ESSEC Alumni in the Netherlands: “It’s very common to work 4 days a week here”

The Netherlands is home to about 200 alumni. Isabelle Sfez (E12), Head of ESSEC Alumni’s Netherlands Chapter, tells us more about the local community – and the services she offers to them. 

ESSEC Alumni: What makes it interesting to live in the Netherlands?

Isabelle Sfez : The Netherlands offers a very nice balance between personal and professional life. It’s very common to work 4 days a week and have some spare time to practice your hobbies, involve yourself in charity or spend some time with your family. 

EA: What are the profiles and backgrounds of our alumni in the Netherlands?

I. Sfez : Our alumni here have all sorts of backgrounds: MBA, BBA, Grande École. 50% are French, 50% are international including a few Dutch people. This makes it a rich alumni environment with people working in various industries. Most live in Amsterdam, some in The Hague and other big Dutch cities.

EA: What are our alumni’s prospects and opportunities in the Netherlands?

I. Sfez: It’s a very international country as many worldwide corporations have settled their EU HQ here. The Netherlands also benefitted from the Brexit in this regard. So the labor market is dynamic, and unemployment is pretty low. Many of our alumni work in global companies, but the tech market is also strong.

EA: What advice do you have for our alumni moving in the Netherlands? 

I. Sfez: Our local community is willing to help so I would advise to contact people in our network.

EA: What are the offer and services of ESSEC Alumni’s Netherlands Chapter? 

I. Sfez: We give you professional or personal advice for your life and career here, and we organize events to gather the community. Recently, we had the opportunity to attend to a super nice concert and discuss with a famous musician in the iconic Concertgebouworkest thanks to its Managing Director Dominik Winterling (E06). 

EA: Who are the members of your team? Do you need more volunteers to get involved? 

I. Sfez: Monica Petry (M13) and Benoit Godinot (E03) are the other two members of team. We our totally open to get more people involved! 

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 

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