A cyclist or a climber? Both! Get to know Ruby — our Marketing Manager NL& BE! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪
Roebijn -or Ruby for all the non-dutch speakers — was born in the Netherlands and grew up in an adventurous family of five kids. The family travelled the world and lived in Singapore, Curacao and Australia before settling down in New Zealand.
Eventually returning to her home country, Ruby decided to study brand management in Amsterdam and worked for a few years in fashion and theatre.
Attracted by a life with more freedom, she quit her office job, started cycling, and discovered her calling.
Ruby and her partner live in a small house in Amersfoort and own the bouldering gym around the corner. They love to rock climb and cycle and try to spend as much time as they can outdoors. We sat down with her to see what she is up to these days.
Hi Ruby!
Tell us a little bit more about yourself. Could you introduce yourself in a few sentences?
Hi I’m Roebijn (Ruby for non-Dutchies) and I live in Amersfoort with my partner and our little dog Lola. I met my partner 20 years ago when we were both working in a climbing gym, and we now own two bouldering gyms we built up ourselves! I grew up in a family of 5 kids and we moved continents almost every two years, finally settling for a life in New Zealand when I was 16.
I inherited my mother’s adventurous genes and converted a big van into a tiny home on wheels this year, in pursuit of climbing and cycling adventures all over Europe. I feel fortunate to have found my dream job at a fully remote company allowing me to live like a nomad while working on a mission very close to my heart: making adventures accessible to all!
What do you do @ komoot?
After three years as the first community manager for Netherlands and Belgium, I am now the Marketing Manager for these two counties, working together with our new Community Manager Carola to get all Dutchies and Belgians to find, plan and share their adventures on komoot.
What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now?
The marketing team is working together to set up a global campaign to inspire our users to enjoy winter outside. We’ll work together with our ambassadors and local partners to encourage our communities to get out there, no matter the weather, because enjoying the great outdoors is always better than staying inside. Just put on some woollies, bring a friend and share a hot drink!
Which other teams or experts do you mostly interact with?
I am part of the marketing team where we share tactics and build on a marketing strategy to support our company goals. I also get together with my UK, NL & BE squad of 5 team members several times a week to discuss projects and opportunities as our markets have similarities and we can learn from each other’s experiences.
What was the biggest impact you and/or your team had on komoot?
Last year one of our Dutch ambassadors Erwin Sikkens came to me with a bikepacking route he was very proud of. He had been working on it for years, connecting the most beautiful trails across two national parks in the middle of the Netherlands.
I was really excited about the route and the ‘making of’ story and so we decided to create a big launch moment. The media loved it and the story of the Green Divide was published in many magazines and online channels.
Since the launch, Erwin has been receiving enthusiastic messages from cyclists all over the country who cycled his Green Divide route and had an amazing experience.
I love that we inspired so many people to go bikepacking and at 300 kilometers, the Green Divide is a great option for any bikepacker. You can ride it in a day, or take 4 days — it doesn’t matter what your pace is, everyone can enjoy this amazing route in their own way!
What aspects of the komoot culture do you enjoy most? And why?
Obviously, I love that I am not stuck in an office and can work from wherever I have a good internet connection.
What I love about our company culture is that we really care about each other. We support each other where needed and celebrate our successes and failures together.
We don’t let busy schedules get in the way of taking the time to listen and share stories of work and personal life. There is a lot of trust and appreciation at komoot and it enables us to thrive, as individuals and as a team.
Do you have any funny stories from a Zoom call?
I once got on a call and the guy on the other end was on his indoor trainer, shirtless and sweating it out in front of the camera. I told him my internet connection was unstable and we should try calling later and quickly ended the call. I never called him back 🙃
Komoot’s mission is to make great adventures accessible to all. What does adventure mean to you?
Adventure is whatever makes you feel free!
What’s your favourite Tour on komoot?
I have so many favourites! But a recent one was a gravel ride from Zero Neuf, a wonderful B&B at the foot of the Pyrenees where we parked the van for a few nights. I went on an all-road ride that took me to places where I felt completely out in the wild and one with my surroundings. That is what outdoor adventure is to me!
You can check it out here.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I own a very cool steel bike made to fit and it rides like a dream, on any surface. I love taking it out to explore the forests and backroads of my home turf. What we lack in mountains here in the Netherlands, is made up by beautiful forests and an endless network of trails. I always create a new route from scratch and often find myself on unknown paths, even close to home!
And last but not least, which of these do you prefer?
Beach or mountains?
Mountains
Summer or winter?
Summer
Morning or evening?
Both
Hiking or cycling?
Cycling
Home office or coworking?
Home office (on wheels!)
Thank you, Ruby! 💚
Interested in knowing more about Ruby’s adventures? Have a look at them on komoot here.
