“I have felt great here from day one”, says Sarah Kustermans, who is Head of Social at Mediabrands. She’s been here for six years and hasn’t regretted it for a second.
“Mediabrands is fully committed to the staff and attaches great importance to a good work-life balance, and that was precisely the reason I joined the company.”
Sarah used to work for a start-up where the workload was so high that she was almost constantly at work, weekends included. “In that sector, employers tend to shower employees with gifts and benefits, so you almost feel guilty if you let your private life get in the way”, Sarah continues. “But for me it’s not all about money and material benefits. I want to be able to make time for my children when I need to. When the sun is shining, for example, I like to have a half-hour break to sit on a bench with my children and eat an ice cream. I then catch up on my work in the evening. At Mediabrands, that’s not a problem. It’s a matter of give and take. The more trust I receive from my employer, the more I’m inclined to give my all for the company. In that respect I’m very loyal.”
She sees her career at Mediabrands as an exciting adventure in which she is given plenty of opportunities to elevate herself and her department. “There is a lot of room for us to take initiative in this company and I really like that”, she continues. “Until now, my proposals have been well received and I’ve been able to develop my ideas. That’s how we have kept evolving.” Sarah considers her department as her baby. “We started out with two people and built everything from scratch”, she says with pride. Meanwhile, she has built a privileged relationship with Facebook, among others, and she considers this to be a personal success. “Of course, we owe this success partly to the enormous expansion of social networks”, she says humbly.
A satisfying mission
Sarah sees it as a great advantage that for management, every individual counts. “Nobody feels like a number here. Employees get a lot of attention. And if management sets a good example, you will emulate that with your colleagues.” As such, to her, Mediabrands is more than just her employer. It’s a place where she spends time with great colleagues in a very comfortable environment. “Once a year, I invite the whole team to a barbecue at my home. This kind of activity brings us closer together and creates a great team spirit.”
As head of her department, Sarah regularly tries to make the time to find out how her team members are doing and what problems they may be experiencing. “Looking for solutions together with the team is probably my favorite thing to do,” she says enthusiastically. That is why she likes to call herself a solution driver. She finds coaching and guiding people one of the most enjoyable aspects of her job.
”I like to call myself a solution driver.
“I would even like to coach more people, in a broader sense, not just limited to my department. Seeing juniors with no experience walk in here, training them and then sending them off to defend a strategy barely a year later… that’s a satisfying mission. It makes me feel good to know that I have played a role in the development of someone’s career”, she continues.
Road trip adventure
Sarah is pleased that by nature she is very energetic and as a result, she can do many things at once, something that’s very welcome in a sector that’s changing at a rapid pace. “In order to serve clients in the best possible way, we have to make sure that we constantly keep up with the latest developments. That takes a lot of energy.” So, to keep sane, in her spare time she likes to engage in activities that are far removed from her job. “I like to learn things that have nothing to do with my job; that stimulate the creative process”, she continues. “A perfect example is the florist course I’m taking at the moment.” Exercising, however, is not her cup of tea. “I’m not very sporty, I prefer to keep it slow and relaxed”, she laughs.
Aquagym is just about OK, and here she’s in a group with an average age of 70. Yet it doesn’t seem to bother her. “On the contrary,” Sarah explains, “they are funny, sweet ladies. We laugh a lot. I like coming into contact with different age groups. There’s always something to learn from them.” Sarah is also planning a three-month road trip through France in a van. “That seems like the best way to travel with children”, she says. “I like order and structure, and this will be far more flexible and convenient for my family.” She is a Jill of all trades, that much is certain, especially if you look at all the DIY jobs she does in between her other tasks. “I do it because I want to be able to repair something myself”, she says. And who knows, maybe one day this handy lady will be able to help facilities manager Michel with some DIY…
“Once a year, I invite the whole team to a barbecue at my home. This kind of activity brings us closer together and creates a great team spirit.”