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‘One way or another, the job will get done'

Karin Waasdorp recently became part of the Interim CEO and COO community, made up of experienced directors and managers who have joined Boer & Croon. Haico Spijkerboer, partner at Boer & Croon: "The arrival of Karin confirms once again that we are an interesting organisation for experienced CEOs and COOs. We have the type of assignments in both the public and private sectors that ambitious interim staff love to sink their teeth into."

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Economist Karin Waasdorp has a long career in public-private ventures. As the programme director at the Port of Amsterdam for three years, she supervised the process of autonomising the organisation, and the decision for the new North Sea lock. “Managerial political trajectories with a whole lot of stakeholders," is how Waasdorp looks back on those days.

Under Control

As interim statutory director of Evean from Purmerend, she was at the helm of this healthcare institution with 5,000 employees. The reorganisation had been sketched out on paper and it was Karin Waasdorp's task to roll this out. "I was also responsible for the operations portfolio covering finance, HRM, property, facilities, front office and ICT. On top of that, at 9%, Evean's sick leave rate was higher than average and had to be reduced as a matter of urgency. Within the space of nine months, we got it under control, down to less than 5%." Also, Apotheek Haagse Ziekenhuizen and the pharmacists at Catharina Hospital have also made use of her decisiveness and expertise.


LESS TIME WASTED WAITING AROUND

Karin is now working at the Municipal Transport Company (GVB) in Amsterdam as programme manager of 'Exploitatie Flexibeler Organiseren' ( Organising Operations More Flexibly). A vital project aimed at making service schedules run more efficiently through the use of automation and new planning software.

"The goal is to operate service schedules with fewer people and less material, through better planning and the implementation of hubs. Drivers now work on set routes. She or he drives bus route 1 and will start, finish and take a break at a starting or end point. 'Air' is created in the shifts this way.

We are going to separate this. New locations around the Central Station are now being sought for this. Once these are found, drivers will get different daytime shifts with fewer hours spent waiting around." Karin is also working on setting up a fully automated depot management system.

Over the past decade, Karin has always worked on an interim basis. Now she has joined the Boer & Croon community. "I like the idea of being a part of something. It's also good to share knowledge with peers who are experiencing similar types of problems. That way, we get to share our experiences."


KEEP BELIEVING IN RESULTS

Throughout her professional career, Karin Waasdorp has coached numerous directors and managers. As an interim professional at Boer & Croon, Karin often works on assignments together with Boer & Croon Managers and Young Executives. "This formula raises the quality of the services we provide. I find it interesting to have a role in coaching talent. And this is how we strengthen each other in an assignment, but also outside of it, as a kind of helpdesk and a sounding board." "Boer & Croon is not your usual standard outfit," says Waasdorp. "When I look at the other Associate Partners, I see a very diverse range of profiles. Pragmatic, substantive, all with common sense and a good dose of determination. That is what is at the heart of what Boer & Croon is for me."

And that is why this new Associate Partner fits in well with the organisation. "I am result-oriented: one way or another, the job will get done."