In October 2021, Karel Goethals became Chief Operating Officer of Mediabrands: “As COO Belgium, I oversee all operations on the Belgian market. There are many layers at Mediabrands, Benelux, European, global. I’m the link between our regional and national-local levels. The day-to-day management is handled together with the management team. We work within a fairly horizontal structure in which everyone is accessible and approachable. We are collegial, collectively discussing things and always deciding by consensus. Everyone is equal when it comes to the daily management. My position doesn’t change anything, but there was a need for one face, one person who shapes what we stand for as a company. In what we do for our employees, in how we profile ourselves in the market. In the words of Henry Kissinger, ‘If I want to call Europe, who do I call?’ Well, in the case of Mediabrands Belgium, you get me on the other end of the line.”
Karel has been working at Mediabrands for some time now: “Ten years ago, I started as an expert in the digital department where I was responsible for ‘performance marketing’ clients. That was actually still in its infancy in Belgium. There were no more than ten of us in total then, whereas now there are more than 80 of us. At some point, the company created a new department for ‘programmatic marketing’. Apart from my manager, I was the only one there at first. I also saw that department grow over six years. Then I took responsibility for all the digital operations, and I’ve recently become responsible for general operations.”
Constant cohesion
During the course of these ten years, Karel has seen a number of things change at Mediabrands. However, there’s one thing that has never changed: “From day one I was aware of the warm and collegial atmosphere, which immediately made me feel welcome. I noticed a great deal of trust, between people, teams, and from management. The accessibility and approachability of the management team was also striking. All this was in stark contrast to what I was used to. As a result of the complexity of our profession, it’s no longer possible to work alone on a campaign. We all pull together from different teams, working towards a single goal. No one works for themselves, no department works solely to achieve its departmental objectives. What matters is that we deliver our results at the end of the year, so that together we can start the next year in a strong position. That cohesion has been constant, even during the difficult Covid-19 period. For example, at a company event that we were able to organize in between lockdowns, I noticed that the atmosphere was immediately restored. It was fantastic to see that. What stands out is everyone’s positivity, at all times. We have to deal with periods of high work pressure, which involve a lot of stress. Nevertheless, people are able to cope with such periods, which they know are temporary and do not let it influence their appreciation of the company. Despite, or perhaps because of, this pressure, people manage to elevate each other and ensure, for example, that an urgent presentation is still perfected just in time. I think that’s incredible!”
Karel himself is not short of a good dose of positivity: “You might not think it when you hear me ranting and raving when something out of our control goes wrong, but I don’t believe in negativity at all. For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 25 things that go right. Making that distinction is really important. Okay, when something does go wrong you have to be able to talk about it openly and constructively. However, I don’t believe it helps to keep bringing up the problem. Eventually, you end up in a never-ending circle of complaining, which only makes matters worse. The motto I try to live by is ‘Be positive and assume the best, every disadvantage has an advantage’. Just as being friendly and approachable is very important to me. I think you achieve much more with kindness, respect, transparency and openness than you do with defensiveness, assertiveness or just taking decisions over people’s heads. It’s the best way to encourage people to bring out the best in themselves.”
Bonds of friendship
Karel is proud to be part of a close group of friends who’ve known and supported one another and have continued to meet up for over 20 years: “ When I think about it, the fact that this bond has never been broken and still exists is quite amazing! Everyone’s incredibly motivated to continue doing so, which is great.” There doesn’t have to be a dividing line between friendship and work. Like many of his colleagues, Karel has the pleasure of having personal friends, even a partner, among his colleagues. And sometimes things take a very funny turn:
“Actually, I got into the world of media agencies through a friend who has been my mate since childhood. Initially, I followed him to a competitor of ours, only to make the switch to Mediabrands a year later. As fate would have it, he joined us two years after that!”
Karel stays on track spurred on by friendship. He also derives a lot of energy from his wide range of interests. From death metal/grindcore music, quizzes and training for a marathon in his spare time, to his appetite for learning at work: “We work for customers in all sectors. When you meet all these people, you always learn something new about their sector. I find the wide range of different activities and contacts truly enriching. It’s one aspect I have always enjoyed.” Karel can indeed cope with many, diverse influences. That’s the COO the Mediabrandies know, if only because he can often be found sitting behind his computer with headphones on: “I find it easier to concentrate when I’m listening to Spotify at full volume!”