When starting your career as a pedagogist and a dance teacher, you don’t expect to end up excelling in B2B sales. But these two might not be so far apart. For Natascha, the link is clear: persuasion and instilling enthusiasm. This is her story.
She has been working at Onguard for 24 years, she loves philosophy and art, and she is Onguard’s go-to person for sustainability, a former active member of the work council, the organisation’s Unicef project team member, and a gender diversity advocate. Meet Natascha Umans, Senior Account Manager at Onguard!
Starting at Onguard
Natascha’s career at Onguard started in 2001, when she spotted a job listing in a newspaper (-fun fact: you can still find that newspaper among her belongings!). At the time, she was a dance teacher, with an educational background in pedagogy.
However, her natural feel with sales, which wouldn’t go unnoticed by her closest people, and her affinity for computers urged her to try her luck with an implementation consultant role by a fintech named Onguard. And this turned positive for both sides.
“I started working at Onguard on my birthday. I remember having brought a cake with me. What stood out the most to me was the supportive environment. Everyone, from the CEO to the developer, came to help me with everything. Those first years were special. I used to help organise Sinterklaas parties and went on company trips. Our Christmas galas were the highlight, dressed to the nines in tuxedos and evening gowns at stunning locations.”
What is the best thing about working at Onguard?
For Natascha, the secret to staying with Onguard for over two decades lies in three pillars: product, customers, and colleagues.
“I’ve grown alongside the company: I advanced from consultant to consultancy manager and later, in 2010, made the transition to account management. With the support and education opportunities that Onguard provided in business administration, management and sales, I’ve been able to grow, foster trust with our customers, and build lasting partnerships. The connections we build are really fulfilling.”
Championing sustainability
Her role as sustainability coordinator did not come by chance. Sustainability is a passion rooted in her personal life. She’s always aimed to reduce waste and she’s opted for an electric car since many years ago. So, when the opportunity arose to contribute to Onguard’s sustainability efforts, she jumped at it. It’s been more than a year now that she has been helping driving initiatives in line with Visma targets.
“When I stepped down from the works council, I did miss having an additional role where I could contribute ideas for improvements within the organisation. The role of sustainability coordinator became available, and considering I was already quite engaged at home with a greener mindset, less plastic, green energy, electric driving, biodiversity, etc., I thought this could be very interesting.”
Her responsibilities include, among others, collaborating with sustainability coordinators across the Benelux Visma companies, engaging colleagues through various activities, and biannually reporting progress on areas such as energy use, CO2 reduction, gender diversity targets and sustainable development.
“I enjoy picking up ideas, whether they are mine or from colleagues in the Visma group, and putting them into action. Recent examples include the Car Diet challenge, our recurring clean-up initiatives, and many more. It’s all about making a difference for a greener workplace.”
| Read also: 3 ideas for sustainability in fintech |
But it’s not just it. Natascha is also part of the UNICEF project team within Visma. Since 2017, Visma has supported programmes for children affected by the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as UPSHIFT, a programme nurturing young entrepreneurs, while providing UNICEF with Visma business software.
Can you remember a success story from your work at Onguard?
“My biggest success story is the win-backs. It’s something that happens every now and then. A customer may have to leave our software but after some time they come back. Why? Because of the product and the relationship we have and maintain with them, even when they are not a customer anymore.”
How have things changed all these years at Onguard?
“Back in the days, our work entailed lots of travel. We would take the plane in the morning, go to, e.g. London, for a 2-hour meeting with a customer and get back in the afternoon. While this is not sustainable anymore, I have great memories of visiting other countries and spending time with people from different cultures, going sightseeing, and boarding the plane back with a suitcase full of local treats. But things change. I’m glad we live in an era where we can do things more efficiently without negatively affecting the environment.”
Do you want to learn more about working at Onguard? Visit our careers page or contact us directly.
