Previously, in “Meet the Griffins” series, we profiled Rebecca Hoffman from Axway’s main headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, we cross the pond and head to Belgium to meet Jeroen Delbarre, a Product Manager for the AMPLIFY Platform.
After four years of working as a Presales Consultant, Jeroen now works as a Product Manager. With numerous Product Managers for the AMPLIFY Platform, Jeroen’s principal role is focused around two areas:
- The user management capabilities of the platform. This includes everything from users, roles and teams, organizations, and partner lifecycle management.
- Second, the creation of the AMPLIFY™ Catalog which contains all the Axway APIs. The AMPLIFY Catalog will be freely available to every user of the AMPLIFY Platform so they can not only discover what functionalities Axway offers but also to try out some of these functionalities.
Jeroen Delbarre’s approach to the job
Jeroen prefers the hands-on approach. He likes to try out a product before making suggestions on how to improve it or how to create new roles for a specific use case.
As a Product Manager, he always tries to learn whatever he can, as well as listen to the customers. By incorporating different recommendations, he brings all ideas and viewpoints to the table.
Having been a Presales Consultant and a Developer, he always thinks of how he can propose a solution to help people in their daily work. This enables people to adopt the solution as well.
Inspiration
Daily inspiration comes from simple, easy solutions, and designs. Jeroen does not like complications. If you make something too complex, he feels nobody will use it.
“Being able to help shape a solution that people find useful and which helps them in their day-to-day job is inspiring.”
The best part of the job
Contributing to the AMPLIFY Platform and adding capabilities that people will use and that will help them daily is rewarding. It’s very encouraging to create something or write a blog, that’s appreciated by people and provides them with something that they can use or learn from. His diverse background in presales, consulting, and development is very useful and allows him to gain new perspectives.
What does Jeroen like about working at Axway?
It might seem cliché, but what Jeroen likes most at Axway is the people. Not only during the day-to-day activities but also events, team building, or just hanging out after work.
“Jeroen likes that your work is valued and recognized – from there you can grow.”
Philosophy for life!
Just do it! It may be the slogan for Nike, but this is Jeroen’s approach to life. If you want to make something happen, the best way is to start and not wait for something to happen. This philosophy enabled Jeroen to become a Product Manager.
Downtime
Jeroen’s biggest passion is snowboarding. Previously, he lived near the Rockies in Canada and went snowboarding almost every weekend in the winter. Belgium has fewer mountains, but luckily, he likes cycling and running as well. The area around his hometown, Oudenaarde, is world-famous if you are a cycling fan.
Jeroen loves to travel and go on road trips. He often visits France with his girlfriend because they love to visit and discover the Bretagne and Charente-Maritime areas.
Career path advice
Jeroen feels the education path you may have followed is not the most important for a career in Product Management. Thinking critically, as well as never being afraid to try and propose new things, along with good communication and listening skills are key.
The best professional training for this kind of job is talking to colleagues, listening, and learning.
Thank you, Jeroen for all your work and dedication.
Read more Life at Axway stories here.