparation and project management, allowing him to discover and develop himself and get to know the company and the market well. 

 “This means that I will have sufficient knowledge in a year to sell machines worldwide. I can also inform customers better with the knowledge I will have of the company and the products.”

What has Thomas been doing so far? “I have assembled many machines in the last few weeks. I recently worked on a job in Belgium for the installation of a machine line. It was nice to finally see a satisfied customer who works with the machines. After this, I will work on the sales support department.” With all these beautiful opportunities, this trajectory will undoubtedly give Thomas’s career a great boost.