Tim van der Vegt – Trainee Finance and Strategy/M&A

Before joining De Heus, Tim worked for a software company active in the agricultural sector during a gap year between his degrees. One of Tim’s most exciting projects was setting up a pilot program with De Heus in Spain. De Heus was one of the company's preferred clients due to its global footprint but also highly respected for its entrepreneurship, quick decision-making, and no-nonsense culture. When Tim discovered that De Heus offered a traineeship, it was a quick decision to apply. It seemed like a perfect fit to work for such a large agricultural business where the focus of the traineeship is hands-on development at a global level in an ambitious corporate environment. This was proven by the fact that Tim was already drawn into a project with CFO Max van der Kwaak on his second day on the job. Forget about starting easy and sitting in a little booth all day long making boring analytical models on your laptop. If you are up to it, you will be able to make an impact right from the start!

As Tim joined De Heus as a part-time working student a couple of months before the official start date of his traineeship, he had the luxury of already being able to get to know the organization and build his network in- and outside the Netherlands. It may not come as a surprise he was sent abroad to South Africa two weeks into his traineeship. His manager at the time, Wim van Soest, recognized his potential and thought it would be a nice challenge for Tim to support the local finance team during the preparation of the yearly budget meetings. At this moment, he is working for the Global Finance department where he was given the responsibility for the business group Premix and Specialties. In two months, he will join the Strategy/M&A department for the second phase of the traineeship, and he is busy making preparations for his time abroad in 2025 where he will spend eight months working for one of the business units abroad.

When asked for three reasons to work for De Heus, Tim is quick to answer: 1. The steep learning curve; sent abroad in the first month of the traineeship and getting the responsibility as Business Controller for one of the regions in the second month. It is ‘sink or swim’ but with the support of his mentor and current manager Tim Labberton and his own winners' mentality, Tim turned it into a success, 2. De Heus is a great, dynamic, and successful company to work for. When you walk around in the office, you get to feel and experience that special vibe with each employee. 3. Every day provides new opportunities; to initiate a new project, contribute to the business, and grow yourself and the company. It will never be boring."