From vacancy to happily ever after: the collaboration between The Walt Disney Company Benelux and Babbage

Priscilla van der Lek, HR Director Benelux at The Walt Disney Company (TWDC), about the collaboration with Babbage.

“The speed, personal contact and mutual trust make Babbage the ideal recruitment partner for us.”

Finding the right professional is not always easy, especially in a competitive market like the streaming industry. For The Walt Disney Company Benelux, the challenge was to find a Senior Trading Manager. An impactful position at the intersection of commerce, data analysis & marketing strategy. After an initial successful collaboration, The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) Benelux decided to call on Babbage's help again for this specialist position. Priscilla van der Lek, HR Director Benelux at TWDC, looks back on the collaboration and shares her experiences.

A specialist position and high competition

Disney is an iconic brand that attracts talent from all over the world. You might think: a job posting is posted online and the applicants come flooding in! However, it turns out that it is not such an easy task for this position.

“For this specialist role, we were looking for someone with in-depth knowledge of the streaming market. Roles like this emerged with the rise of streaming services and have not existed for decades. It is a small playing field in which competition is high and the right expertise is scarce. That is why we immediately turned to Babbage to find the ideal professional,” says Priscilla. “We receive a lot of applications from people who are eager to work at The Walt Disney Company, but who do not have the right experience. It is a lot of work to filter out the right professionals from that. Babbage helped us to find the right professional quickly and specifically.”

More than just matching resumes

The Walt Disney Company Benelux was looking for a recruitment partner that does more than just forward CVs, but really thinks along and advises. At TWDC it is all about the right fit with the organizational culture and the specific competencies of the function.

"Rutger Severens, Senior Consultant at Babbage, understood our needs from the first conversation. He not only did an extensive briefing, but also actively thought along with us about the content of the position and the required competencies. In addition, we do not have the time to get to know the person behind all those CVs. Babbage makes that pre-selection for us. Rutger is very transparent about which professionals are or are less suitable. During the process, Rutger kept in touch with us. When a professional did not fully fit, he found out exactly why. This allowed Babbage to refine the search strategy and we found the right person.”

A successful collaboration goes beyond a fulfilled position

The collaboration between TWDC and Babbage led to the successful filling of the position of Senior Trading Manager. But it did not stop there.

“I was recently looking for a temporary marketing and communications professional. I was extremely busy and didn’t have time for an extensive job description, so I sent Rutger a short message that I was looking for temporary reinforcement for the team. The next day, a colleague from Babbage who is responsible for recruiting temporary professionals was already involved and we discussed what I needed. A week later, I was presented with a number of professionals.”

This is an example of the collaboration with Babbage that Priscilla looks back on with satisfaction: “It is not only the successful recruitment that counts, but especially the way in which we work together. The speed, the personal contact and the mutual trust make Babbage the ideal recruitment partner for us.”

Fast switching and clear communication

For Priscilla, Babbage distinguishes itself through personal follow-up and efficient working methods.

“I don’t like working with ten different agencies. You can’t see the wood for the trees. I prefer to have one dedicated partner who really knows us and can switch quickly. Babbage is such a partner. Rutger and his team ensure that we are always informed of progress. And even when he is absent, I get a quick response. That gives confidence.”

Rutger is happy to help you
“Need support from your team? I’d be happy to discuss it with you.”
Call +31 (0)20 441 47 07 of mail to rutger.severens@babbage.nl