One year at the Business Data Challengers

Hans Van Diggelen and I have known each other for several years, and many times he has asked me to come over to help build the Business Data Challengers (BDC) #Academy. Every time, I said no, as I didn’t want to give up my management role. Being an operations manager was something I loved to do.

But after some soul-searching end 2022 and beginning of 2023, I discovered what makes me happy and what ticks for me (my #ikigai). That was the moment Hans and I started discussing a new career at Business Data Challengers, again and the posibility to build the #BDCacademy. So, on July 1st, 2023, I started this new amazing journey.

This journey has made me truly happy, doing the things I love. Leaving the operational management of a team, something I enjoyed for over 30 years, is still (and will be) a fond memory, but to be honest, I haven’t missed it for one minute! I am at my #HappyPlace now, where every day passes by as if there is no time, and I love what I do every day. The promise made by Hans Van Diggelen and Willem de Fiouw has come true, and I am so thankful for that!

The vision of those two amazing men is super simple:

• Fly, go beyond, and do the things that are within your power. Hans recognized my strengths and gave me the freedom to handle sales based on my knowledge, develop trainings and workshops, collaborate with my friends from Smart Training Center on the amazing Serious Data Trainings (including the amazing Data Escape Rooms), and be the "Chief of Making Noise." I also had the ability to work with our web designer to create a new section on our website and so much more! Becoming a Qlik partner again, building the new Qlik team, I’m super happy with that.
• The promise to be able to attend events abroad where I can learn, present, and talk about Data & AI Literacy and represent Business Data Challengers. Going to Lund to meet my fellow #QlikPartnerAmbassadors, the #QlikLuminaries, and seeing my friends. Qlik even arranged for us to play the amazing #DataEscapeRoom with the Partner Ambassadors. In June 2024, going to #QlikConnect, to present, learn, and have loads of fun (and beers), winning the #GlobalTransformationAward with our customer Van Oord - Nederland , and presenting with Rachel Terry, going to Universal are moments I will cherish forever.
• Taking control to develop yourself, I had the ability to grow even further by doing trainings on various topics, like: following various #Datacamp trainings, building my knowledge around #QlikProducts, #DesignThinking, #GenAI trainings, Copilot, Mindfullnes, and more.
• The fantastic annual trip abroad, in 2023 to amazing Milan with almost the complete Business Data Challengers and Cyber Security Challengers team. Having great moments with my colleagues (overcoming a big fear—I wasn’t able to zipline, and I did it!), a big party with our partners, and a bi-monthly knowledge session/fun activity with colleagues and more.
• Working together with the amazing boys and girls in the AI and Data Science Club within BDC and working on some cool projects like the #ImageProcessingProject and the @PoseEstimation project. I would never be able what our data scientists do, but I love to create materials to promote the solutions, of think even furter of innovations. I truly love beeing a conceptual, innovatie thinker!
• Having no registration of leave/vacation/sickness, the freedom to work from everywhere we want, of course with the approval of our clients as well. There is no micromanagement complexity, we are responsible ourselves, and all we do is based upon trust!
• An open, honest, and transparent working climate. When something is up, we directly communicate it with each other.
• No pressure about projects; they always search for a natural fit! Just look at my project (that I truly love) for the municipality of Gemeente Hengelo with Arjan Lenferink and Rita Prins - van Tilbeurgh, and all the other trainer activities that I do!

This all may sound fuzzy, and too good to be true, but all the promised points came true! The year has passed so quickly, and I truly love being a Challenger, Advisor and Trainer at Business Data Challengers . The made promises came true, and I want to thank all my colleagues for this amazing workplace and this year, that simpy just flew by.

Angelika Klidas, Challenger, Advisor & Trainer

[email protected] / +316 2194 4524

Business Data Challengers

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