Ann Olbrechts and Marc Pletinckx

Marc Pletinckx has been working for VASCO for more than 11 years now. As a result, he has witnessed the significant evolution the company went through, which of course had an impact on his job content. Currently Marc is VASCO’s EMEA Distribution Manager. He gladly shares his experiences at VASCO with you.

What did your career look like before you started at VASCO?

Before I joined VASCO, I held several international sales and business development positions at Belgacom, Alcatel Cabling Systems and Dolmen Engineering. The art of selling is something I acquired during my first job at Telindus under the watchful eye of the late John Cordier.

Why did you choose to join VASCO?

In 1998 I was looking for a new international challenge. VASCO had just completed the acquisition of Digiline/DIGIPASS. Next to that, strong user authentication was on the verge of a steep rise. The product, the niche market and the ambitions of the new VASCO/DIGIPASS appealed to me.

Having worldwide ambitions and achieving them with a small team was something I wanted to contribute to.

What turn has your career taken at VASCO?

When I joined VASCO, there were many opportunities to grow within the company. Personally, I worked in Banking Sales, searched for the first resellers and distributors, worked on partnerships with third parties and travelled a lot to realize our targets. Today I am VASCO’s EMEA Distribution Manager. In this posion I help VASCO Distributors from Oslo to South-Africa with product introductions, training, procedures and market development. And of course we always stay one step ahead of our competitors.

What is the reason for your loyalty towards VASCO after all these years?

It's the love for the product, the market and the applications. I am working with motivated colleagues every day. And of course the fact that there is still so much which can be done! My philosophy in life is: "The day I don't like this anymore, I will do something else". Until today, that day hasn't come yet.

How would you define our company culture?

The company culture is something which is made by the people within the company. Those who feel they don't fit in will leave spontaneously. Those who stay, add every day to the smiling faces, the jokes in the canteen during lunch break, the happy-to-help mentality. Our positive attitude and our pioneering spirit greatly contribute to the current market position we have.

We face some positive stress and inevitably sometimes a setback while realizing our worldwide ambitions. However thanks to our focus, flexibility and team spirit we stay on top and become stronger. The international working environment is also special: due to European or intercontinental travelling you sometimes do not see your colleagues for two or three weeks, which requires some catch up time afterwards.

Why would you recommend VASCO as an employer?

Working at VASCO is big fun thanks to the international working environment and the many customer challenges. No single day is the same. The daily interactions with different VASCO teams, like product management, pre-and after sales, order administration and accounting, make the job appealing. VASCO also regularly organizes technical and general skills trainings in order to make sure their sales people are able to excel in their job, which contributes to job satisfaction.