Martin Filius will be retiring on 18 June. He has been at the financial helm of Topa for the last 13 years and will be passing the baton over to Isabel Belderbos. We asked him what he’s most proud of.

“I’m most proud of the brilliant results we’ve all achieved together”

I think that’s a difficult question, because you always achieve things working together with other people. So I’m most proud of the great cooperation with many colleagues and the brilliant results we have achieved together

Martin Filius

To ensure the transfer goes smoothly, his successor, Isabel Belderbos, started work at Topa back in January.  We asked about her first impressions of Topa and the people who work there.

Topa’s employees are very enthusiastic, loyal and highly skilled

My first impression is very positive. The people at Topa are very enthusiastic, loyal, highly skilled and proud of the company. There are employees who have worked here for a long time and the atmosphere is really friendly. I do think that Topa is probably due for some modernisation and professionalisation. More work could be carried out digitally and even more attention could be paid to trends and developments in the world around us, as well as how we at Topa can respond to these strategically. Topa has been doing a great job for more than 100 years now and there are plenty of opportunities to achieve even more.

Isabel Belderbos

“I’ve had a lot of conversations. That’s the best way to get to know each other better”

Over the first few months, Isabel was primarily focused on getting to know the company and staff better. At Voorhout, but at all the other Topa branches too.

I have been to Dronten, Lelystad and Kontich in Belgium. I have also carried out client visits along with one of our senior salespeople. I have spoken to department managers and employees who report to me directly and indirectly. I’ve had a lot of conversations. It’s great to get a sense of everyone. And vice versa. That’s the best way to get to know each other better. Over the last few weeks I’ve been working more intensively with Martin to hand over the financial matters and other portfolios.

Isabel Belderbos

Isabel has previously worked at operating companies of larger multinationals

Isabel has worked at various different companies. In particular operating companies of larger multinationals.

The great thing about an operating company is that you’re closer to the market and the customer, where the money is being made. From my financial role I can see which processes and money streams there are within a company. That way I can get a better idea of how a company works, what the focus areas are and where it would be best to focus.

Isabel Belderbos

“The slogan ‘We aim for less’ really appeals to me”

Sustainability is a specific policy area for Topa.

The slogan ‘We aim for less’ really appeals to me. Our customers are working to achieve this too. They want to reduce their waste and are asking themselves questions like: How much does the packaging weigh? Is it environmentally-friendly? Is it sustainably produced? These are questions purely about the product. Then as a company we also have another societal function. We have to think about how we can contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions and make that a policy too.

Isabel Belderbos

“The Topa Institute could be much more integrated in the sales process”

There is still so much potential at Topa. Some internal processes could be made more efficient. We could apply more focus externally too. What I am very impressed with is the Topa Institute. That could be much more integrated in the sales process. Then we could offer packaging solutions in a much broader package. That would create a competitive advantage for Topa. There are also opportunities in the area of sustainability. Information for customers about what the most sustainable packaging technique would be for them, for example. Or how best to separate waste and what to do with that waste stream. In short, what’s really best for the environment.

Isabel Belderbos