Anne-Claire de Vries isn't the type to plan too far ahead. She is energized by the unexpected happenings that often accompany the unplanned. Add to that a think-in-possibilities mentality and it’s easy to understand why the role of Head of Strategy Deployment & Analytics at Gall & Gall fits her like a glove. “There's still so much that can be done in the data and analytics area. With our skilled team and all the technology available to us, we can achieve a lot of cool things, while still having the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing world around us.”
Working on a smaller scale, but making a bigger impact – that was Anne-Claire’s main motivation for leaving international mother organization Ahold Delhaize in 2016 to work for one of its brands, Gall & Gall. “As much as I enjoyed contributing to our global family of brands, I was very excited about the prospect of working for a smaller local brand like Gall & Gall. I wanted to make even more of an impact, which is obviously more attainable when you have broader responsibilities. It's particularly doable to truly leave a mark at Gall & Gall, where hierarchy is less important and reporting lines are short."
As Head of Strategy Deployment & Analytics, Anne-Claire’s impact is tangible. Together with Gall & Gall’s CEO, Pieter Saman, she’s responsible for the company’s strategy, which was implemented 1,5 years ago. “Our mission is to ‘reinvent the good enjoyment’. We want people to enjoy life with friends and family, accompanied by the right drink. But we also want them to do this responsibly, sustainably and within the context of a healthy lifestyle.”
The freedom, tools and technology to shine
Gall & Gall’s data and analytics team is set up to execute and accelerate this mission. The team that Anne-Claire spearheads has invested quite a bit of time and effort into building an advanced modern data platform to enable this goal. “With this fairly new data lake, the analysts have the freedom, technology and tools to shape and use this data as they deem best and to amplify the company’s mission. Our team features three data analysts and a product owner, and works closely with two data engineers, who are all driven professionals that take ownership of their work. They get to work on an advanced data platform, and are constantly looking to improve the way they work, do tasks quicker and automate as much as they can. It’s not something I or anyone else has to instruct them to do; it’s ingrained in their DNA. The team has the knowledge, skills and tools to make Gall & Gall future-proof, and that’s what they strive for every day. Plus, they work closely with Albert Heijn’s data community. When it comes to data engineering and data science, Albert Heijn is ahead of the curve. By being part of their data academy and community, we get to leverage that enormously.”
“Monitoring performance is crucial for success. That’s why (in addition to the data from the systems) we have a test panel that continuously asks customers for feedback – on how they perceive our mission, what they think of our product assortment and if they believe we’re innovative enough. This endless feedback mechanism is a vital part of our strategy. And of course it’s critical that we translate these insights into action. We’re always asking ourselves, ‘How can we use this feedback to improve activities and ensure they serve our mission?’ By acting on the feedback quickly and effectively, we truly add value and help achieve our goal.”
An agile can-do mentality
That quick turnaround is very typical for Gall & Gall. “As a smaller company within such a huge corporate, we’re very agile and able to act quickly. I really like this can-do mentality and the energy in this company to make things happen. We’re like a scale-up, but with the power and infrastructure of a big organization behind us.”
“In addition to that can-do approach, it’s also the people that make me love working for this company. Over the past 12 years, I have had the privilege of working with people that I could not only learn a great deal from, but also have a lot of fun with. I made some good friends at Ahold Delhaize and even met my husband, Harm, here!”
Being agile is important in Anne-Claire’s personal life, too. “In an ideal world, I don’t plan too far ahead. To me, the best days are those that unfold spontaneously and hold unexpected events. I like to just walk out the door, grab a coffee, sit on a terrace, bump into friends randomly and simply see how the day unravels. The best is not knowing how it will end: maybe we end up at a music festival or maybe we miss the last boat home and are forced to stay the night somewhere and make a weekend out of one day out. These days, with three young children, we’ve obviously had to let go of most of that spontaneity, but Harm and I still enjoy it when this sort of day happens. Amsterdam, where we live, is perfect for that. It’s a large city with the characteristics of a village – there’s enough of a buzz and always plenty to do.”
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