About Henk Kolenbrander

Is Henk Kolenbrander sure he’s perfect?

Henk Kolenbrander has held all kinds of management positions, also on board level and in international situations. But what kind of person are you getting involved with when you’re doing business with him? What is his vision? And to start with the most essential question: is he sure he’s perfect?

‘I’m not’ he answers with a smile, and then adds more seriously: ‘which is why I regularly ask my customers for a mutual evaluation. I want them to honestly tell me what they think, about what I deliver and about me as a person. That’s what I say to them. I really want to hear what I should do differently. Some people need to get used to that direct approach, but it is very important to me.’

Life-long learning
This type of evaluation stems from a broader need that Henk Kolenbrander feels: to always keep learning. He has been in contact with educational institutions and branch organisations for many years, in various roles:
• external examiner Logistics & Economy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, since 2017
• mentoring warehousing interns, from e.g. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, since 2017
• member of the Raad voor Logistieke Kennis [Council for Logistic Knowledge] of branche organisation Evofenedex, 2010 – 2016
• member of the steering committee for supply chain development at Nyenrode University, led by professor Jack van der Veen, 2014 – 2016
• chairman of the Vereniging Fabrikanten van Industriële Gassen (VFIG) [Association for Manufacturers of Industrial Gases], 2015, and before that:
– member of the European Industrial Gas Association (EIGA)
– member of the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI)
• graduated in business administration at the Radboud University Nijmegen 2006
• graduated in business administration at the HAN University of Applied Sciences, 1993

In addition, he finds the fact that he works on an interim basis ‘more instructive than always being active in the same sector’.

Heart and soul
As a further characteristic of himself he mentions his involvement: ‘I put my heart and soul into my work. Cutting corners, that’s really not me. I really get in as deeply as I can into the genes of a company, which is sometimes called customer intimacy. And that’s not “simply performing a job”. In many situations I identify with my customer. I put myself in their shoes, even if I am not their employee.
To Chemours I said: I will first come and take a look at your company. Just to see if it feels right to me. I’m not going to do things that don’t really suit me, because I will simply not be able to deliver good work then.
Tasting. Watching people. How are they interacting? What is the spirit? I work with a lot of dedication and I expect the same from the other side. I don’t look at time, but at the energy I get from it.’

Johan Cruyff
‘I want to be able to show entrepreneurship, I can’t work in bureaucracy. And with that I don’t mean the government, I know a lot of companies that are much more bureaucratic. I could only work there if breaking through this bureaucracy is my goal.
I am a fan of Johan Cruyff’s sayings, of which of course the most famous one is: Ieder nadeel heb z’n voordeel, which roughly translates as “every cloud has a silver lining”. This has become a cliché, but I do still like the positivity it shows. Negativity won’t get you anywhere. My glass is half full.’

Still, sometimes the interim manager is given a task that won’t directly improve the atmosphere. How do you deal with that?
‘That is something else entirely. If an organisation wants to make a certain move, you won’t always get the popular vote. But then you are aware of that from the start.’

How does this busy entrepreneur relax?
‘On the water and in technology. So what do I have? A motorboat, not just to go out on the water with, but also to endlessly work on. It now has a completely wooden interior. At home I keep myself busy in the same way. Taking out the entire kitchen and installing a new one, that’s how I relax over the summer.’