Pleo’s going global. Next stop: the Netherlands

Another month, another country Pleo lands in. This time, we’re talking about the Netherlands. The land of 22.9 million bicycles, canals, bulb fields, and innovative water management like no other. And now, seamless business spend management. (Did you see what we did there?)

We caught up with Aimeé van de Schoor, Pleo’s Product Director to learn more about life at Pleo and why now is the perfect time to enter the Netherlands. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Tell us a little about yourself…

I’m Aimeé (pronounced like M. A.). I’ve been at Pleo for almost three and a half years and I’m based in the Copenhagen office, Pleo’s HQ. When I joined back in 2019, there were around 80 people — which is about the same amount of people that join us every month now, so that’s a pretty insane reference. 

Since starting at Pleo, I’ve always worked in Product. I’m currently a Product Director, but I’m also working as a Domain Lead for the Spending Journey domain. This means I make sure all of our product teams are running in the same direction. I also make sure that we have got a good strategy in place to capture all of the opportunities that are out there in the markets.

So, what’s life like being a Product Director at Pleo?

It’s mostly very exciting. But what’s really exciting is the growth ahead of us, and the growth that we’re already witnessing. 

The fact that we’re growing so much means I’m able to constantly reinvent myself. During my time at Pleo, my role has evolved every six months or so just because the company changes — which I find very exciting, and, admittedly, sometimes a little overwhelming.

I get to work with amazing people, they’re not scared to take on anything. At Pleo, I feel like anything is possible — we just have to make sure we pick the right things to focus on. Pleo as a company is so focused on enabling other people to do what they do best, rather than prescribing templates, which is really freeing. 

You mentioned your career growth at Pleo, how did your journey begin here?

I got to know Pleo when I was running my own start-up in the same studio years ago. I saw Pleo from a very early stage and its potential when there were just a few people working there.

Back then, we did Friday demos in the studio and every week I saw how much progress Pleo was making, and the exciting journey they were embarking on. One day, I went upstairs and spoke to Olov Eriksson, Pleo’s CPO, and found out they needed someone to look after their Employee Experience — something that has always been very important to Pleo.

So I joined a team of seven or eight people at the time who focused on the Employee Experience. This was a very reasonable scope for the team back then, but a few years later, we discovered hundreds of new problems to solve and focus on. 

Before I went on maternity leave last year, I started the what-was International Product Domain, which made sure our product was durable and successful for every market we launch in. I was setting up an organisation which would allow for more focus on the specific German and Spanish Pleo experience.

Why is now a great time for Pleo to enter the Dutch market?

At Pleo, we’re getting to a point where we have a really well-rounded product offering for all business spend types.

In the Netherlands, both out-of-pocket spending and cash payments are common and we have an interesting card payment landscape across the country, credit cards don’t work everywhere. This is where Pleo steps in — Pleo can deal with invoices, cash payments, and card payments (and so much more). It’s guaranteed Pleo will help Dutch companies save so much time. 

Why should anyone in the Netherlands come to work at Pleo?

Pleo has Scandinavian roots in its culture.

I was impressed with how Pleo prepared me for going on maternity leave. I was able to leave with the greatest mindset. I was given a lot of maternity leave and a lot of support from the company — I was even challenged to take even longer off. Just before leaving, I was also promoted to my new role which is a great sign of trust and the company’s willingness to invest in its people.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t walk, run to our careers page  – we’re eager to fill our brand new Amsterdam office.