12 March 2021

After eight years at bol.com, Marcel van Leeuwen joined BAS at the beginning of 2021. As Product & Tech Director, he uses his experience to support BAS Trucks in the transformation from a physical dealership to an agile and scalable digital trading platform. The basis was already there, but Marcel's arrival accelerates the transition. To tech enthusiasts looking for a special challenge, he says: “At BAS, we are at the beginning of a journey with clear goals. We are going to invent the route towards our destination and the technology we’ll use together. It is precisely that unknown, the experimentation and pioneering, that makes my tech heart beat faster.”

Why BAS?

“BAS is turning the international truck trade upside down. By transforming the existing, successful business model into a ground-breaking platform revenue model. That takes guts. This has never been seen in the automotive industry before and I do not want to miss the opportunity to be part of such an innovation at all. Innovation will take place here, which everyone will look back on later with admiration and pride.”

What was the deciding factor?

“I didn't have to leave bol.com necessarily. BAS’ vacancy intrigued me and I spoke to a friend who turned out to be doing business with BAS and that got the ball rolling. Casper and Bas van Heertum's sketch of the future stimulated my fantasy and ambition. Ultimately, it was not only the tech challenge, however great it is, that was decisive, but also the energy, entrepreneurship and strategy behind BAS World. That convinced me during the long follow-up interviews we had in Veghel. It took some effort to part ways with bol.com. But if your heart is in IT and e-commerce, like mine, you want to experience this.”

What exactly is BAS World or what will it become?

“What bol.com is to consumers and thousands of sales partners, BAS World is to international buyers and sellers of rolling stock. A matchmaker between supply and demand. A marketplace that you cannot ignore if you want to see what trucks, trailers and vans and machines are for sale, in every corner of the world. With BAS in the unique, versatile role of salesman, director and executor and quality guardian of highly complex logistical and financial processes.”

What is your primary role?

“In the past I have gained a lot of experience in optimizing and scaling organizations, processes and systems. I also saw how things can go wrong and what you can learn from these mistakes. Using that knowledge, I want to create an inspiring environment around tech and marketing at BAS. I like a work culture in which autonomous teams are free to determine how they achieve their goals, challenge each other to take new steps every day, and are driven to achieve results based on data and experiments. I see my role primarily as a facilitator of sorts.

Are there any similarities between the platform of bol.com and BAS?

“There are more technical similarities than you might think. You make your own architectural choices, but in both cases the focus is on performance, stability, security and scalability. The trick is to intelligently automate and standardize processes and at the same time offer a journey in which customers and partners a tailored experience. Bol.com once started as an online bookshop, very traditional. The big leap was made by allowing sales partners to access the platform. Then it got really complicated. BAS represents the same breakthrough. In addition to its own offer, BAS World will also be displaying the range of international sales partners. This requires an extremely qualitative system, both at the front-end and the back-end.”

What makes BAS unique?

“The biggest difference is the trade. It has a different dynamic. It concerns used equipment, so each item is unique. Plus, a truck costs a little more than a pair of shoes, and you don’t simply ship it from A to B by post with a free return label. The platform is one side of the story. The complexity behind it, the interplay of technical expertise, logistical ingenuity, planning, service and customization, is just as important. This is precisely what BAS, as a global brand, is unprecedentedly strong at."

What is the current state of affairs?

“We’ve done a spectacular job. The websites and apps are stable, the degree of automation is high. A relatively small team of in-house designers, developers and marketers laid a unique and stable foundation. Everything we need to go live is ready. Maximum scalability of people and systems is a determining factor for success. The engine must be 100 percent reliable, the acceleration limitless. Because once we release it, things will go fast! The potential is enormous. If we’re able to use the technology and human knowledge we have to the fullest extent in a smart and optimal way, this will be something big. And I believe it will work, based on the dynamics at BAS.”“We’ve done a spectacular job. The websites and apps are stable, the degree of automation is high. A relatively small team of in-house designers, developers and marketers laid a unique and stable foundation. Everything we need to go live is ready. Maximum scalability of people and systems is a determining factor for success. The engine must be 100 percent reliable, the acceleration limitless. Because once we release it, things will go fast! The potential is enormous. If we’re able to use the technology and human knowledge we have to the fullest extent in a smart and optimal way, this will be something big. And I believe it will work, based on the dynamics at BAS.”

What appeals to you most at BAS?

“During the interviews I noticed that the management puts heart and soul into the interests of the customer, the employees and the company. Based on a clear growth strategy, in which digitization is central. I see the belief in success at all levels in the organization. There is an infectious drive among the teams that are directly involved in the transition to the platform business. Disciplines merge, people are agile, there is a lot of interaction.”

What is your personal mission at BAS?

“I hope to contribute in an inspiring way to a culture of fast, agile, data-driven and experimental work. Everyone should feel safe to contribute ideas and try them out. There are always dead ends in IT projects. You learn from that. Mistakes and setbacks should inspire, not discourage. By cutting trajectories into pieces, you keep an eye on the goal and you can often celebrate successes. I prefer to speak of an evolution than a revolution. If that evolution then yields revolutionary products, my mission will be accomplished.”

Is your team up to strength or is there expansion in the air?

“With the route that BAS is following, management is aiming for a new growth spurt. That always requires talent. The emphasis is on new roles in which people can invent themselves. I see special challenges and opportunities for ambitious pioneers in IT, marketing and e-commerce who love diversity and dynamism.”

“We are currently actively looking for reinforcement in almost all roles. I am thinking of creative and innovative talents who will give direction to our platform - the leaders of the future, driven by results, not afraid of a challenge and stimulated by the BAS culture of hard work, pushing boundaries and having fun together. Do you think you might be a good fit or do you know someone who suits us well? Take a look at the vacancies on workingatbas.com. Do you have the ambition to work on projects where you can leave a personal mark? At BAS you will find the challenge and inspiration to rise above yourself. Come and visit Veghel. Believe me, it happened to me too: you will not let go of the dynamics that you experience here!”