Meet our new IT Manager Jan Willem van der Grift

Within an international, data-driven organization like Brownline, a watertight digital infrastructure is of vital importance. Cyber threats are constantly changing, and ensuring our information security is of the highest priority. Additionally, we will seamlessly align with the IT guidelines of our parent organization Halma.

To take this cyber security to an even higher level, we have brought an experienced professional on board. Meet Jan Willem van der Grift. With his down-to-earth perspective, broad experience, and sharp focus on risk management, he ensures that our data and systems remain optimally protected.







































































































































Within an international, data-driven organization like Brownline, a watertight digital infrastructure is of vital importance. Cyber threats are constantly changing, and ensuring our information security is of the highest priority. Additionally, we will seamlessly align with the IT guidelines of our parent organization Halma.

To take this cyber security to an even higher level, we have brought an experienced professional on board. Meet Jan Willem van der Grift. With his down-to-earth perspective, broad experience, and sharp focus on risk management, he ensures that our data and systems remain optimally protected.

We asked Jan Willem a few questions to get to know him better.

Tell us something about yourself!

I come from an entrepreneurial family of go-getters. Although as a child I liked to go on jobs with my father (a contractor), I eventually chose IT (also safer for the back). After studying HTS Telematics, I moved up through various roles to managerial positions. Finally, I became an IT Manager, a role I enjoyed for 18 years at the management consulting firm Berenschot.

I am married to Annemarie and father to Coen. Our son has a mental disability and requires attention, but he now lives and works independently.














































































































What attracted you to this position and what does your role look like?

At Brownline, I get the unique opportunity to shape IT management in the broadest sense of the word. I look forward to building a solid foundation where information security, legal and regulatory requirements, and the desires of both my colleagues and Halma come together perfectly.

As the person ultimately responsible for the complete IT environment at Brownline, I ensure that our IT strategy seamlessly aligns with our ambitions.

























































































































What do you want to learn and what can colleagues come to you for?

Brownline is my first international organization. I look forward to getting to know the colleagues here and abroad and seeing how we can best collaborate.

If there are questions about information security, they can come to me.












































































































What are your goals and what do you want to contribute to the team?

Firstly, I want to quickly understand the organization and its work processes to clearly grasp how IT supports this and where the areas for improvement lie.

With positive energy and an open, professional culture, I want us as a team to know exactly how our IT is structured and where the risks are, so that we can blindly rely on our systems together.














































































































How do you recharge and tell us something surprising about yourself...

Being outside! You often find me on the bike, in the lake, or walking the dog.

Something surprising: I am a (former) physiotherapist. That education started purely as an interest that got out of hand, and I completed it alongside my regular job. Super valuable, because with that medical knowledge and my love for swimming, I have been able to guide disabled children and adults in the water with great pleasure for years.































































































And finally...

  • Coffee or tea?
    Tea at the workplace, but coffee during meetings and breaks.

  • What makes your workday truly successful?
    When everything works and everyone knows what to expect.

  • Early bird or night owl?
    Early bird, I love to see the sun rise.