In this new blog series we introduce you to the Uptrends team! From development to sales, from finance to marketing, and from ops to support: we’re a group of passionate people on a mission to help improve your website performance.
This month, Uptrends expanded its marketing team with two new members: Manfred van der Graaf and Samuel Brunel. So to kick off this new series, let’s introduce you to these two new marketing heroes!
Meet Manfred
Manfred is 33 years old and lives in Hendrik Ido Ambacht (the Netherlands), a small village near Rotterdam. He will be helping out with all online marketing activities.
“I started with online marketing back in 2008 for the webshop of a Dutch retailer: Free Record Shop,” Manfred said. “After that I worked for a power supplier called NLE, then I did online marketing for another retailer that was selling consumer electronics. Most recently I worked for ECI, an online retailer whose main focus was selling books, e-books, and entertainment.”
I hope to be able to reach as many people as possible and let them know about the power of Uptrends’ products.
Manfred is excited to use his skills in this new role. “Now I’m really looking forward to being part of the Uptrends team and do the best I can to make a great success out of everything we are doing.”
Manfred is passionate about video games, spending his time out of the office playing on his Xbox One or PS4. He also enjoys working out.
“I try to train up to four times a week at the gym. At home, I like to relax and watch some good TV shows like The Walking Dead or Suits. I also enjoy going into the city for a night out.”
Meet Samuel
Samuel’s roots are in France, hence it might not surprise you that he will start to help growing Uptrends’ customer base in the French market.
“I am Samuel Brunel, 29 years old and I’m living in the Netherlands too, in Delft to be more precise,” Samuel said. “A lovely and famous little city located between Rotterdam and Den Haag.”
Sam ended up there 4 years ago before spending a year and a half in Germany. Now he’s back in the Netherlands and excited to join the Uptrends team.
“As I have a strong affinity with the IT world, the meeting between Uptrends’ expansion into the French market and me as country manager was a good one, I would say.”
The French market is quite huge and powerful, especially in the internet field.
Sam believes that between entertainment, e-commerce, and other ventures, the solutions that Uptrends offers can reach all of them and make a lot of happy customers throughout France.
Outside of the office, Sam’s life is filled with family and a few hobbies.
“I’m now busy with my young daughter of 6 months. That fills a life! And, as a Frenchman, I like good food and wine. I also like gardening my own vegetables. During rainy days, you can find me on my computer, playing video games, blogging, or watching great movies and series.”
Last, but certainly not least, Samuel has some culinary tips he wants to share with us.
“I have graduated from the Hotel School where I studied to become a hotel manager. This included studying cooking and food services, so I’m a big fan of good food. To keep it short, I’ll just share my favorite dish with you and invite you to try it: Magret de Canard aux Morilles avec son Gratin Dauphinois. Of course with a good glass of red wine from Bordeaux.”
Want to get to know the rest of our team better? Keep an eye out for more posts just like this one!
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