Calvi Heroes: Rick Leijten

About Rick

"My name is Rick Leijten and I’m 31 years young. A year ago, my wife and I became parents to a little boy. Raising a young boy takes a lot of time but gives me plenty of energy in return. I feel that I’m at a great new phase in my life. In addition to being a parent, I enjoy running and fitness. Besides that, I also like to spend some time behind my game console and go to parties with my friends. I am a creative person and like to brainstorm on new concepts, most of which don’t make it out of the ‘idea’ phase, but it’s energizing nonetheless."

How did you end up at Calvi?

"Initially, I studied Media Technology. After obtaining my degree, I started doing freelance work and eventually started a small company with two friends. While running the company, I had the urge to invest more in myself, so I went back to get another degree in Communications. The combination of running a company and attending school was difficult at times, but it was also very fulfilling. Eventually, my business partners and I decided to go our separate ways."

"I started as a freelancer at Calvi after getting in touch with an acquaintance of Humphry (our CCO). My first job was to re-design their PDC software (internal webshop software). Eventually, I started to work there one day a week. Upon getting my degree in Communications, I started working as a Digital Strategist at a different organization. After a year I noticed I missed the freedom and creativity I had at Calvi and that’s when I decided to go back to Calvi to become their lead UX/UI Designer. My focus has since shifted to Product Management."

What got you excited to work at Calvi?

"The company itself, the beautiful building, the nice location, and the great people are all things that contributed to my desire to work here. I truly believe in the vision Calvi has, both product-wise and company-wise. When I was designing websites, I always felt the urge to create a software-related product. I got inspired by companies like Google and Facebook. Calvi is an organization with a great software product and an inspiring story. I wanted to contribute to the further development of their software solution."

What do you do at Calvi?

"My role changed a few months ago! Before, I was the Team Lead of the UX/UI team, now I am a Product Owner and part of the Product Management team. I am co-responsible for the development of our product vision, enabling others to act and develop in accordance with it. Within the Product Management team, we create and validate new concepts, which are then turned over to the Product Owners, who work closely with the different development teams we have to realize the feature as we envisioned it. I’m the bridge between Product Management and our Product Owners."

What do you like most about your job?

"The freedom I get in our organization to create opportunities for myself. Before I came to Calvi, I spoke with Leo (Calvi's CEO) a lot, even spending an evening at the pub with him, creating my job profile and defining our expectations. I believe we created a job that was perfect for both parties. I am an entrepreneur, I like to keep myself busy and I am a multitasker. At Calvi, I feel like I get the chance to fulfill and develop these skills."

What has been your biggest challenge so far at Calvi?

"My switch to Product Management has been my biggest challenge so far. Within the Product Management team, we have different opinions and interests. This stems from the fact that the Product Management team is a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of stakeholders from different teams.  It is important that we create and maintain our synergy and have the same interests. It is my task to be the bridge between the different individuals within our Product Management team and the Product Owners. This job makes me much more people-focused and that’s an area in which I want to further develop myself. I’m very excited to see myself grow and develop in this role."

What is your biggest achievement at Calvi?

"I don’t really see my job as an achievement; for me, it’s important to create a work environment that energizes me. One such example of what energizes me was the implementation of the new branding for one of our customers. I was responsible for this project from start to finish and when we presented the new online portal to their Art Director it only took 5 minutes for him to approve it. This shows that we know how to properly reflect a CSP’s identity within our solution."

Where will Calvi be in 5 years?

"Calvi will have conquered more ground internationally, sending more employees to other parts of the world. It’s important to create one unified version of Calvi. Our internationalization is in full swing and now is the time to map out the right path for our organization. We want to further centralize our approach and we are already well on the way."

"Looking at Bill Communication, it is obvious that the world is moving towards more real-time communication. Today’s customers demand accurate and real-time communications. At Calvi, we play a big role in this translation: customers want to have real-time insight into their costs and that’s what we are aiming to provide."  

What is your personal motto?

"I used to have one:

"Work like a slave; command like a king; create like a god."
– Constantin Brâncuși (February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) 

I’ve always set the bar high for myself and those around me. I’m still doing this today, but I have grown as a person and have become more mature about this motto than I was before. This got me thinking... Maybe I should look for a new motto that fits more with this century?"

Calvi in three words:

“Innovative, Realistic, Brabants”

"We act within a niche market, but we are always evolving and innovation. We look at other markets for creativity and inspiration. We are realistic because we know where we stand with our company, our focus, and experience. Our organization is very “Brabants” (Brabant is the area most people are from); being sociable is an important part of who we are. Yes, we are hardworking and have a clear organizational structure, but we can also go for a beer with the CEO. I think it is important to hold on to this, it is a part of Calvi!"

A workplace that you love isn't easy to come by. Are you interested in becoming part of our amazing team? Check out our career page to see whether we have an application open that fits you, or send us an unsolicited application.