Product Manager - Jasper Vervoort

Name: Jasper Vervoort
Title: Product Manager
Division: Nike-Philips
Years with Philips: 4

A world of opportunities for growth

What strikes me about Philips are the almost limitless opportunities for growth. When I was studying International Marketing, I realized I wanted to work for a global brand with an international environment. So I took an internship at Philips Consumer Electronics (CE) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

After graduating, I worked for CE Europe in Consumer Relational Marketing - one of my projects was launching of the website, Club Philips - a whole website devoted to building relationships with customers. It's a great forum for communicating new products and innovations to people who love discovering the latest in electronics.

Then I was ready for a new challenge - so I headed to Hong Kong to concentrate on the Nike-Philips product range. Our companies are truly complementary - Philips knows about creating innovations, and Nike has insight in the athlete's experience. So together we make 'innovations for athletes'. The cultural differences between us and Nike is are both challenging and inspiring.

In terms of personal growth, I think that working in a multinational corporation - what with my experiences in Brazil, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong - and the international exposure have helped me become more open-minded and appreciative of different cultures.