While you can find our entire team on this website, we think those short biographies don’t do them justice. This month’s colleague in the spotlight: Karim Ebied!
What did you do before you joined Aexus?
‘I started at Aexus right after finishing my bachelor’s degree in business economics. A former colleague mentioned the opening of Aexus’ new Amsterdam office, and that they were looking for people to join the team. I applied and went for a meeting with Can Paul Urganci.’
What were your first impressions?
‘There were only two desks, two chairs and one laptop in an otherwise empty room. Even the router still had to be connected, providing me with an opportunity to show my savviness with networking devices. Can Paul also showed me some of the partners, their product, and what I would be doing for them. After that first meeting, I had a meeting with upper management in Arnhem. Everything I heard sounded great, like a chance to learn a lot about new and interesting tech. So, when they offered me the position of sales support, I accepted. As it turned out, I was Can Paul’s first hire, and the second ever Aexus employee in Amsterdam.’
What has your trajectory at Aexus been like up until now?
‘I trained under Can Paul for about ten months, before I became a sales executive and started managing two partners (and got my first company car!). I really enjoyed being responsible and keeping them satisfied. Not only by introducing them to a lot of different organizations, but also by listening to them, and trying to figure out new strategies based on our talks and results. In 2018, I was promoted to business development manager. I have been managing three to four partners ever since.’
Why did you decide to work in technology?
‘Because technology is changing and developing all the time. There is a lot of undiscovered potential. I also applied for other jobs at the time, but none of them sounded as dynamic. And working in tech sales allows me to talk to people from a lot of different industries, because many companies can benefit from new technology. On one day, I can be visiting a farm in the morning, explaining how smart sensors will allow machines to work more efficiently, while in the afternoon I am demoing a smart document solution at a bank.’
What does a standard day look like?
‘Like all the other interviewees said, there is not really a standard day at Aexus. Working here requires a lot of flexibility: not all partners are going to be satisfied at the same time, and sometimes I am switching between different technologies and products multiple times per day. But it makes my job very dynamic and allows me to learn a lot about new tech. I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
What do you like most about working at Aexus?
‘Definitely the camaraderie. My colleagues and I treat each other as friends, which makes me look forward to going to work. It’s something that is really unique to Aexus in my opinion; the company has existed for 20 years, but it managed to keep that sort of startup mentality and atmosphere. While it definitely isn’t a startup anymore, it still feels that way.’
Do you have any plans for the future?
‘That’s another thing I like a lot about Aexus: there are a lot of gauntlets ready to be picked up, and as long as you have a good plan, management always allows you to try and make it work. So, I recently started as a so-called buddy, providing new colleagues a soft landing within the company. That way they can get used to our way of working. I am actively helping them out but am also always available if they have any questions, now or in the future. Other than that, at some point, I’d definitely like to manage a team of my own.’
