Leadership series: Willem van der Zee

Our CORE Leadership Series documents the perspectives of influential and inspiring industry figures.

We are here interviewing Willem van der Zee, Director of Operations Belgium & Germany at Pandox and Founder of Willem & Too

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.

See www.pandox.com.   We are a hotel investment company and operating company. We manage by trust rather than by control. We add value in terms of operational excellence, financial performance and employee satisfaction. 

What initially inspired you or sparked your interest in pursuing this career? 

Genuine curiosity in people and the business.

What motivates you in your work and what do you find most fulfilling about being a business leader? 

• Constant changing business landscape. 
• No day is the same. 
• The people, the variety of the portfolio and nature of opportunities and challenges to deal with together with a superb, dedicated team in Germany and Belgium. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing the landscape where you are and how should/will a business like yours respond? 

Uncertainty. 

Thinking about the (current) macro-economic and social environment (cost pressures, labour market, changing customer expectations, sustainability), what shifts do you believe will redefine “success” for our sector in the coming year or years?

Sustainable success in operational excellence, asset management, financial performance and a Diverse and Inclusive people leadership landscape. 

How do you stay updated on industry trends, customer expectations, and regulatory changes?  

Every day is a learning opportunity. Stay genuine curious, read, listen, exchange, go out and discover, dare to make mistakes.

Where do you think the most promising investments should be focused on and/or made on? 

Adding value 

What do you believe will distinguish the leading service providers over the next decade (e.g. niche market, luxury, sustainability, experience-driven, hybrid models…)? 

Customer experience, happy employee and happy owners (stakeholders)

If you could influence one thing about the future of hospitality (policy, regulation, social trend, business model…) what would it be, and why?

1. Align within the EU regulation and simplify. 
2. Focus on education

What skills or mindsets do you think will be most important for the next generation of hospitality leaders?

Business ethics

What is or are your biggest career achievement(s)?

See www.willemtoo.com or my LinkedIn profile 

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned? 

"success comes as a team"

Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career so far? 

Yes 

How do you prioritize tasks when everything feels like a priority? 

Everything might be important not everything is urgent!

Have there been any hard decisions you had to take as a business leader? 

Of course, over the years quite a few. 

What do you hope your legacy will be both for your organization and for the hospitality industry more broadly? 

People leadership both positive as well as maybe criticism 

What do you see as the most significant challenges and opportunities currently shaping the service industry /sector?  

Opportunity mix of AI. 

• Increased mobility. 
• Influx on new customers, (growing market as per UNWTO), improved offerings in all segments. 
• Challenge, rising cost base, complex legislation, impatience, uncertainty (as mentioned before) 

Are you expecting consumer expectations to shift this year? 

Yes

How has your leadership philosophy evolved, especially over the past few years of rapid change? 

Yes

What values or behaviours do you consider essential for leadership teams today? 

Entrepreneurial spirit, excellent communication and people leadership skills, solid verbal and numerical understanding, commercial passion, quality focus, passion and integrity.

What innovations, technological, experiential, or operational, excite you the most right now?

AI

Sustainability is a growing priority. How are you embedding meaningful, long-term sustainability practices into your business? 

Look into annual report Pandox 

Who or what has had a major influence on your approach to leadership? 

My mentors (they know who they are) my education from my parents and school(s) my colleagues and teams. 

What does the industry need more of (or less) to continue thriving?

Passionate people

If you could change one policy, trend, or misconception about the sector, what would it be?

That it is undervalued and an industry to work for.

What advice would you give emerging leaders who want to shape the future of the service industry?

Never ever give up