'My family is my motivation for everything I do and still want to achieve'

Prashant Jarbandhan -
​​​​​​​Financial Accountant, Uncle and father to his brother

Superman

'If I’ve learnt anything in life, it’s that it’s up to you to make something of it. I lost both my parents at a young age. It was a huge blow for me and my younger brother, but it’s made us stronger. In spite of this loss, I’m a positive person. Partly thanks to the support of family, friends, and later also colleagues, I’m where I am now.’

‘My mother died when I was nine and I also lost my father a year later. He was my superman. I took over the role from him for my little brother, who is six years younger than me. I was suddenly responsible for him. That feeling has never left me and it’s the motivation for everything I do and still want to achieve: my education, my career, my life. I want to get the most out of myself by continuously developing. I do it for me, but also for the people around me, especially my brother. I’ve set clear goals and work towards them in a very structured way.’

From secondary school to a master’s at NN

'Without having parents as an example, I’ve had to learn to rely on other people who had my best interests at heart. My aunt and uncle, for example, who encouraged me to gain more qualifications. My internship supervisor at NN has also meant a lot to me as a role model. He saw the potential in me and showed me how to use my character and talent at work.’

‘I learnt so much during my internship, not just about work, but also about myself. I realised that if I could get a job here, I could get even more out of myself. NN sets great store by professional and personal development, which is why I set the goal of joining the company after my studies. It turns out that I had left a good impression because I’ve been working as a Financial Accountant at NN now for one-and-a-half years. And to top it all, NN is also giving me the opportunity to study for my master’s in Accounting and Control. Another goal that I’m hoping to achieve next year.’
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Making my dreams come true

'I work in the Record to Report department in Finance. As an accountant, I guarantee the quality of data so that we have accurate financial reporting. I make sure that we check the data from the business for accuracy and completeness. I do this four days a week so that I can spend at least one day a week studying. And I often study in the evening and at weekends, too. I’m prepared to put in the work because my ambition is ultimately to become a manager. This desire may also have something to do with the past. On the one hand, I want to take matters into my own hands, to help chart the course, and on the other hand, I’d love to also give others what I’ve had. I’d like to help people to make their dreams come true by helping them grow.’

The safety net that I never had

'I was a father figure to my brother, but also his best friend. I’ve always encouraged him to develop. He’s just become a father himself and I’m incredibly proud of him. My role as uncle gives me an extra incentive to get the best out of myself, to be the kind of uncle I want to be. Life is about trial and error and that’s something we know more than most. That’s why I’ve created a good safety net for myself and my family and friends play a very important part in it. But so do my colleagues at NN, who have now also become my friends.’
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Meet more colleagues ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Aafke Croockewit - UX Designer, DJ and kitesurfer
‘I started at NN as a freelance UX designer. I really value freedom, creativity and responsibility and they aren’t things you immediately associate with a large corporate. That prejudice was quickly dispelled. I work in a team with other designers and developers. We’re like an independent unit in the organisation. We set our own work and are given lots of room to innovate. The projects are very varied and you can decide whether you spend more time on concept development or on implementation. And because we all get on so well together as a team there’s a great atmosphere. All in all, reason enough for me to give up the freelance life. And I’ve got a lot of benefits in return.’​​​​
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Paul and Sandor CPC

Paul and Sandor - IT colleagues, friends and running blind buddies
'I was a father figure to my brother, but also his best friend. I’ve always encouraged him to develop. He’s just become a father himself and I’m incredibly proud of him. My role as uncle gives me an extra incentive to get the best out of myself, to be the kind of uncle I want to be. Life is about trial and error and that’s something we know more than most. That’s why I’ve created a good safety net for myself and my family and friends play a very important part in it. But so do my colleagues at NN, who have now also become my friends.’
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Manuel Mazarredo - Auditor, Ethical Hacker, father, black belt and ironman
'I’ve always wanted to help people in whatever way I can. I used to be a project manager and in that role I ensured that people could get the best out of themselves so that we could make the project a success. Helping people is what I did in my volunteer work in Central America. It was about education, people and not just money, but teaching the right knowledge and skills for them to constructively and continuously improve.’
 
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Stephanie Braun - Performance Specialist and mother of two
'I live in Amstelveen with my two teenagers, Freek and Guusje, and our dog, Bo. At first sight, it’s an average family scene, but Freek is a child with care needs. So, as a single mother with a busy job and a child with care needs, I’ve got a lot on my plate. That’s why creativity is important to me. To be able to organise everything and to be a good carer to Freek, I need to think in terms of possibilities. That’s what creativity is to me. I firmly believe that there’s a solution for everything. Sometimes I have the solution - because I’m a real go-getter - and sometimes the solution comes from surrounding yourself with the right people. I also see that reflected in my work.’
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Celine Chua - Finance Program Manager and an explorer
‘The drive to keep on discovering is a common thread in my life. I’ve always travelled a lot and I absolutely love learning about other cultures. I come from Singapore, but one of my favourite cities is Hong Kong: chaotic, mysterious and full of energy. It’s perfect for explorers like me. I moved to the Netherlands for love. It was a difficult step, but I saw it as an adventure. A new and inspiring world opened up to me. Fortunately, I still have a lot of contact with my family and we see each other about three times a year. And, besides, discovery can also be found in smaller things. I’m curious and like to try new things, whether it’s a recently opened restaurant or a new sport.’
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Jolanda Roos - Business Manager Risk Management, Kilimanjaro Climber and  private island owner
When I was little, I wanted to join the police. Over the years, I became fascinated by detective series and documentaries on the Discovery Channel. I really wanted to be a forensic investigator. I get satisfaction from solving difficult puzzles and the more complex the better. When everyone gives up, that’s when the challenge starts for me. I didn’t become a detective, but in my work at NN there are enough puzzles for me and my team to try and solve.’
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Praveen Sridharan - Trainee and entrepreneur
'A couple of years ago, I was drinking tea with my best friend in my home country of India. We were philosophising about how we could give something back to the world. This ultimately led to a solar energy start-up. I deliberately chose to set up a company in India because I can really make a difference there. The Netherlands is way ahead when it comes to solar energy. In India, there’s still not much awareness of climate change and how we can combat it. We developed a business model to make solar energy financially more accessible.'
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Alex Verdoorn - Business Process Manager and people person
‘For me, the glass is always half full: I look for opportunities, not obstacles. I get a huge kick out of getting people on board and making improvements in a difficult process. NN focuses on people, exactly as I do. I realised this when shortly after starting at NN my mother died. NN gave me all the time I needed to organise everything and to process my grief. It was genuinely heart-warning how this was handled. It immediately have me a sense of engagement with and loyalty to NN and my colleagues.’

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Erik Ammerlaan - Full Stack Engineer and organist
‘From a young age, I’ve had a fascination with programming. I wrote my first code when I was eight years old. So, I knew early on that I wanted to do something with computers when I was older. I found and still find it interesting how technology can help make people’s lives easier and better. For example, at secondary school, I developed an electronic learning environment where teachers could put their teaching material for the students. It was an asset for the school because it saved a lot of time.’
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Samy Saleh - Compliance Officer, son and soccer player
‘Football has been my big passion since I was a child. It’s taught me to collaborate, communicate, win, but also lose and handle setbacks. I’m the connector in a team. As a mid-fielder, I maintain an overview and am able to persuade. My football skills also come in handy at work. As a Compliance Officer, I bring different parties and interests together, give advice and help people get on the right track. It starts with observing from the side-lines and ends with a good outcome for all stakeholders. Playing sports with a varied group of people has taught me to get on with lots of different characters. By communicating and listening carefully, I try and ensure that we are aiming for the same goal.’
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