What has kept Principal Consultant Eugène van der Voort at AMIS Conclusion for 12 years 

 

Working at a company that keeps evolving: Eugène van der Voort has enjoyed doing just that at AMIS Conclusion for almost 12 years. “What appeals to me most is the hands-on approach and the freedom to chart my own course. I also value enjoyable work with great colleagues. That combination suits me perfectly.” 

His journey at AMIS Conclusion began almost twelve years ago in an unexpected and spontaneous way. “AMIS was already active on social media, including Twitter, where I followed the company. At one point, they ran a competition to win a book written by an AMIS colleague. In the end, winning the book was not really the point. It was simply a great way to get in touch with AMIS. That set the ball rolling!” he says with a smile. 

Shortly afterwards, Eugène joined as a Principal Consultant at a company that would change considerably over the years. “AMIS Conclusion was a very different company back then. I would go as far as saying it has changed completely,” Eugène explains. “In my early years, the focus was mainly on Oracle services and secondment. In my field, databases and platforms, I usually worked on-site with customers and rarely alongside other AMIS colleagues.”

That started to change around five or six years ago. “Much of that was down to Lucas Jellema, AMIS’s CTO at the time and now CTO of Conclusion. He saw that we were doing a lot of Oracle integration work and suggested expanding into Microsoft Azure and doing more in the cloud. Gradually, this led to a broader range of services. I think that was a brilliant move.”

The shift broadened the services AMIS Conclusion offered and changed how its employees worked. Eugène explains: “We now take much more ownership of projects and have become more versatile. At Feenstra, where we have worked for years, we provide our own Scrum Master and Delivery Manager and work closely with the customer to make the project a success. The same applies at Stichting CIS, where our own team leads the work, including a Scrum Master and Delivery Manager. Compared with the past, we spend less time at customer sites; instead, customers come to us. Since that change, I have felt much more part of AMIS Conclusion. There is a real sense of being a team.”

Another aspect Eugène particularly values is the company’s strong focus on sharing knowledge. “We are really good at knowledge sharing. It is something we excel at and what sets us apart from other companies,” he says. “There are various guilds and professional groups that employees can join, and everyone is free to choose which group they want to participate in. The meetings are mainly about enjoying ourselves and exploring interesting, relevant topics. Nothing is imposed on us.”

He appreciates the flat organisation and friendly atmosphere among colleagues. “AMIS Conclusion is a people-focused company. There are few layers of hierarchy, and colleagues get on well. We get together for drinks on Thursday or Friday afternoons. And the AMIS weekend, when all colleagues and their partners enjoy a fully organised weekend away, is something really special. I never experienced that with previous employers.”

Eugène also describes AMIS Conclusion as a down-to-earth company without a suit-and-tie culture. “We take a pragmatic approach. We are down-to-earth, pick things up and get on with them. I work best when I am not boxed into a rigid role and have the freedom to do things I enjoy. If I decided to focus more on development or application management, that would be possible within AMIS Conclusion. I can decide what interests me, and I appreciate the freedom to choose my own direction.”

Looking ahead, Eugène sees himself staying at AMIS Conclusion for a long time. “My plan is to stay here until I retire. Particularly in recent years, enjoyable work with good colleagues has become very important to me.” After almost twelve years at AMIS Conclusion, he looks back with satisfaction. “I feel valued here and am more than just a number, unlike my experience with my previous employer. And the atmosphere? It just keeps getting better!” he adds with a laugh.