Founder | International Marketing Leader & Brand Builder
I've spent over 20 years living inside the world of big brands — first on the agency side, then in-house - and that dual perspective is what I bring to the founders I work with. I know how large organizations think, how they make decisions, and why they move the way they do. That inside knowledge is something many mentors can't offer, and it's often exactly what scaling founders need. My experience spans brand marketing, paid media, team transformation, and international expansion, including 15 years living and working outside the US. That global outlook shapes how I approach every challenge - I've seen what works across markets, cultures, and organizational structures, not just from one seat at the table. Empathy is at the core of how I lead, and I'm a natural problem solver. Whether I'm helping a team become more agile, guiding a founder through a market expansion, or just cutting through complexity to find the real issue — I care deeply about getting the best out of the people I work with. A great strategy only works when great people are behind it.
23 years in marketing - 13 in agency, 10 in-house - gives me a perspective most marketers don't have. My expertise is in media planning and brand strategy, working upper and mid-funnel across international markets. I know how to build awareness and drive consideration at scale. And having sat on both sides of the table, I know how to make strategy actually work in the real world.
Built and led media teams across 20+ years, agency and client side. At Uber EMEA, scaled from one direct report to six, ran quarterly development reviews, and launched an internal Media Academy to upskill 35 markets. At Just Eat, I led four people across eight countries and stepped up as Interim Head of Media for six months. At Marktplaats, I restructured the entire media operation in four months. Before that, 10+ years leading agency teams at UM and Initiative.
Co-founded the Marketing Breakfast Club Amsterdam in 2023 with a simple idea: bring experienced marketers together for real conversations, not networking theater. In 22 months, it grew to 900+ members and expanded to three additional cities — Lisbon, Madrid, and Dubai. Built on word of mouth, consistent programming, and a format people actually want to show up to. Just marketers talking honestly about the work and building connections.
I've worked closely with data science and measurement teams throughout my career to translate media activity into business outcomes. At Uber EMEA, I collaborated on bespoke Media Mix Modelling to measure ROI across paid channels. At Marktplaats, I commissioned and directed a custom AI-driven MMM aligned to local Benelux business needs, reducing reporting lag by 8 weeks. I've also run brand tracking studies across large multi-market campaigns to measure awareness and favorability shifts
GTM has run through my career longer than I recognized it as such. At Uber, I helped expand a brand across 35 countries in EMEA — new markets, unfamiliar media landscapes, no playbook. You figure out fast what translates and what doesn't. I'm now building a structured GTM framework for brands entering European markets, combining that experience with AI tools that make the process sharper and faster. If you're taking a brand somewhere new, I've probably already made the mistakes worth avoiding.
I've spent 20+ years running integrated media across Europe — from building Uber EMEA's first multi-market campaign across 35 countries ($100M+ spend, 4% brand favorability lift) to managing upper and mid-funnel strategy at Just Eat Takeaway across 8 Northern European markets. At Marktplaats, I introduced performance channels that delivered CPAs at a third of traditional search costs.
Imposter syndrome has been a career-long companion. Twenty years of senior roles, significant budgets, real results — and a head that still finds ways to question whether I belong in the room. Anxiety feeds it. The two are hard to separate. What I've learned: the doubt doesn't go away, but you can stop letting it make decisions for you. I won't pretend I've solved it. But I've built a career alongside it, and I can help you do the same.
Senior marketing leader with 20+ years running teams, managing agencies, and owning large-scale budgets across 60+ countries. Transformation has been the constant: built Uber's media function from scratch, restructured operations at Marktplaats, and led through significant change at Just Eat. Started on the agency side — 13 years at UM and Initiative — so I understand how both sides of that relationship work. I lead through complexity, not around it.
If complaining were an Olympic sport, I'd have a shot at the podium — so I'm not going to tell you to stay positive. Sometimes you just need to say the thing out loud to someone who gets it. I've been in the corporate frustration, the political frustration, the why-is-nobody-seeing-this frustration. I'm a good listener, I won't judge, and I'll help you figure out what to do with it when you're ready. No toxic positivity here.
Co-founder of MBCA (Marketing Breakfast Club Amsterdam) - a community of 900+ marketers built from scratch in under 3 years. Monthly happy hours, roundtables, and in-person events filling a gap that didn't exist in Amsterdam post-COVID.
Led the full localization of Marktplaats's paid media structure - transitioning from a centralized global model to a fully local Benelux operation across paid search, paid social, and programmatic in under four months. Built a bespoke AI-driven Media Mix Model to measure channel impact and automate budget scenario planning, cutting reporting timelines by over 8 weeks. Established media planning principles to bring consistency and efficiency to campaign planning, and negotiated agency contracts delivering 36% in year-over-year savings.
Led integrated media strategy across 8 countries in Northern Europe, responsible for $25 million in media spend. Developed the central media strategy across 16 markets and drove a unified approach to audio-visual planning by integrating digital and offline media teams. Managed a multi-million Euro agency relationship spanning 15+ countries, renegotiating the yearly retainer to deliver 32% in fee savings despite declining budgets. Stepped up as Interim Head of Media for six months following the departure of the Global Head of Media.
Joined Uber during its period of rapid private-company scaling and saw the business through its IPO, giving me a firsthand view of how media strategy evolves as an organization matures. Led integrated media strategy across 35 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa, overseeing $100 million in media spend. Spearheaded Uber's first global campaign across EMEA and built the company's first integrated media planning process — creating structure and consistency from briefing through to implementation. Managed the EMEA agency relationship and co-led three contract renewals, negotiating $5 million in reduced fees. Grew and developed a team of 6 media professionals.
Worked across a portfolio of medium to large global brands, including Unilever, ExxonMobil, Tata Communications, Logitech, and PwC, developing integrated media strategies across 20+ markets. A formative chapter for sharpening the commercial and client side of the business — pitching, negotiating, and learning how to hustle for results in a competitive agency environment.
Spent over a decade at UM across New York, San Francisco, and London, working my way up from media planner to International Account Director. Managed global media campaigns for some of the world's most iconic brands, including Microsoft, MasterCard, and Intel — spanning over 60 countries across every major region. Developed deep expertise in international media planning, cross-market strategy, and client management at scale, while building the global foundation that shaped the rest of my career.