Almar Kleefstra

Working at Kooi offers unprecedented opportunities. Ask Almar Kleefstra (23). He came in for a summer job in 2019, now he is an International Sales Manager and supports the sales managers in Europe with their solar projects. “Sooner than later, there’ll be a great position for you here.”

As a business administration student, Almar came in contact with Kooi three years ago at an NHLStenden internship conference. “That was a pleasant encounter. Later on, I went for an interview to get to know more of each other,” he says. He got a summer job out of it, which was followed by an internship right after. “I supported my colleagues in the sales and I was even able to accompany the commercial director to a trade fair in Germany while I was still new. I saw that there were many possibilities.” When he saw the vacancy for account manager for Solar Benelux, he wasted no time and applied. “This is my dream job, and my ambition was thankfully appreciated. I worked for 32 hours and that gave me the chance to finish my thesis. It was about the expansion opportunities for Kooi in the solar energy market, so that was a really good mix.”

Spanish

Almar has since grown to the position of International Sales Manager. “I have always wanted to work internationally. See other countries, discover cultures, meet new people. Now I manage projects in Spain, England, Ireland, Italy, and Portugal. I help promote Kooi’s growth in these markets so that local colleagues can later independently usher business expansion.” Especially for this, Almar took an intensive Spanish course in Vught this summer. “That helps me be self-reliant, and the customer appreciates that I literally and figuratively speak their language.”