Vibe Group & Club Talent Empowerment

Founded in 2016 by Laurens Matla and Bertram Veen, Club TalentEmpowerment supports promising athletes in pursuing their (Olympic) dreams. Our partnership reflects our shared values, promoting qualities such as dedication, teamwork, and peak performance. A standout aspect of this collaboration is our support for Scipio Houtman, a professional sailor with Olympic ambitions. We are excited to back him in his quest for greatness. Scipio brings a fresh perspective, showcasing determination, growth, and success. 

The following interview was originally published on November 20th 2023 on the website of our valued partner, Club TalentEmpowerment. It provides insights into the reasons behind our partnership and how we strive to empower talent within our organisation.

Mennold Leijerzapf, Vibe Group

In this section, we highlight our ClubTE members. Why are they members, how sports-oriented are they, and what do they do to empower talent within their own organisations? In this edition, we feature Mennold Leijerzapf, CEO of the international IT staffing specialist, Vibe Group. He’s also a sports enthusiast with a champion’s mentality, as you’ll soon discover. 

Sport as the morning kickstart

“I was heavily into sports during my youth. I started ice skating at the age of six. In the summers, I did strength training, running, and cycling. Eventually, cycling became my passion. When I was 14, I started racing and was part of the South Holland selection, competing in all the top classics. Cycling was my sport.” 
“While I continued to stay active, my early career left less room for sports. However, nowadays, I’ve found the rhythm to exercise daily. I wake up early for it. It could be a 40-minute mountain bike ride or 20 minutes on the Tacx or strength training. It’s my morning kickstart. It’s no longer about performance for me, but about staying fit and mentally relaxed. It helps me keep a clear head and maintain perspective at work. If I didn’t exercise, I’d be far less effective. You feel much fitter and mentally stronger.” 

Vibe Group in the Champions League 

“Sport plays a significant role at Vibe Group in various ways. First and foremost, we have and aspire to maintain a culture of professional sports. After all professional sports is about pushing yourself to the maximum, which is what we aim for too. It starts right from the job application process. If you want to play in the Champions League, you should come to us. We want a top sports climate. This means that everything is perfectly organised, but it’s also highly competitive. And with one goal: how can we win. If you just want to have a casual kickabout, that’s fine, but you won’t be considered a ‘player’ here.” 

“Furthermore, sports culture is deeply embedded in our company; we encourage our employees to engage in sports actively. There are plenty of examples. We have a gym right next to our office, where we facilitate our employees to work out. During lunch breaks, you’ll see many people training there. But our sports calendar is packed with even more: we have company hockey and football tournaments, colleagues spar in boxing, and we even participate in Mud Masters challenges as a group. A few weeks ago, around 30 people ran the full or half marathon in Amsterdam, all wearing Vibe Group shirts.” 

“When you aim for a top sports culture, empowering talent is crucial. It starts with recruitment. We want to attract the most talented and ambitious individuals. This means being transparent from the outset. You attract those who align with your culture and repel those who don’t. Once they are in, it’s about ‘lifelong learning.’ We believe in it wholeheartedly. You can draw parallels with sports here. If you want to reach the Olympics, you must keep training. I, too, continue to train. Primarily for my own inspiration and ideas. But we also demonstrate that, regardless of your level, continuous learning and development are essential.” 

“The learning journey begins with a ‘welcome to Vibe’ 3-day experience. New employees go through various programs. This is followed by an ‘impact journey,’ a 28-module training program for the first 7 months. Simultaneously, there is extensive training led by managers, including on-the-job coaching. For every step an employee takes, there’s a new training program. So, it’s all about lifelong learning.” 

It should still be enjoyable, right? 

“Our most significant challenge is finding people who are genuinely passionate. The Netherlands is a country where ‘it should still be enjoyable, right?’ mentality is prevalent. A champion’s mentality is different. That doesn’t mean we’re not a fun company because we certainly are. But it’s for those who are genuinely passionate. Otherwise, people drop out. On one hand, real results are expected, but on the other, we take good care of our people, not just through training but also through other provisions. We do a lot for our people, including monthly lunches, weekly gatherings, and two incentive trips per year to places like Iceland, South Africa, or Lapland. They don’t get that for nothing, they have to do something for it.

Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)

“About 7 years ago, we set a BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal… A goal where you have no idea how on earth you’re going to achieve it. Back then, we said we wanted to have 2,525 employees by 2025. We currently have around 2,000 people working for us. It looks like we can actually achieve this. Once we’ve achieved it, there will be a new BHAG for the next 10 years.”