Portrait of: Chris Bakker
Meet our team: today a portrait of Chris Bakker
He can rightly be called the junior on the shop floor. The 20-year-old Chris Bakker is not only a student, but has also been employed by Kuipers & Claassen for some time.
In his younger years, Chris briefly considered enlisting in the military. The adventurous and physical elements in it appealed to him, learning discipline and managing things himself. But there were also plenty of considerations for not doing so. Once his interest in entrepreneurship developed, the choice for a focused study was quickly made.
Meanwhile, Chris is in the fourth year of the broad business studies program Business Studies at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in Diemen. A location that is easily accessible from his hometown of Huizen where he regularly travels together with an old classmate from the Erfgooiers College where Chris obtained his havo diploma. Besides public transport, the distance from the parental home is also regularly covered in his beautiful Golf GTI. During the first two years of his education, he was introduced to strategic personnel management, logistics, entrepreneurship and banking & finance; from the third year on, he focused his attention on entrepreneurship. Independent entrepreneurship attracts him because of "the freedom you then have to make choices and determine direction," he says. In doing so, Chris is aware of the enormous commitment a start-up entrepreneur must make. Earning the required credits, his education has been progressing for more than three years. Starting in February 2024, he will begin his graduate studies, in which he plans to focus on optimizing processes.
In early 2022, Chris meets Laurens Bezemer of Kuipers & Claassen as part of a program set up by Inholland in which companies make assignments available for students to carry out for the benefit of their education. He then gladly accepts the request to come and do an internship at Kuipers & Claassen. Starting as a trainee tax consultant, he manages to convert his internship at the consultancy into regular employment for one day a week in early 2023. After all, study is the main thing, this driven student believes. While Chris, during his internship at Kuipers & Claassen, was still working on assets and preparing opening balances, as a junior accountant he currently takes care of clients' bookkeeping. On such workdays, he prefers to sit in the office with a focus on the work and the convenience of discussing questions with colleagues.
It is not his only work experience. Early on in his college days, Chris works as a pizza delivery boy at New York Pizza. During that time he can also be found in the warehouses of Kuehne+Nagel Group, one of the world's leading logistics service providers, and later of Royal A-ware, a family business with a passion for cheese, where he can still be found. He likes the mix of gaining experience at various employers and industries in addition to his education. Chris likes balance in his life. Studying and making some money, and having a beer with friends on Saturday nights.
At s.v. Huizen, the nearly century-old amateur soccer club from the village of the same name, Chris plays soccer with varying degrees of success in the O23-1 team in the national Saturday league. This of course includes the two training sessions each week. Outside this sporting effort, he can also be found in the gym on a regular basis. Something he does not like to miss. It gives him energy. Besides the strength training that Chris does there with weights, he also enjoys meeting friends there. Should he want to wind down at all during strength training, Chris likes to listen to some heavy music. He shares his love of techno and hardcore with his colleague Jayme Buter. At a cool music festival such as Defqon.1 or Thunderdome, he can jump right out of the band. He looks forward to going there with his friends for months. The same goes for his vacations. It can cost a bit. He enjoys it and then focuses on serious business.
Chris enjoys being there for another person. Despite his rational disposition, he is moved by emotions of friends and family and has a listening ear to be taken into confidence. He enjoys playing a connecting role in company. Besides these serious characteristics, others also characterize him as a mood creator. "I am an active person, doing nothing makes me cranky," he adds, "My agenda is full.
In addition to the work in which Chris wants to grow, both the work atmosphere and the respectful mutual contact between colleagues attract him to Kuipers & Claassen. Ever since his internship, he has felt welcome. This also contributed to his decision to convert his internship to part-time employment when that opportunity was offered to him. With a number of colleagues the contact goes even further than work-related matters.
As with many things in his life, Chris is driven. He likes to have a goal in mind and then go for it. Despite his age, this contributes to the way he does his job. He likes to voice his opinions and appreciates being listened to within the company.
Whether this junior's future lies within Kuipers & Claassen, the future will tell. In any case, Chris is enterprising.
Quotes
I like the alternation between studying and working.
