Bechtle : 5 questions for Manon Smulders about internationality and diversity, Head of International Business Operations.

Career - Mar 22, 2022

5 questions for Manon Smulders about internationality and diversity, Head of International Business Operations.

by Sophie Röcken

Manon Smulders is a mother, a businesswoman and aims to empower people around her every day as she works with 14 countries. She speaks about her international role and explains why the topic of diversity is so close to her heart.

Written by

Sophie Röcken

International Communication Manager

E-Mail: [e-mail]

1. 1. Manon, can you tell me a little about your career at Bechtle so far?

Manon Smulders: In November 2008, I started working for ARP Netherlands as Inside Sales for small accounts. Then I moved on to large accounts and was responsible for Dell and Cisco. From that point, I evolved from an Assistant Team Lead to Team Lead to Head of Internal Sales. At the same time, I also took on the role of the International Customer Coordinator. It became international, and I liked it. Before, there was a limit in the business we could do with our customers. Now new possibilities opened up.

After forming the international business and big deal team at ARP NL, I began talking more and more with the International Business Unit (IBU) and the team in the headquarters. Eventually, I was asked to work for the IBU. I started on 1. August 2017.

1. 2. What an exciting journey. And what do you do now?

That is a good question. Sometimes I call myself the spider woman in the web, connecting all the dots. The main goal is to build and maintain the international business community across Europe. We need to ensure that all understand what International Business is, that our sales receive proper training, and the communications platforms are up to date. I troubleshoot and lead the operations team. I work on the OneBechtle spirit on many different levels.

1. 3. That sounds great. How is it to work with 14 countries every single day?

I love it. I love the diversity of people. Not only concerning culture but characters, languages, and temperament. I am talking to men, women, colleagues who have the age of 50 and so much experience but then also to a member of my team, who just came out of a student programme with Bechtle. It is refreshing to hear her ideas. I love the diversity and being able to talk to 14 different countries.

1. 4. Diversity is an important topic, especially for you personally, and it is being more spoken about than ever before. 8 Months ago, Bechtle changed their banners to rainbow colours. It had quite an impact on you. Do you want to tell me why?

When I first saw the banner - the Bechtle logo with the rainbow flag - I was like, Oh, what is happening there? I needed to let it sink in. I thought, finally a statement from Bechtle. Something that I was already feeling. I never thought I couldn't express that I am a gay woman.

Seeing that flag triggered me to write a post on LinkedIn. In the morning, my first thought was to delete the post. When I started checking LinkedIn, I saw so many positive reactions. It took me by surprise. I wrote a second post stating that it felt like coming out again.

For a company like Bechtle showing this commitment towards their employees is a big plus. For the first time, I also talked to several other colleagues who are in the same position as me. They had the same feeling. Wave that flag because you should not be ashamed of who you are.

1. 5. How was the experience for you as a gay woman within Bechtle so far?

I can imagine working in a culture where people don´t accept who you are, is hard. Of course, there were jokes sometimes, but Bechtle has a great culture, and I had the luxury to always work in open-minded teams.

It was not an easy step for me to do this interview. But I thought if I only inspire five people to start talking, to spread the word that it is ok to be who you are, it would be worth it. So, keep an open mind, don't judge people based on their gender or sexuality but only consider individuals based on who they really are.

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This post was published on Mar 22, 2022.

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