Patrick, Sr. Ambassador Expert

As I was still considering whether or not to take the job, René suggested I visit the Angoulême festival in January 2013. He asked me to man the first ever Catawiki booth outside of the Netherlands, at the most prestigious European comics festival at the time. Train and lodging were quickly arranged, so it was an offer a comic enthusiast like myself couldn’t refuse. I organised the booth at the festival, spoke with many leads and sensed a lot of interest in Catawiki in France. I came back full of energy and ideas, so René got his way: I signed the contract and my journey as a Catawikian officially began.

The first two years, I really enjoyed working as a Comics expert. I onboarded fellow experts Jacques Pels and Rik Lok, the nucleus of what would become a very dynamic team. However, I was still working part time: my ‘real’ job as an IT manager in Brussels still came first. By the end of 2014, at Catawiki’s end-of-year party (back when all of the staff fitted into a single Asian restaurant in Assen), I told Rene it had been a fantastic time, but I could no longer combine it all. That’s when he suggested I become Auction Manager. Once again, René was ahead of anyone else and had laid out a plan for the future. 

I was Catawiki’s first non-Dutch employee. I soon learned that when you work for a Dutch company, modesty doesn’t translate. It’s ironic perhaps, as it confirmed prejudices we have in Belgium about the Dutch. You need to be very self confident, even though at the end of the day the most important thing is you deliver quality work, of course.

In the first two years as an Auction Manager, I worked in the Assen office about two days a week. Interviews with applicants were scheduled on a weekly basis at the time. I hired at least 200 experts in that period… Most of them are still around – some of them have become seniors over the years and some even managers. I am proud of all of them. An amazing display of Europe’s expertise in various categories passed by my desk: French stamp experts, Italian classic cars experts, Spanish archeology experts, German model cars experts, Portuguese jewellery experts, and much more. I really enjoyed these conversations, and when they had convinced me, it was my honour to welcome them to the ultimate job to live out their passions. This was often an emotional moment for a new expert. 

I have been a passionate collector since childhood. Collecting itself has lost a bit of its glamour for me though. Can you still enjoy eating chocolate when you work in a chocolate factory every day? However, I do still enjoy finding ways of being creative and finding solutions. In the end, successfully organising things that seem to be hopeless at the start, seems to be my biggest passion. 

Ever since my first week in 2013, I have always been a believer in the potential of Catawiki, even in harder times of doubt and confusion. Catawiki simply has to become the biggest worldwide online marketplace for special objects. I am working on a big USA collection of books and comics at the moment. I encounter the same kind of audience over there that is very interested in what makes Catawiki special. A breakthrough in the US in the next decade certainly tops my personal wishing list. 

Some do know that at heart I only dream of music. I started a band when I was 17, and when I became 32 I said to myself: it’s time to stop and grow up. I should have known better, you’re never too old for rock ‘n roll. In fact, I shouldn’t even be here – my ambition has always been to be a professional musician on a permanent tour. 🙂

The first time we organised a stand at the Blois comics festival in France with Louis Girard as French Comics expert and Frédéric Caufriez as our Sales wizard was a fantastic experience. We succeeded in onboarding leads that would open new doors for us. It became the blueprint for many festivals to follow. Starting brainstorming at breakfast until late at night in the right company, combining creative thoughts, serious plans and laughs is definitely my thing. It certainly taught me how a good team is always stronger than an individual, however talented.

Besides still playing and creating music every day, I enjoy visiting any city – looking for the streets with second hand shops and flea markets. A walk in the hills is very nice, riding my bike in the Belgian countryside is fun but all the time I can’t wait till I’m back in town!