Excited to introduce our newest Kambrian! Meet Benjamin Carlier our brand new Product Education Manager.
Although born and raised in Belgium, he now enjoys the great Canadian outdoors as long as there are no tarantulas involved.
Where are you from?
Gent in Belgium. It’s like Bruges, but not as touristy.
What’s your role at Kambr?
Product Education Manager.
How did you end up at Kambr?
Bob (Kambr’s Global Human Resources Director) reached out to me on LinkedIn to say he had a role that looked like a great fit for me. So far, he’s been right!
When did you start working at Kambr?
October 31, 2022. Happy Halloween 🎃
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love living close to the mountains and we head out as often as we can. In the summer we hike (suffer) our way up to summits.
In the winter, I like to snowboard. I have a pass that allows me access to different ski resorts, and each year I try to make it to a place I haven’t been to before.
What’s your superpower?
Trip planning.
What makes you nervous?
Tarantulas. Especially when they’re not behind glass.
What are you most proud of?
Moving to Canada on my own without a plan or a job lined up, only to make it into my home for over a decade now.
What’s your favorite Kambr value and why?
Kindness. I think it’s very important to treat people the way you want to be treated.
What’s your life philosophy?
I try to live by the saying “have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” It’s not always easy!
Have you ever missed a flight (and why)?
A few times as a standby passenger. I learned to have a plan A, B and C! Also, once as a revenue passenger, when I flew from Belgium to Kelowna.
Going through customs in Vancouver they took so long making sure I wasn’t a spy that I missed the connecting flight to Kelowna and had to overnight in YVR.
What’s the airport you’ve been to the most?
Calgary (YYC), where I live now, and Brussels (BRU), Belgium’s main airport. Other than that, Amsterdam (AMS), is the quickest way to get from Canada to my hometown (Gent).
What’s the most interesting (or unusual) job you’ve had?
Leading overland expeditions in Patagonia and the Amazon basin.
Do you have any funny or weird flight stories?
Three hours into a flight from YYC to LHR there was a lot of commotion a few rows ahead.
A gentleman seated by the window suddenly became claustrophobic and tried to leave the airplane (30,000 ft up in the air). He, unfortunately, had to be restrained and the plane diverted to Toronto.
What’s your favorite book and why?
I read a lot, so it’s impossible to pick just one, but a recent one that left an impression is “Empire of Pain’, which talks about the Sackler dynasty and their role and responsibility in the opioid crisis.
The two books by Brad Stone about the rise of Amazon are also must-reads. On a lighter note, “The Hiking Book from Hell” is very funny, especially for an enthusiastic hiker like myself.
Have you had your 15 minutes of fame yet?
I worked for television for a while, but it was behind the scenes, so no fame for me.
Favorite shows.
The White Lotus (on HBO) is a hoot.
And the dystopian series Black Mirror (a bit less of a hoot, but very good nonetheless).
