Team

Miranda Goossens is the CEO of Gladwell Academy. In her career, she has worked for several training organizations. Miranda has over 15 years of experience in developing training programs, fulfilling a wide range of educational needs. She is further specialized in consulting, as well as setting-up and implementing internal and external educational academies. Miranda’s main focus is in the area of business and IT. Gladwell Academy emphasizes the role of people within organizations. This, in combination with entrepreneurship and the everlasting challenge to try to stay one step ahead of new training demands, is what makes Gladwell Academy the perfect working environment for Miranda. As CEO, Miranda links present-day topics to new training offerings for clients. Miranda is a naturally active and interested listener, and she is at her best when setting up new initiatives and motivating people to achieve. Besides her work as CEO, Miranda is a passionate runner.

Anand Murthy Raj is Director at Gladwell Academy Asia and SAFe Fellow. He is a certified SPCT (SAFe Program Consultant Trainer) and a leader with a vision to bring in great difference and excellence into the organization by multiplying business/value to achieve greater heights. He has 19 years of experience in the IT industry, as well as a strong management background and versatile experience in Agile Coaching. His specialties are Software Project Management, Support, Operations Management, Customer Management, Process Management, People Management, and Vendor/Partner Management. Anand has been conducting the SAFe Agilist certification training globally to more than 500 professionals in the last several years, with a pass rate of 99%. He received the Agile Product of the Year 2015 in ''IT products'' category, organized by Unicom. Anand has experience as an Enterprise Agile Coach, and he helped Philips Inc. bring SAFe into their own organization.

Michel Tuijp is the CFO at Gladwell Academy and is responsible for all financial matters within the company. Michel is a chartered accountant and has worked in the audit at a Big Four office for 12 years. After that, he was self-employed and worked in various Finance Manager roles, mainly in the area of Finance and IT. Michel is a strong business partner with an analytical focus, and he likes to build relationships. Furthermore, he is known for his effective communication. Besides his work as CFO, Michel likes to spend time with his family, travel, and play sports. He can be found on the tennis court or paddle court or playing indoor soccer.

Eduardo Alvim is a Trainer at Gladwell Academy. Eduardo is the first and (thus far) only Spanish & Portuguese speaking qualified SPCT in the world, also delivering trainings in English and French. Prior to becoming SPCT, Eduardo gained extensive working experience in the areas of software development, IT, and team management. Eduardo has implemented Agile ways of working in industries as diverse as aviation, healthcare, pharmaceutical, banking & insurance, media, and IT. This has led to extended practical knowledge of the need for Agile ways of working and firsthand examples of the benefits of implementing SAFe. Eduardo strongly believes in extending transformation processes companywide to stay at the forefront of our post-digital economy. As SPCT, he emphasizes strategic approaches, measurable business objectives and outcomes, and a clear purpose. He holds certifications as CSM, PSMI, PSMII, CSPO, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, SA, SPC, RTE, LPM, and several others. Eduardo’s motivation as a coach is edged in providing organisations the right framework to structurally improve and give individuals the tools to thrive in their respective roles, which is why you’ll see him performing as speaker in the most prestigious events about Agile and Agility around the world.

Raul Barth is a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) and certified Release Train Engineer (RTE). He has a Green Belt in Lean, also holding Professional Scrum Master I & II (PSM) and Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certifications.

Marijt Weerts is a certified Senior Agile coach and Release Train Engineer (RTE). She has a Black Belt in Lean and, she is a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO). She is also a Validated SPC Co-Trainer, with more than 10 years of experience in implementing Agile and Lean at complex international organizations. Marijt felt inspired to become a transformation coach/leader after seeing a lot of companies struggle to keep up in the contemporary Digital Age. She noticed them struggling particularly with issues such as late delivery or delivery of incorrect items. Marijt understands that a lot of companies find it difficult to be Agile or use Agile in the right way, and she loves to help these organizations overcome their problems by restoring a sense of entrepreneurship within the employees. Marijt combines a results-driven mentality with the ability to motivate people to adjust to change. Her creative attitude often leads to unexpected results. She coaches and motivates teams to be successful and to achieve maximum results. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands). She is incredibly passionate about her job, and she believes that all frameworks and mindsets are only effective if individuals understand the 'why' behind what they do, and if they trust in their common sense. Marijt is decisive, enterprising, has a results-oriented approach, and is socially skilled and involved. Outside of her work, she loves to go out and explore with family and friends. Past project work of Marijt's includes, but is not limited to, work in the Government, Bank and Insurance companies, small non-software-related companies, and an Agile Lifecycle Management company.

Renate Cremers’ interest in learning and growth is rooted in her background as a labor and organisation psychologist. She specialised in Training & Development and has been actively involved in innovating HR processes as an HR Business Partner for companies operating globally.

Marina Voropaeva is a trainer and SPC at Gladwell Academy. With a background in strategic management and professional experience in different companies (ranging from major corporations, to start-ups, to non-for-profit organizations), Marina brings an insight into the adoption of the Agile way of working and successful transformation processes, regardless of company nature. Her international experience, combined with her natural servant leadership capabilities, allows her to coach teams to inspire, unite, energize, and drive them towards achieving a common goal. Marina is a quick learner, has a strong empathetic nature, and multicultural experience. She speaks four languages and enjoys learning about new cultures. As a trainer, Marina brings the gift of simplicity, presenting information in a relevant manner by breaking complex notions into their simplest components. Marina believes that teams should master customer-centricity, whether they serve internal or external customers, and she has been putting that belief to practice for over 15 years. Her certifications include SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), SAFe Product Owner and Scrum Master, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (ICGB), and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO).

Brendan Mulholland is a certified Agile coach and Scrum Master at Gladwell Academy. His certifications include SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Release Train Engineer (RTE), Product Owner Product Manager (POPM), Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO II), Professional Scrum Master (PSM II), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Agile Leadership - Evidence Based Management (PAL-EBM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) and ITIL v3. Brendan holds a Master in project management and a BSc in Land Economics (Scotland).

Julia Heuritsch is an Agile Trainer/Coach at Gladwell Academy. Her certifications include Professional Scrum Master (PSM I), Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Professional Agile Leadership - Evidence Based Management (PAL - EBM & PAL I ). Julia is holding a Master in Astrophysics in Austria, Australia and the Netherlands.

Cor Boutkan is a Controller at Gladwell Academy and responsible for all creditors. Cor is an experienced Senior Finance Manager with 14 years of experience within a large corporate services organization. He has been active in different roles focusing mainly on accounting, cash management, and treasury. Cor is a reliable partner, is internationally oriented, and has strong analytical skills. In his spare time, he likes to play indoor soccer and, as a PADI Divemaster, is very passionate about introducing people to recreational diving.

Joost Brugman is a Business Development Manager at Gladwell Academy and is responsible for the worldwide applications of the open enrollment training programs. Joost has a sophisticated background in working in an international environment and across different cultures. His goal is to provide Gladwell customers with practical advice and tailor-made solutions. Within the Gladwell Academy team, Joost is solution-oriented, as he tends to think outside the box. He is a real team player. In his spare time, Joost can be found planning his next trip or adventure, playing on the tennis court, or enjoying a major sports event.

Florence Colonne works for Gladwell Academy as the Global Management/Operations Director France. Growth and development of organizations are central topics in her work. With over 13 years of hands-on experience in consulting and delivery of IT business expertise, Florence helps companies increase their revenue by enabling them to become Lean and Agile at every level. Graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business from the Paris Business School, Florence has a strong background in Business Management, Consulting, and deep experience working on the business side to ensure an integrated approach to transformation programs.

Maarten is the Marketing Director at Gladwell Academy. Maarten has a background in Marketing Communications, International Relations and Business Development, with extensive working experience as freelance consultant in international teams. An engaged team-leader with demonstrated strong suits in the areas of branding, marketing and communications strategies, Maarten is passionate about unlocking growth potential and the organizational structures to support durable growth. Maarten calls Amsterdam and Madrid his homes, has a strong affinity with sports and film as a creative outlet and considers himself to be a business creative. He is thrilled to be a part of the Gladwell Academy team and to apply his knowledge to the continued and structured growth of Gladwell Academy.

Sabine Droog is the Head of Operations at Gladwell Academy. She is involved in developing various training programs and several other projects within Gladwell Academy. In doing so, she is responsible for every phase of the process, from the start-up phase to evaluation. Through open communication with clients, participants, and trainers, she ensures a smooth flow of projects. Sabine is enthusiastic, responsible, and likes to take initiative. She has a can-do mentality, and her strength lies in signaling needs and involving people in an effective way. Sabine also has a lot of experience in organizing domestic and foreign events. In addition to her work at Gladwell Academy, she loves fashion and helps her boyfriend with his multi-brand store for men. For this, she regularly visits fairs both in the Netherlands and abroad, and she is also regularly attending buying appointments.

Sacha van Drunen is the Event Manager at Gladwell Academy. She is responsible for the organization of the Gladwell Academy Events.

Rosalie van Hall is a Graphic Designer at Gladwell Academy. After years of working as a freelancer for major brands and companies, Rosalie decided to stay at Gladwell Academy as a part-time Graphic Designer. Her activities include designing online communication materials, White Papers, and Case Studies. She creates all of the kinds of fantastic visual expressions that Gladwell Academy is looking for. Rosalie has also recently developed a Course Guide for Gladwell Academy, which contains the entire learning range offered by the organization. It is every time a challenge to create something beautiful with the input provided, but Rosalie never disappoints.

Verena is a Project Coordinator at Gladwell Academy and is responsible for the coordination of the training courses in the DACH region. Verena has a professional and academic background in International Hospitality & Service Management. With her management experience in an international industry, she knows how to adapt to different cultures quickly and to get things done while putting the customer first. When coordinating the training courses, Verena uses her organizational skills and accuracy to always ensure a smooth process from the beginning until the end. As a native German, she easily connects with Gladwell Academy customers from the DACH market and provides the necessary assistance and preparation for a successful training. Outside of work, Verena likes to be active. You can find her either on horseback, working out, or enjoying a glass of wine with her friends.

Narges is a Training Coordinator at Gladwell Academy and is responsible for the coordination of open enrollment courses in the Benelux market. She has a professional background and extensive experience in the hospitality industry, which she uses to get things done without losing sight of participants’ wishes. Using her accuracy and organizational skills, Narges coordinates the courses from start-up until evaluation and ensures a smooth process. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, or traveling.

Isabelle started as a Training Coordinator at Gladwell Academy and is now a Training & Development Advisor. She is responsible for the open enrollment Sales of the Benelux in combination with coordinating in-company trainings for the Benelux region. Isabelle is an experienced meeting and training organizer with a professional history of working in the international hospitality industry. Her experience allows her to be very flexible and able to adapt to every situation in order to keep the clients' and participants’ needs and wishes as her top priority. She always has ideas on how to make every training successful. Isabelle is very customer-centric and believes in the power of personal touch. The word “problem” is not in her vocabulary, as she sees every challenge as an opportunity. In her free time, Isabelle enjoys the beach, traveling, sports, and spending time with her friends and family.

Martijn Mallekoote is the Assistent Controller at Gladwell Academy.

Lina De Meyer is a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) and certified Product Owner (PO) and Release Train Engineer (RTE). Lina has a background in Commercial Engineering with a focus on organizational strategy and design, and she strongly believes that the way that leadership empowers teams for decision making and self-organization leads to a happier and more productive work environment. Her practical Agile experience goes from team member, Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach & Consultant, which sums up the work she has been doing for the past 4 years. Lina is passionate about changing people's mindset and way of working, as well as about coaching and training teams for Agile adoption. Lina is currently acting as an Agile coach for the Gladwell Coaching Practice, and she offers trainings in a number of languages (English and Dutch/Flemish), helping Gladwell's partners to succeed in achieving their goals through Agile and digital transformations. Prior to joining Gladwell Academy, Lina worked as a consultant in the Business Agility domain and achieved a better understanding of the challenges of the C-level and their teams during her time at Gartner, market leader for Technology Research. This experience allowed her to acquire hands-on experience with Agile transformations, which in turn allowed her to better understand the pitfalls and success factors for Agile transformations. Lina's past project work for Agile transformations and Agile coaching includes, among others, work with the Government, Bank & Insurance companies, Software Development companies, and Engineering companies (manufacturing & electrical engineering).

Vaibhav is a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) and an Enterprise Agile Coach. He brings a wealth of experience in coaching and training multiple corporates in diverse domains of Cloud Native Data Protection, Banking, Finance, and Healthcare in their Lean Agile transformation journeys. He has shepherded entire teams of multiple Product lines of a SaaS start-up in their Agile transformation journey to be a successful Cloud Data Protection and Management Unicorn. He feels blessed to witness empowering of a complete Service Line of one of the biggest Global Banks he coached to thrive with a Lean Agile mindset. Vaibhav is a Qualified Flight Test Engineer (Avionics) from Air Force Test Pilot School. He holds an M.S in Software Systems from BITS Pilani, a Nuclear Science qualification from BARC, Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified ScrumMaster, and SAFe RTE. His quest for continuous learning is exemplified through Design Thinking and Cloud (Azure and GCP) certifications. An Air Force Veteran with three decades in Program Management, his zeal and passion has driven several Aerospace and Cyber-physical System Programs to success by continual delivery of great business value. He has flown fighters, transport and helicopters of Western and Russian origin to test the systems designed and developed iteratively and incrementally. Having coached budding Test Pilots and Flight test Engineers, he harnesses those very unique skills from the trenches for coaching teams, change agents and leaders in corporates to adopt a Lean Agile mindset and inherit a learning culture. Consulting as an Enterprise Coach and Trainer is his forte. He is ever enthusiastic about learning and learns from every Agilist he trains through engagement and fun. Back home, he enjoys long-distance running in the pleasant weather of Bangalore. He believes in Yoga for mindfulness every day, and embracing agility holistically.

Marion Péquignot joined Gladwell Academy in November 2020 as the Marketing Manager for France. Marion has more than 8 years of experience in communications and marketing, having worked in large Parisian communication agencies both on national and international levels. She moved to Amsterdam in September 2020 with the ambition of joining a company with an international dimension. Her role at Gladwell Academy is to ensure the brand visibility and growth on the French market. Her superb knowledge of the French market is an asset in her missions within Gladwell Academy. She is also the Scrum Master of a team of 6 people. Marion speaks fluent English. In her spare time, Marion likes to travel, take care of pets, and get new tattoos. You can also find her enjoying cocktails in beautiful, sunny Amsterdam.

Carolien Wiltink is the Partnership Marketer at Gladwell Academy.