Van den Hoogenband connects top sport with business: ‘Wanted to do something with my unique knowledge’ | Work

Eiffel employees have recently added a few special colleagues. The company has ‘adopted’ a team of talent coaches from top sport, including gymnast Sanne and Lieke Wevers, windsurfer Kiran Badloe and athlete Churandy Martina.

“These are people with impressive sports careers and special stories. They take our employees along in their lessons from top sport. But you can also ask them to attend a team meeting or take a walk with you for advice. And we let top athletes contribute ideas about our vitality programs”, says Karima van Zadelhoff-Charrat, People & Organization director at Eiffel.

The company also gives back to the athletes and supports them in their own careers. Van Zadelhoff-Charrat: ,,Many companies in the Netherlands are only too happy to bind top athletes, but then do not help them. They often only let them talk about their sports career. The people in the room feel inspired, but the athlete has no idea which company he just spoke to.”

That is why Eiffel closely involves the athletes in the organization and talks with them about work, which of course the organization knows a lot about. ,,We also offer them a talent analysis from which their motivations and talents become clear. Some athletes use it a lot, others less so because they are still in the middle of their top sports career.” She notices that the athletes really appreciate the help and attention. “As an athlete you can find yourself in a huge bubble, so that you have no idea how to shape your further career.”

Pieter van den Hoogenband is also one of the talent coaches and recognizes the picture that Zadelhoff-Charrat paints. He has worked closely with Eiffel for ten years and was even given the opportunity through the company to pursue his career right after his sports career. But not every athlete has that luxury and then finds a nice job, he says. ,,The Rafael Nadals of this world will be fine. I don’t like to call it a black hole, I think that’s too negative, but some top athletes did indeed end up in it. Fortunately, they are much more than their medal and often have unique character traits.”

Van den Hoogenband got to know Eiffel fifteen years ago as a sponsor. ,,I saw a sponsor who is not only concerned with brand awareness and making money from my success. They also thought a lot about improving the performance of athletes.” When Van den Hoogenband ended his swimming career two years later, he stayed in touch with the company. ,,I had gained so much unique knowledge in top sport. Eiffel wanted to help shape this. Because if I had learned one thing from the sport: if you share knowledge, people also come to bring knowledge.”

This is how the ex-swimming champion finally came up with the idea of ​​Topsport Community, an organization that connects top sport with business and science and makes it possible to exchange ideas. He was able to achieve this with the support of Eiffel, among others. ,,It is nice to give a presentation somewhere as a top athlete, but that will not last if it is not followed up. I was then able to do that with Topsport Community.”

What companies can learn from sport, among other things, is to work towards a peak moment in an efficient way. Companies often have no idea how to do that, says Van Den Hoogenband. “I noticed that companies put a lot of energy into projects, but they don’t know when those peak moments are. They feel that they have to peak every day. But that is not necessary, just like in sports you also have a few moments in business when you have to show what you can do, for example when presenting the annual figures. You can better see a day of work as a day of training.”

In this way sport helps businesses and vice versa. But although there are many opportunities for top athletes at companies, it can be difficult to reinvent yourself outside the sport, says Van den Hoogenband. ,,I also tell my children that if you have been focused on a certain profession for a long time and that profession ceases to exist, you must have a plan B. That does not mean that everything will come to you after top sport, you will have to work.”

And hard work is something that top athletes are used to, says Van den Hoogenband. “Going to a swimming camp in Tenerife for two weeks is fun, but you have to drag yourself to the cold pool in the Netherlands for the rest of the year, otherwise you won’t get there.”

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