Testimonial Tom De Bruyne: "3W always acts in a respectful manner, which for me is their greatest added value."
Tom De Bruyne has been working as an interim manager since 2016. His expertise lies in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing, but organizations mainly turn to him for his talent in growth acceleration. He recently supported Flanders Hydraulics on a short-term assignment through 3W.
Hi Tom, can you introduce yourself?
I have a background in materials engineering and specialize in everything related to 3D printing. Looking back on my career, I have primarily supported startups and scale-ups with my expertise in business development, innovation management, strategy, operations, and general management. What drives me in my assignments is the quality and value that companies deliver, and above all, ensuring that businesses can reach their full growth potential.
I have been working as an interim manager since 2016, but I am not a typical interim manager. Often, I start an assignment and become so passionate about it that I stay longer than the usual three to six months for interim management roles.
Can you tell us more about your assignment at Flanders Hydraulics?
First of all, this assignment was quite short. Patrick (3W) was aware that I had already accepted another assignment that would start soon. I was able to free up one month to support Flanders Hydraulics, which was not a problem.
Flanders Hydraulics is a center of expertise for research and advice on hydraulic, nautical, sediment-related and hydrological topics. ?With over 90 years of expertise, they also operate a laboratory with scale model testing, where various water movements can be simulated—for example, to study what happens in a lock or when a ship moves.
The main client of Flanders Hydraulics is our own government, but the institute wanted to commercialize its expertise so that other governments, shipping companies, dredging firms, and other organizations could also benefit from their services.
To position Flanders Hydraulics in the market, specific expertise was needed. They were looking for an interim manager who could support them in business development, initially to assess which companies would be interested in their services.
Can you give an example of what you contributed to Flanders Hydraulics?
We launched several initiatives, one of which was a mailing campaign targeting a selection of prospects. The response rate was remarkable—within an hour, the first replies started coming in, and eventually, all contacted companies had responded.
Flanders Hydraulics offers top-tier expertise that companies typically pay a high price for when using facilities in for example the Netherlands and Germany for, and where similar facilities are often fully booked. The future looks bright for Flanders Hydraulics.
How do you look back on your collaboration with 3W?
Yvy & Patrick at 3W are highly experienced professionals, which is evident. They are also very sincere—not only towards me as an interim manager but also towards the client.
3W operates with a very personal approach: they strive to understand the organization and identify its true needs. They are patient and never pushy.
If you had to compare 3W to other interim management providers, what sets them apart?
There are a lot of sharks in this industry, but the people at 3W always act respectfully. Their level of maturity immediately reassured me. I believe this is their greatest added value.
Given my limited availability, my collaboration with 3W required the right conditions to succeed. A successful interim management assignment is only possible when there is a good understanding between the interim manager and the firm.
Thank you for your time, Tom!