Up close and personal with Ben Verschuur: DPDK’s new Head of Performance

We’ve had a busy month with new hires this November. Next to our new CTO, Bill Marks, Ben Verschuur also joined our team as Head of Performance. Before we dive into what makes him tick and what he’s looking forward to in his new role, let's introduce him to you first.

Ben is an expert in digital marketing and has a knack for generating growth on actionable data. He has over 10 years of experience in the digital industry and worked at Aegon for the past 6 years. He’s obviously passionate about performance based marketing, read on to find out what else excites him. 

First of all, congrats on your new job! We are happy to have you onboard. What led you to DPDK?

What brought me to DPDK is my desire to grow and explore new experiences. I was looking for a new challenge in a dynamic and fast-moving environment, and DPDK just happened to be my cup of tea. After having improved the digital performance and business growth of both Knab and Aegon, I felt that it was time to move on to my next adventure.

We can imagine that you are eager to start. What are you looking forward to the most in your new role?

I’m looking forward to being part of a talented team in a fast-paced industry, working together with such a wide range of clients and of course delivering exceptional work.

If you had to define your job in one word, what would it be?

Nothing short of spectacular!

What do you find one of the most challenging aspects of working in the performance marketing field?

I would say integrating all systems, databases and tools seamlessly into each other to create the ultimate ‘Growth Stack’ and achieve desired results. When you start out, this can be overwhelming, because of all components and elements. The process is lots of fun though and once accomplished, the results will definitely be worth it.

What’s exciting you about the digital industry right now?

I’m a big fan of AI-powered automation. Not because it’s obviously a big trend in the industry, but for the potential and opportunities it brings us marketers. AI technology and automation help to take some of the grunt work out of marketing, so that we have more time to focus on the strategy part and crafting a great customer experience. Over time I only see this developing further.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

I mainly read blogs online but I like to mix it up, so I have some interesting podcasts and video channels that I follow closely for inspiration, like Neil Patel.

What do you enjoy most when you’re not working?

Well to be honest, I recently became a father and my son is only eight weeks old. He is my first child, so I’m just really happy to be a dad and excited to spend more time with him!

Last but not least, what are the secrets to your success in making positive connections with customers?

In my opinion, communication is key to any good relationship, both professionally and personally for that matter. It’s often underrated, but so important for a successful relationship. This includes really listening to your customers, which is one of the most important parts. Connecting with customers and learning more about their challenges will help you understand how you can help them achieve their goals. It’s about making your customers the hero.