Calvi Heroes: Hielko Manders

About Hielko

“My name is Hielko Manders and I’ve been a proud member of the Calvi team since 1997. I am married, and we have three children and two dogs (so that would make it five children). My first work experience was at the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where I worked for about 15 years. During my time with the Air Force, I started studying Computer Engineering together with a friend of mine. In my final year, two classes were put together and I met someone I still work with today: Leo van der Heijden (CEO). After I obtained my degree in Computer Engineering, I decided to stay with the Air Force.”

 “In my final year at the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Leo contacted me with the question if I could build a CRM system for him. Leo and I made a deal: I would receive a computer and Leo would get a working CRM System in return. At that time a computer was a pretty big deal, and not very common to have. So naturally, this was a win-win situation for the both of us. This CRM system was the start of CALVI, or actually Tele-BS, the organization that was founded before Calvi. Leo and I went our separate ways until a few years later, when Leo contacted me again. This time, it was not just for a one-time project, but for a job. He asked me if I would be interested in working with him, and to be honest, I was a bit hesitant at the start. But one year later I decided to become a Software Developer for Calvi.”

 “In the first few years at Calvi, my job as Software Developer consisted of a bunch of different tasks, because we were with a small team. So, my job did not only consist of developing software. At that time, I was responsible for network management, training, documentation, and development. Something that I can still clearly (well, clearly…) remember from back in the days, is that it was common to smoke in the office. All our rooms in the office in Den Bosch were filled with smoke, and to find each other you literally had to cut your way through the smoke. Things back then were so different; can you imagine that it was allowed to smoke in planes and trains?”

 “In the years after that, I continued the development of both myself and Calvi's software. We started with a Telecom Expense Management (TEM) solution, but our core business changed, and we created a full solution for Communications Service Providers (CSPs), our Bill Communication solution. 2014 was a big year for me and made a huge impact on my life and the work that I did before. In this year, I became the CTO of Calvi. One year after that, another title was added to my name and I became the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The role did not just come with a title, but also with a lot of responsibilities. Today, I am responsible for establishing and maintaining Calvi's security. It’s my job to ensure that all our systems and technologies are adequately protected.”

What are your proudest moments at Calvi?

“For someone who has been at Calvi from the start, it is hard to keep track of all the things that I’m proud of within this organization. Of course, there are still lots of things that are top of mind. One of them was the move from the office building in Den Bosch to our beautiful castle in Nederhemert-Zuid. I remember this as if it were yesterday, and that’s because I played a big part in organizing the opening party. For the grand opening, we created a medieval event completely in line with our new office. Think of activities like crossbow shooting, knight games, wild boar on the BBQ, and lots more. Even our CEO and his wife dressed up as king and queen to make this day extraordinary. Another proud moment I have with CALVI is when we landed our first international customer in Germany. We were and still are working on expanding our global footprint, and with this customer, we made a good start, it was a milestone for Calvi.”

 “The last few years we have all been busy with the growth of our organization and our international expansion, which is why I am also proud of the fact that we work with two teams that are located abroad. These special teams help us lift our software to the next level. Of course, the move to Toronto last year was and will continue to be a memorable milestone. Something that I am also proud of is that more and more youngsters are joining Calvi, these youngsters create a great dynamic.”

  “To close this question, the thing that I’m the proudest of is seeing how far we have come and what we have achieved in all these years.”

What are the biggest opportunities for Calvi in the future?

“With our first customer in Germany we made our move into international territory, and I’m proud of this achievement but it still felt a bit too close to home. Last December one of our own Calvi heroes moved overseas and is working on the expansion of our Calvi empire in the Americas. In my opinion, this is just the start of us becoming truly internationally oriented, helping us to further expand across the globe. With this international growth, we will be facing many hurdles, such as time zones and cultures, but I’m excited to see what this will mean for our organization. I believe that we need to see these challenges as opportunities and face them head-on.”

Where will Calvi be in 5 years?

“In the following five years Calvi will become much larger. The growth of our organization also stimulates the optimization of our software, the usability will improve and the implementation for our customers will become faster and easier in the future. With these changes, we can expand our horizon, and maybe we can spread our knowledge and software to other markets. To realize this growth, we must hire more colleagues, so I expect our workforce to grow with at least 40% in the coming years. Whether we’ll still fit in our beautiful castle in Nederhemert and the inspirational monumental office in Tilburg? That’s a question I can’t answer.”

How would you describe Calvi?

 “A league of extraordinary people!”

What is your personal motto?

“It’s not about the destination, it’s not about the journey, it’s about the people you’re travelling with.”

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