From Young Potential to building her own division at Stroom

An insight into a career at Stroom. This is how Gala experienced her first five years.

Five years ago, I would never have believed I was going to be in this position. This proves the potential for growth within Stroom.”

In this testimonial, you will follow Gala’s path within Stroom. Her journey has been anything but predictable, but definitely fascinating and multifaceted. An impressive lady, if we may say to ourselves.

Gala’s story is one of growth, challenge and innovation. Five years ago, she started as a Business Consultant. Meanwhile, she has built her own division within Stroom: Production/Manufacturing.

First work experience

After completing a Bachelor’s in Accountancy-Taxation and a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy, she started a management traineeship at a prominent port operator, immersing herself in logistics. Educational? Absolutely! Yet she felt something was missing. The variety between different projects made her miss the strong team spirit, something she highly values. Therefore, she kept an eye open for a new challenge.

‘Is recruitment even for me?’

When a friend tipped Gala off about a vacancy at Stroom, she was hesitant:

“As a graduate, my LinkedIn inbox was overflowing with messages from recruiters, so I felt prejudiced about the industry.”

However, she was intrigued that Stroom specialized in logistics, aligning with her previous experience. So, she decided to go for an interview, and with great success.

Foot in the door in the recruitment world

With a passion for logistics and curiosity about recruitment, Gala began as a Business Consultant.

“I knew the logistics sector, but the commercial side of recruitment was new to me.”

Her initial prejudice faded quickly. She learned to build long-term client relationships and understood the technical aspects of profiles. Thanks to colleagues with a background in organizational psychology, her work gained extra depth and she fully embraced recruitment.

As Gala grew as a professional, Stroom grew with her, from start-up to a full-fledged company with multiple divisions.

“I have seen many come and few go. Stroom has grown significantly, yet the team spirit endures. This is the result of our continuous pursuit of cultural fit.

Position switch: Business Support Manager wanted

As Stroom grew, centralizing support tasks became necessary. Where previously the tasks were scattered among the three Managing Partners, Stroom decided to create a new role: Business Support Manager. This allows the Managing Partners to remain focused on their operational tasks while support is efficiently and centrally managed. This business support role includes such diverse responsibilities as payroll processing, onboarding, fleet management, facility, invoicing, office management and answering day-to-day social-legal questions.

Gala saw an opportunity here to broaden her horizons and contribute even more to Stroom’s vision.

Yet she did not want to let go of her passion for recruitment. Therefore, she got the unique opportunity to combine the best of both worlds: 50% as a Business Support Manager and 50% as a Business Consultant.

A fantastic experience, but also challenging. After all, it requires careful balancing the priorities of both roles. During this period, Stroom also launched two new divisions: Procurement and Engineering.

Due to increased responsibilities, combining both roles no longer proved feasible. Gala was faced with a choice, and her decision was clear: her heart was still in recruitment.

A new division: Production/Manufacturing

With nearly 4 years as a Business Consultant in Logistics, Gala saw great potential with Production/Manufacturing clients. Stroom, already a logistics expert, lacked specific focus in this area, which Gala saw as a great opportunity. She explored the sector deeply, leading to the creation of a dedicated division.

“We’re now fully focusing on Production/Manufacturing to really have an impact on our clients.”

Gala aims to grow this division into a leading expert in Belgium and the Netherlands, handling roles from specialists to senior management on both permanent and freelance basis.

Do you also doubt whether recruitment is something for you?

“If in doubt, jump. If it’s really nothing for you, you’ll notice it soon enough. Then you cannot blame yourself for not trying.”

One important note she makes: Choose an organization with a specialization. This is where you really choose a field of interest. This often allows you to follow up on your educational background as well.