JADS Lustrum Stories: Sven van Egmond says “Just do it”

Meeting Emile

“It was autumn 2017 when Emile Aarts, co-founder of JADS, got in touch through one of his employees. At that time I worked for a Marketing agency specialized in B2B marketing. In short, the call came down to Emile making himself available as a keynote speaker. Now you have to imagine that at that time we were inundated with speakers who offered interesting keynotes. But something still triggered me. Long story short, I actually met Emile at a big event we planned for Microsoft. In a passionate speech about Big Data he called on all of us to dive into this new world. Somehow this appealed to me so much that I mustered up the courage to ask him backstage about this interesting world. Could it be my world as well? What followed was touching: the smile on Emile’s face and the answer: he thought that would be great!”

Inner battle

“What followed was an inner battle that I fought with myself. A silent dialogue within myself. Doubt, ambition, restlessness, passion; everything flew past in my head. Could I still do this trick at 45? What if it didn’t work? My wife, as always a beacon of peace, gave me the encouraging words: if you really want it, you will succeed.

After obtaining all the information, I went into the office of my boss Erik Roddenhof, armed with my PowerPoint slides. There was in fact another hurdle; was the boss also happy with the idea and was DPG media prepared to contribute financially? Although we had monthly meetings, this meeting was different. This pitch had to go well. “What can I do for you?” Erik asked when entering his office. I would like to go back to school,” was my answer and I opened my laptop with my left hand. “What do you want to study?” As I started my PowerPoint, I answered: “Data Science”. “Then leave that laptop closed because I think that’s a very good idea.” Surprised as I was, I fell silent for a moment. “I have two questions and an announcement for you then,” he said. “Is your wife okay with that step and what are you not going to do anymore?” were his questions. Finally he assured my that I could count on his support but that my work had to continue. So it begins! On to Den Bosch, on to JADS, to study for a year and a half!”

Just do it

“Now, 3 years later and a lot of knowledge and positive experiences at JADS richer, I would like to say to everyone: just do it!”