“Unused fibre capacity? I find that incredibly interesting!”

Richard van Kleeff, Manager Operations, Relined Fiber Network

We would like to introduce our colleague Richard van Kleeff, Manager Operations at Relined. He talks about his childhood, his work experience and his interest in Relined. 

“Richard in brief? Then I will still start with my family, which consists of my wife and three children. All our children are in the middle of adolescence. So it’s never boring in the Van Kleeff household,” laughs Richard van Kleeff, Manager Operations at Relined since August this year. “But no kidding, I am a family man and there is nothing I enjoy more than when the five of us are doing something together. We live in Sassenheim, near the coast, and love spending time outdoors. This ranges from cycling and hiking to wild camping in Sweden, including a canoe trip. I may have picked up that adventurousness during my childhood. As expats, my parents lived in the UK for over seven years, three years in Dubai and three years in Hong Kong. This meant I spent my teenage years in England.

I enjoyed myself immensely there and had a great time, and I still have friendships from that time. Those years abroad helped shape me into the person I am today.” 

Enjoyment and result-orientation indispensable 

“Looking at my work experience, I can say that I now have 26 years of experience in the national and international telecom world, both at operators and hardware suppliers. I am results-oriented and focus on following up on improvement initiatives, so that everyone experiences that commitment produces positive results. I also get satisfaction from making sure people are enjoying their work, both in terms of tasks and cooperation,” Richard says.

“I do see myself as a bridge builder in several areas. Bringing people together, that’s what I like.” 

Great combination 

“Why I chose Relined? On the one hand, because I find it hugely interesting that there is untapped fibre capacity available that offers plenty of opportunities. And on the other hand, because I needed to make a transition from the large, corporate world to a somewhat flatter organisation where responsibility is carried across a broad base. That appeals to me. Moving quickly, having a customer focus and simply working with each other. That suits me,” Richard continues. “When I came across the vacancy, that included both strategic and technical-operational aspects, I was quickly convinced. And my feeling was right, because even during my first interview there was a click and things moved ahead quickly. The rest is history.” 

My role at Relined 

“At Relined, my responsibilities include focusing on unused fibre capacity. Together with our fibre partners such as BT and ProRail, I prioritise unused fibre capacity so that we can best serve our customers,” Richard says. “That includes building relationships and operational working arrangements. The bridge-building aspect is clear in this respect too. I like things to be open and transparent, so that fits my personality very well. I want to explore together what the different parties need to function optimally and then work on that. In doing so, I try to create a win-win situation as much as possible. I also focus on further optimising the operational team within Relined. This covers terms like team spirit, clarity, efficiency, etc. That is another area in which I provide added value. 

My added value comes in handy in a dynamic organisation like Relined. For example, I am also building further around the acquisition of NDIX, which unlike Relined does not offer dark fibre but rather exposed services. This will enable us to serve an even broader customer portfolio, including at the international level. 

In short, Relined is continuing its mission and I am happy to be part of it. In my role, I am constantly looking for new collaborations with parties willing to offer their unused fibre optics.

Collaborate?

I cordially invite them, and others who would like to work with us, to contact me directly at r.vankleeff@relined.eu or by calling 0347 358 010.”