I am the daughter of a Dutch father and a Latvian mother, born and raised in the Netherlands. My father was a captain, which meant that from a young age, I traveled all over the world.
In 1993, I moved to Latvia with the intention of spending a year helping my grandmother on her farm with milking cows. Instead of one year, I stayed in Latvia for 11 years; I never went to my grandmother’s farm, nor did I learn how to milk cows.
I quickly moved from one project to another: I taught Dutch to Latvians at the Riga Folk University for many years. I worked for five years in the economic department at the Dutch embassy. In 1995, I founded my first company, a translation agency/publishing house. For example, I translated and published the Formula 1 magazine “Race Report” and Anne Frank’s Diary. Additionally, I was an advisor for the Oranje Fonds and a Latvia correspondent for the VPRO radio program “Wereldnet”.
In 2004, I was asked by the Latvian government to open a representation of the Latvian investment and export agency (Chamber of Commerce) in Amsterdam, and I was its director for six years. That’s also when my affinity with social media began, as my task was to bring Latvian companies to the attention in the Netherlands as effectively as possible.
In 2010, I trained as a Social Media specialist and started my own Social Media business. I specialize in devising and implementing Social Media strategies for companies. I also give workshops and manage social media for companies that have outsourced this to me. In addition, I am a LinkedIn ambassador and provide LinkedIn training for entrepreneurs and businesses.
However, my connection with Latvia always remains, as I am also the honorary consul of Latvia in Amsterdam, and thus continue to act as a bridge builder between the Netherlands and Latvia.
In 2012, I joined BNI Business Amsterdam Southeast (BAZ), a fantastic group of which I am still a member. In 2014, I did the Director training in England and was trained by my BNI guru Phil Berg. Since 2014, I have been a DC, and since November 1, 2022, I am the Regional Director of BNI Amsterdam & Gooi and Vechtstreek.
I am a big fan of BNI and love helping members get the most out of their BNI membership!
