We were delighted to welcome Niels Janssen, the Senior Director Corporate Development, EMEA at Equinix in the Netherlands, to the EMEA Recruitment podcast.

“If you want a promotion, you have to start acting on the level that you want to get to.”

It’s been a hectic start to the year for many of us, but Niels explains how his family has managed to turn the situation caused by COVID-19 around into something positive. He’s grateful for the work-from-home environment that he has, but acknowledges that some employees will be finding remote working more difficult, for many reasons.

Niels speaks to our Founder, Paul Toms, about the highlights of his 23-year career in Finance. He discusses making the move from large companies to the smallest branch of Equinix in the world ten years ago. Heading the Finance team in an “entrepreneurial” organisation was a “really cool” experience for Niels, which also resulted in a very successful office.

Niels’ bold approach to his career is something that started 14 years ago when he began working for British Telecom (BT). After just three weeks in his role as a manager on the FP&A team, the department lead left. He explains why he was the only member of the team to step up to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and say he could take over – and what happened when he did.

Although he tells some great stories, Niels describes the feelings around taking risks in your career and why you always need to be ready to grasp opportunities. In fact, he has some pretty bold advice for anyone looking to progress in the Finance field.

We explore the challenges that Niels has faced in his current role, aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data are taking over parts of the Finance function. He explains the skillsets that he believes Finance leaders of the future will need in order to face the competition from AI and robotics.

For managers struggling to get the most out of their teams while remote working, Niels offers his top tips on staying as close to employees as possible. We also found out who his key mentors have been throughout his career and why he doesn’t shy away from letting his colleagues progress beyond his team.

If you’d like to listen to a specific part of this podcast episode, use the timestamps below:

01:13: What Niels is looking forward to after COVID
01:49: How Niels has coped with working from home
04:35: Niels’ career highlight after 23 years in Finance
05:58: Taking an opportunity when it’s there
08:25: Why you should take risks in your career
10:30: How to show you’re ambitious
16:22: The challenges Niels faces in his current role
18:43: What is the future of Finance?
20:58: How to get close to your team through tech
23:14: The mentors in Niels’ career
27:14: How Niels coaches his team members
28:55: How to reach out to Niels

Listen to the full episode below: 

You can also listen here: https://emearecruitment.libsyn.com/emea-recruitment-podcast-83-how-and-why-to-take-risks-in-your-career-niels-janssen

If you have any questions for Niels, you can connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nijanssen/

Thank you to the EMEA Recruitment podcast partner, Operation Smile, for supporting this episode. We’re hoping to raise awareness and funds for the vital work that the charity does around the world – find out more here: https://www.emearecruitment.com/pages/operation-smile

Paul Toms, our Founder, and Jenny Callum, our Associate Director, are proud to host the EMEA Recruitment podcast.

You can find out more about our services through our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/

Or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/

If you’d like to connect with Paul, visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/

Or Jenny at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennycallumemea/

Please let us know of any topics you’d like covered in future episodes of the EMEA Recruitment podcast via LinkedIn.