Meet the colleague: Sem Heerink

At Heisterkamp, every colleague has their own rhythm, but none as disciplined as Sem. As an account manager with a global customer portfolio, his day starts at five in the morning at the gym. In this interview, Sem shares how discipline strengthens him both personally and professionally, why working with so many international cultures never gets boring, and how he manages to maintain structure in a dynamic trading environment.

Sem, who are you outside of work?
"I get up at five o’clock every day and head straight to the gym. I’ve been doing that since February this year, and it works really well for me. It keeps me energized throughout the day. In the weekends I have plenty of time for my family or to take care of some chores around the house. I'm a father to a little one, so that of course requires attention as well. You won’t often see me going out or spending evenings in the pub; that’s not really my thing. I still enjoy going to a festival every now and then, but other than that I live a pretty structured life. Even at parties, I usually try to head home early. Getting up at five in the morning only works if you go to bed on time."

What do you enjoy most about your work as an account manager?
"The variety. We have customers from all over the world and we sell globally, too. Sometimes customers visit us in person, but often everything goes digitally through WhatsApp or email. I love working with so many different cultures, because every customer is different. It’s really a game: where is the customer from, what are they looking for, what fits well on the market at that moment? Not every vehicle is suitable for every country. You really need to know what the demand is at any given time."

What motivates you every day?
"The variety and the challenges. No sale is ever the same. Sometimes a truck needs some work, sometimes a transport needs to be arranged to the port. I enjoy organizing everything neatly and making sure things run smoothly. Planning is important to me, both privately and professionally. You could call me a bit of a control freak."

"I want everything to run smoothly. Organizing things down to the last detail isn’t just my job, it’s who I am."

Sem Heerink - Accountmanager Used Trucks & Trailers

What would you like to tell a new colleague?
"Above all, stay true to yourself. Our customers don’t walk in wearing suits or three-piece outfits; everything is very approachable. Of course you need to sense whether you can joke around with certain customers or not, but in the end it’s about being yourself. That works best."

Have you ever run into challenges?
"You sometimes need to learn to let things go. Some customers call you several times a day with the same question, even though you’ve already given them the answer. Sometimes you just have to accept that you don’t have to respond to everything. I find that difficult, because I actually want to answer everyone properly. But some customers keep calling because they don’t trust it, even though I’ve arranged everything correctly. That can be a bit frustrating."

What is the most surprising thing you’ve experienced?
"The strange requests from customers keep surprising me. For example, I once had an African customer who wanted to transport three trucks stacked on top of each other to Antwerp. That might be normal in Africa, but on the roads here it’s obviously not possible. You see these cultural differences more often. It always stays interesting."

Sem’s workday soundtrack
🎧 D-Sturb – Welcome To My World
🎧 Warface - I'm A Soul Survivor
🎧 Adaro & Kronos - The Rule Of The Jungle

If you could swap jobs with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be?
"I’d love to spend a day working with a mechanic in the workshop. I mostly know trucks from the outside and in terms of specifications: what cab it has, which options it comes with. But it would be interesting to really see how everything works technically. That would make my job even more complete."

For Sem, working at Heisterkamp is about far more than sales figures. It’s about trust, understanding cultural differences and organizing everything seamlessly for customers around the world, day after day. His drive, down-to-earth mindset and love for structure make him start each day with genuine enthusiasm.