André

André

Head of the Logistics Competence Center for Europe, Middle East & Africa

Supply Chain & Customer Care


Vanwege het internationale karakter van ons bedrijf en onze medewerkers hebben we hun verhalen en ervaringen in het Engels weergegeven.


"THERE IS A PATIENT BEHIND EVERYTHING WE DO, AND THE PASSION AND DRIVE OF OUR PEOPLE IS IMPRESSIVE."

Family and hobbies are important to André. Not only does he like to travel, watch football as well as coach his son’s football team, but André is also training to climb the
Mount (Mont) Ventoux. Joining Medtronic in 2017, he was performing two jobs from the start. You can say that André is not backing down from a challenge.

Born and raised in the southwestern part of the Netherlands, André still lives in Roosendaal and commutes to our Heerlen office.

André about his position at Medtronic

I was hired not that long ago – in 2017 – to set up a Logistics Competence Center (LCC) for the EMEA Region. And simultaneously, I was asked to take on an interim role as the head of the distribution center at the European Operations Center (EOC).

André's education and career path

Before I started with Medtronic, I was working for a large logistics services provider for more than 27 years. I have fulfilled a large variety of different (operational, tactical and strategical) roles in different areas such as customer service, Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability, operational management, quality, engineering & project management, performance management, continuous improvement, real estate, facility and security management. My career path at this company has been one great development: from a customer service representative towards a position in the management (executive) board within the Benelux/Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) organization of more than 4.000 employees.

Most challenging in my current role

In my current role as the head of the Logistics Competence Center (LCC) EMEA, I see that we, as LCC, need to play an important role in simplifying and standardizing our way of working, as well as the collaboration with other departments. This does not only apply to the LCC alone, but also between and in the relationship with the different departments within the Medtronic Supply Chain & Customer Care EMEA organizations. In my opinion, the LCC needs to play an important role in this.

What I like most in my current job

That within Logistics EMEA, we actually drive the agenda of standardization, simplification and continuous improvement. The good thing about this is that we as a team really actively contribute to the ‘Must Wins’. We try to be the engine behind simplifying the daily work of a lot of employees within Logistics.

What I like about working for Medtronic

What I like most is the mindset. That there is a patient behind everything we do. Also, the passion and drive of our people is impressive. People are proud to work for Medtronic! In my role, we help and support different people and teams to do everything right and efficient the first time. This contributes to our mission of improving the lives of our patients.

What ‘Further, Together’ means to me

'Further, Together' for me means that the strength is not in the individual itself but in collaboration and teamwork. Every employee represents a part and is an important link in the chain. From entering the order to the delivery to the customer. You are in it together. So, if you are able to improve the process together, do it!
In other words, how can I help to improve my own processes and make sure it better connects to the processes which are following mine.

My most memorable experiences at Medtronic

What I considered as my most memorable experience so far at Medtronic, was an email we received from a Medtronic Sales Representative. The email was written straight from the heart and it stated that by acting effectively in a certain situation, we had saved the life of a young woman.

And of course, besides this example, I think the first Patient Event which I joined, was very impressive too.