Back to food
Arjan van Waes had planned it so beautifully: first Business Administration and Food Technology at HAS Den Bosch, subsequently move on to Radboud University to study Business Science, then build up a few years of working experience as consultant for a strategic management company. Goal: broad career options - in any sector. Things didn't go entirely according to plan. "Food kept fascinating me. I wanted to return to agriculture." And so he came back: as Product Manager Retail at food company Vion. With help of the Anton Jurgens Institute.
Arjan comes from an agricultural background, maybe that explains his ambivalence. "After HAS, I wanted to explore; discover different sectors besides agriculture and food, I wanted to broaden my horizon. Through my study at Radboud University and my years in consultancy, I have come to known various sectors close up. But 18 months ago I asked myself the question ‘what else do I want?', and the answer came swiftly. Back to my roots: food."
Breeding ground
After talks with head hunters, Arjan decided he could do with some ‘food for thought' before starting as manager in the food industry. "With an additional study you show employers your intentions are serious." Contacts of HAS pointed him to the Anton Jurgens Institute. "I benefited enormously from that. On the one hand due to the knowledge I gained. On the other hand because I met such a variety of people of different disciplines. It is a breeding ground filled with inspiration. What I really liked was that because of my study and work experience, I could help other course participants with managerial or business problems, while they helped me with food technology issues. A sort of cross-pollination."
And what's more, the dense network of the Anton Jurgens led him to his new job. "Indeed, 6 months after I started my MBA I got a job in Business Development at Vion. Here I experience on a daily basis how useful the Master's degree is to me- for market research and business cases but also regarding technological research and nutrition. My study at the Anton Jurgens Institute and my job together make up the perfect mix of business management and food."
Arjan comes from an agricultural background, maybe that explains his ambivalence. "After HAS, I wanted to explore; discover different sectors besides agriculture and food, I wanted to broaden my horizon. Through my study at Radboud University and my years in consultancy, I have come to known various sectors close up. But 18 months ago I asked myself the question ‘what else do I want?', and the answer came swiftly. Back to my roots: food."
Breeding ground
After talks with head hunters, Arjan decided he could do with some ‘food for thought' before starting as manager in the food industry. "With an additional study you show employers your intentions are serious." Contacts of HAS pointed him to the Anton Jurgens Institute. "I benefited enormously from that. On the one hand due to the knowledge I gained. On the other hand because I met such a variety of people of different disciplines. It is a breeding ground filled with inspiration. What I really liked was that because of my study and work experience, I could help other course participants with managerial or business problems, while they helped me with food technology issues. A sort of cross-pollination."
And what's more, the dense network of the Anton Jurgens led him to his new job. "Indeed, 6 months after I started my MBA I got a job in Business Development at Vion. Here I experience on a daily basis how useful the Master's degree is to me- for market research and business cases but also regarding technological research and nutrition. My study at the Anton Jurgens Institute and my job together make up the perfect mix of business management and food."
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