”“Excel is my secret weapon. My whole life, both work and private, is organized in tables.”
Julie Wijns is a unique case. In 2004, she started her career as a TV manager at UM, stayed there for six years, then went on to work for the competition for the next six years before returning to her first employer where she has been
for the past six years. “In the end, we always return to our first love,” says superwoman Julie, who combines the job of Managing Director with a master’s degree from Solvay and a family, and still finds time to play golf. How does she do it?
“Having a stable, loving base at home goes a long way,” replies Julie. “I lead a serene family life and know that I can always count on my partner with whom I have shared my life for 25 years.” Julie is aware that being lucky enough to work for a company that ensures a good work-life balance is certainly not to be underestimated either.
“In some companies, this would simply not be feasible. At Mediabrands, teleworking was even possible before the pandemic. It’s certainly nothing new for us.”
Columns and rows
But let’s not forget her famous tables; Julie is commonly known as Miss Excel. “Excel is my secret weapon for great organization,” she jokes. “I have a very planned and structured approach to work and basically use Excel sheets for anything and everything. It’s almost an obsession. My whole life, both private and professional, is organized in tables.” Julie is quite extreme in this regard. From shopping lists to even choosing a dog. Julie: “A dog has been on our wish list for a long time, but with my busy schedule it wasn’t feasible. Since we work from home a lot more than we used to, we have succumbed. I put all the information I had found about various breeds, as well as the wishes and criteria of the whole family, into Excel and, based on that, put together the top five. In the end we got a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.”
Julie feels completely at home in the world of tables, data, figures and analyses, which form an important part of her work. Not surprisingly, mathematics was her favorite subject at school. “But when it comes to time sheets,” she says, “I am a very bad student. I hate them, but in the end I always find them useful. You can detect weaknesses immediately.” And yet, it’s not the numbers she is excited about. Rather, it’s the cooperation with the various partners, conducting negotiations and coaching her team that excites her most. In particular, the mutual trust that exists between her employees and herself gives her a strong sense of satisfaction. “There are six of us who complement each other well. Everyone gets the chance to take certain initiatives in the interest of the entire team. I feel surrounded by competent people to whom I can delegate with peace of mind. For me, that’s a sign that I have done a good job.”
”“We always return to our first love in the end.”
A learning experience
Julie is proud of her professional journey so far. “I started as a TV buyer without knowing anything about the business,” she explains. “I remember my first meeting as part of my training. I didn’t understand the jargon and wondered what on earth I was doing there.” Julie learned everything by doing, with the necessary support from her colleagues. UM was still a small agency at the time, and after a while Julie felt she had reached a ceiling and was no longer growing in her job. “It was a difficult but necessary decision to leave UM to work for the competition,” she explains. “I wanted to learn other things and meet other people.” In retrospect, it turned out to be the right decision. The fact that she quickly became a manager at Mediabrands without having a master’s degree, but based on her qualities and expertise, is something she considers a worthy achievement. “Nevertheless, I had been thinking about a master’s degree for several years,” she says, “to improve my knowledge and skills.” The management training she’s following at Solvay for a year is comprehensive and also very intense, covering finance, marketing, strategy and leadership. With these additional skills, Julie hopes to become an even better manager. “The great thing about such a course is that you come into contact with people who work in other sectors and fields. I am not sitting beside media partners for a change and that’s very enriching because I am confronted with different views.” But it demands a lot of energy and discipline from Julie. “We are given tasks to complete at home, have to prepare case studies and defend them in the group, and write a thesis,” she continues. And yes, there are times when she thinks: “Julie, you would be much better off in the Caribbean making smoothies on the beach.”
Unfortunately, her husband didn’t take her to a Caribbean island last summer, but to the local golf club. “Golf was not something that appealed to me at all,” Julie admits, “but my husband was really keen, and since Covid-19 prevented us from travelling anyway, and we were home on holiday for three weeks, I thought I might as well give it a try.” After one attempt, Julie was hooked. “First of all, I have a winner’s mentality, so I play to win and enjoy the competitive element. Secondly, I’m outside all day with my family in the midst of beautiful landscapes. On top of that, it’s a sport that requires a tactical approach and mental strength, which is very much in line with my character. I’m a fan!”