Calvi Heroes: Rob Heirbaut

About Rob

“My name is Rob Heirbaut and I am Calvi's Service Manager. I live in Tilburg with the love of my life, Margriet. We met at the local concert venue in Tilburg where we were both voluntary bartenders. We’ve been together for 14 years now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. After finishing high school, I studied computer science in Eindhoven, which was a logical step, as I have loved programming ever since I was little. Even though it had been one of my favorite things to do, I kind of lost interest in programming during my studies and decided to follow my intuition and leave IT."

“My intuition is something that guides my life. I’ve never set long term goals, but always counted on my gut feeling. After a 45-minute chat, I knew I wanted to spend my life with Margriet (it took her a few more weeks). I try to live in the here and now, trying to enjoy every moment. I’ve always enjoyed working, but after three years of working at Calvi, I’ve noticed that my work is becoming more of a hobby than anything else."

"Besides work, my biggest hobby is sailing. We own a sailing boat that is harbored in Zeeland. The upkeep of the boat costs a lot of time and energy, but every time you leave the dock and you feel the first gust of wind sweep through your hair, you immediately feel at peace. I recommend everyone to start sailing, but never buy a boat, make friends who own one instead. Sailing is also a very environmentally friendly way of celebrating the holidays. I care a lot about nature; I try to eat less meat, hardly ever fly, limit driving a car, and live as consciously as possible.”

How did you end up at Calvi?

“After finishing school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and started working for a health insurance company. This was the first opportunity I got and I welcomed it with open arms. After that, I managed a record store in Eindhoven for an acquaintance for two years. This was great fun, although working in retail was only rewarding for a limited amount of time. It did teach me a great deal about customer service and satisfaction! I then found my way back to computers via an IT contractor, where I worked as a Support Engineer and later as a Service Level Manager.”

“After 7 years at my previous employer, I was ready for the next step in a different industry when my wife stumbled upon on a vacancy at Calvi. I had a 15-minute call with a recruiter before visiting the Calvi castle, where Leo van der Heijden (our CEO) quickly convinced me of Calvi's vision and uniqueness, both of which really appealed to me. And besides that, I love the fact that the Calvi offices do not look like offices at all, which creates a great work atmosphere. Calvi was exactly the company I needed, and it fell into my lap at just the right time, which still feels a bit like it was meant to be."

What do you do at Calvi?

“I am the only Service Manager at Calvi (for now!), it is my responsibility to align the required service levels with our customers through our Service Level Agreements. I measure the service level results and make sure all our teams live up to them! It’s the perfect position for me, I sit directly between the customer and our operational teams, where I handle both people & processes. I also love numbers, statistics & graphs; a nice and shiny pivot graph in Excel can make me very happy.”

“Right now, Calvi is focusing on international growth. I really like the international part of my job, working with different cultures is inspiring and fun, and I keep finding small differences between even neighboring countries’ cultures and the Dutch culture. Every country has its own characteristics and business culture. I’m glad that I have the chance to work with different cultures and our expansion to the North American market is also a great example of why I enjoy working at Calvi.”

What was your first impression of Calvi and your colleagues?

“I love the diversity of the employees; everyone is unique and inspiring in their own way and brings their personal knowledge and experience to the table. In the beginning, I had a lot to learn, and still do in some Calvi, but with the great help of my predecessor Sonja and all the other colleagues, I found my way around Calvi and its diverse customer portfolio. The introductory meetings allowed me to meet everyone quickly. Nowadays, Calvi bootcamps are a great method to get new employees up to speed.”

What do you like the most about Calvi?

“I particularly like Calvi's determination to be the absolute best in everything we build and do! I never thought that something boring like a bill could be sexy and fun! I also admire Calvi's (management) vision on personal growth: where former employers tended to have people work on developing their strengths only, Calvi challenges you to step outside of your comfort zone and also tackle your weaknesses.”

Calvi in three words:

“Inspiring, challenging & rewarding”

“Our creative teams ensure that everything we do looks amazing, our portal user experience is one-of-a-kind, and we spend a lot of time, money, and effort on innovation. We are a truly pioneering organization; we are always several steps ahead and we continuously work on improving ourselves and our solution.”

What’s your personal motto?

“Since I can’t choose, I’m taking the liberty to give you two mottos.”

‘To be truly happy, one has to step outside of their comfort zone every now and then’.
‘Just start your journey, the road will show itself along the way’.

“Both fit greatly with who I am and how I make choices in life. I never did 5-year plans in the past. I make decisions based on what feels right, right now. I’m still glad, I made the decision to work at Calvi and can’t imagine my life without it.  I’m really looking forward to being a part of our international expansion for the years to come."

 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.