How to: be a director at 34

Annabelle Beelen (34) believes that the dot on the horizon brought her to where she is now. She is the only female director who grew into this role from within at Page Personnel. ‘It was my ultimate goal, as a little girl I already wanted to become a businesswoman.’

You are currently the only woman on the board, why do you think this is?
‘I am the first to come to this position organically. It’s a long road, a bumpy one too, where you have to give a lot. The challenge is to keep your work and private life well balanced. And at Page, it’s a very commercial environment, you have to want that. I wanted to be a director as a little girl and I will keep going until I achieve it. The luck was that I got the challenge at Page Personnel and I saw it and seized it myself.’

Was it your girlhood dream to become a director?
‘Yes. Back then, I thought about it very simply and straightforwardly. In my mind, I had an image of a beautiful woman in a tailored suit on very high heels, with of course Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags. In practice, it works a bit differently, haha.’

You competed at a high level; does that mentality have something to do with it?
‘I think so. I notice that many people who are high up the ladder in the corporate world have played sports at a reasonably high level. I think it’s the drive. Personally, I can’t stand losing because I want to be the best at what I do. Through gymnastics, I learned to deal well with setbacks. In gymnastics, you can only look at yourself when things go wrong, which taught me to reflect. How can I do something better and prevent it in the future?’

So a businesswoman, but what do you do as a director?
‘I am responsible for our office in Tilburg. The team mainly consists of young people, from early twenties to early thirties. I am responsible for the operations within the office, hiring staff, and I also facilitate training. I have never been just a manager, but I have always actively recruited myself. I have clients I have been working with for almost ten years. I find it too enjoyable to stop doing it, and I also want to keep the link with the business. Our business is very changeable, so I ensure that I keep my knowledge up to date.

How come you advanced to the top so quickly?
‘Because of my mentality and perseverance, but also due to the support and motivation from home. My partner also has a serious role in the football world, for which he is sometimes away from home six days a week. Time management and communication are therefore very important. We both choose a career, but also a family. Our son Luca is two and talks our ears off. The combination of work and private life sometimes presents challenges, but with each other's help and our surroundings, we manage just fine. I believe that if you both do what you enjoy, you are also a more enjoyable parent and thus have a more enjoyable relationship. I don’t think my men would be happy if I were home for three days straight.’.

Is there a piece of advice you work towards?
‘Proving yourself first and only then having an opinion or saying something, that’s how I was raised. But at Page, I found out that you can’t get there alone, as the commercial world can be quite overwhelming. I was quite a wallflower when I joined Page, but over time you really have to profile yourself if you have ambition. I saw people doing things I didn’t agree with, so I had to find a way to realize that ambition without throwing my own principles overboard. My director gave me the eighty-twenty rule as advice. Stay eighty percent yourself, do twenty percent out of the box. Challenge yourself, but also stay close to yourself. This allows me to keep performing while also being able to look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day. It has helped me immensely.’

In your short bio, I got the impression that you have to stand your ground as the only woman on the Board, what do you think of this expression as a woman?
‘I’m not specifically a fan of the expression, because why should I, as a woman, have to stand my ground? But the fact remains that as a woman, I have to advocate for myself more; men do that automatically. They don’t take into account that you just happen to be a woman. You sometimes notice this in crude jokes and in the straightforward and blunt way they say what comes to mind. I have to set my own boundaries regarding what I can laugh at and what goes too far. No man waits for you to say something; you have to speak up yourself.’

Have you had to work through prejudices?
‘Yes, I think we all still deal with that. I really hope and believe that this is decreasing. For example, I find the women’s quota quite challenging sometimes. The thought that: oh, they have a quota, that’s why she got that job. It’s important to stay true to yourself; you didn’t work hard for nothing.’

Who is your role model?
‘My father. He always held management or executive positions. He passed away when I was fourteen, which increased my desire to make him proud. Because how proud would he be if I reached the same level? I have romanticized it, of course, but it gives you a goal and, in hindsight, a very nice feeling when you can turn grief and sadness into so much meaning. Now that I have achieved that, I am sure he has a big smile on his face up there.’

Is that the secret, having a goal?
‘Yes, I think so. It works that way at Page too. If you meet a target, you earn a promotion. Until you become a senior executive manager, because then you no longer have full control over that promotion, as opinions start to count. Haha, I had to get used to that a lot. Now that I am a director, I notice that I am looking for another goal again. Do I want the best or the largest office, to become a senior director or go for managing director? I keep constantly searching for the next goal.’

How does it feel to be that role model for women yourself?
‘That feels very unfamiliar. I don’t feel like a different person because of this role, but I do experience that people start to see me differently. Especially people who don’t know me. I try to be very aware of that and ensure that I stay close to myself.’

Is there something you wish you had known when you started your career?
‘Bold people have half the world. I learned that you get what you deserve. Of course, I am happy with that upbringing, but in the adult world, especially in the commercial world, it works differently. You go faster if you speak up. But don’t do that too often either, so choose your battles, otherwise, you lose your influence.’

And what advice would you give to young women starting their careers?
‘Above all, stay true to yourself, but do advocate for yourself. For example, I didn’t do that at the beginning of my career regarding salary; I only realized that later. Ultimately, this will balance out later in your career, but standing up for yourself is really essential.’

Then a few quick office dilemmas. All day in the office or on the road?
‘On the road, I enjoy the variety. Being in the office all day doesn’t make me a happy person.’

You’re done working, exercising or a drink?
‘That’s a very big dilemma. But I will go for my old passion. First exercise and then I’d love a glass of wine.’

Always on or occasionally off?
‘Always reachable, I always have my phone at hand. Although I do spend a lot of time in meetings, which can make me temporarily unreachable. And when I’m with my son Luca, I’m obviously also a bit less reachable.’

Reachable on vacation or not?
‘Reachable, haha. I suffer a lot from fear of missing out. My partner and I have agreed: either at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day, we’ll email or call. I feel most at ease if I can already clear some emails or set them aside for follow-up when I’m back in the office.’

Finish something quickly or never work overtime?
‘I do occasionally work overtime. And that’s fine as long as the balance remains good.’