12.5 years of Ditio - In conversation with Rick Ardts

Rick, can you briefly introduce yourself?

I am Rick Ardts, 43 years old. I grew up in Nootdorp and still live there, now with my wife Miranda and 4 children. After my HAVO I studied Technical Business Administration at the Technische Hogeschool in Rijswijk. Choosing a study was not easy for me, an age when you don't really know what you want and what you are doing right. The study of business administration was broad and the best fit at that time.

Ever since I was young, I have had a passion for Badminton. Even tearing my Achilles tendon twice has not stopped me from continuing to play. I play competitively at a national level. Besides an intensive sport like badminton, I also love to relax and fish at a lake.

What did you start doing after college? 

After completing my studies, I knew immediately that I did not want to continue studying. I was ready for the job market and joined a large a staffing organization. They wanted to start a new label in secondment, including recruitment and selection on the high end (HBO and WO educated people in the technical sector).

A world opened up to me and didn't know there were so many diverse companies in the technical sector in the Hague area. The first challenges? Acquisition. Calling potential customers, I was scared to death and wrote out entire call scripts on how customers could respond and what would be a good counter-reaction. Soon I got the hang of it and the call scripts disappeared into the desk drawer. I started getting better at it and enjoying it more and more. In particular, being able to do something for my tech-savvy target audience that they might not have been able to do themselves gave me satisfaction.

In the 6 years I worked here I had a nice personal development and also was able to make strides in the organization. At one point we were integrated into another even larger staffing company. This one had been purchased by the parent staffing organization. Soon I noticed that the new organization I found myself in became too big for me. The personal contact that I normally had with my people (secondees) was going away for me and this was the moment for me to put a point behind this part of my career and look further ahead.

How did you end up starting Ditio? 

I was in regular contact with my former director Arco and we would talk about the merger with the other secondment company, share our experiences and feelings, and it turned out that he, too, couldn't quite ground himself in the new environment. Through Arco's network, I came into contact with Arjen Elderson, a "real" entrepreneur. Arjen can make something out of nothing, sees no bears on the road and his enthusiasm was immediately contagious.

In a number of conversations, I took Arjen through my vision of how the world I was operating in was evolving. My biggest difficulty was that in the secondment world certain choices were made where the human factor was not central. In the way I look at the world, it was (and is) about adding value in service provision. Both towards (our) people and towards the customer.

My vision went far beyond the well-known "hourly billing." Secondment, or supporting clients with resources with the right knowledge, is also people work. This sounded like music to Arjen's ears. For him, there was no doubt that we should start a business. Of course, I had not thought about this scenario and took my time with it, whether this was really something I wanted? The situation lent itself perfectly to jumping into the deep end; I was just living with Miranda who had a stable income as a teacher and there were no children yet. After extensive thought, deliberation about this step, the ball was in the church. We are going to do it!!! Thus, on March 23, 2011, we officially started Ditio.

What was the plan at Ditio? 

The primary plan was, build a knowledge club where we put people at the center of everything we do. It started with secondment. Secondment allowed us to build capability to build a knowledge club. Getting opportunities with clients was a challenge; after all, we had no track record.

The early days were tough but focusing on 2 specific areas of expertise got us through. These subject areas - Document Management and Project Controls Management - are not accidental areas we started in. I had been active in these for some time at my previous employer. Personally, I can also easily relate to the target group of specialists active within these fields. They are not diehard techies but they do have an affinity and a certain interest in it. Just like me actually. In addition - and not entirely unimportant in a start-up company - there was not much competition in these fields.

What makes Ditio, Ditio? 

People, new colleagues young/old and of any nationality feel immediately welcome and even at home at Ditio. We have developed a strong culture in this over the years. Both Arjen and I are people people people and have always tried to involve people in the plans we had. For example, very soon we organized trade group evenings where fun and knowledge went hand in hand. In everything we do and did, we are always looking to connect. Over the years we have gathered people around us who have that in their DNA. People-people, focused on together and willing to go that extra mile.

This DNA is deeply rooted in Ditio and an important proof of that is the fact that - about 2.5 years ago - we said goodbye to Arjen. While Arjen has taken up a new challenge, we continue to build on Ditio the Knowledge Club and Ditio the People's Club!

From Rijswijk, our goal is for all Ditiosi to feel part of Ditio first and foremost. You are a Ditiosi! In doing so, we are always exploring how we are perceived as Ditio the employer. Of course most Ditiosi work for a client, and often at the client site, and the Ditiosi are more physically present there than at the Rijswijk office. But primarily, we are all Ditiosi. And to strengthen that feeling we are changing our approach towards clients with the goal that there will be room for all Ditiosi to work (at least) one day a week in Rijswijk at our office. There you can meet your Ditio colleagues, receive guidance, spar, share knowledge and possibly follow a training course. Being involved is what it is all about.

Another important point to mention is that Ditio undertakes a lot for its people. Besides professional training courses that are offered, we organize events and (sports) activities. There is a lot of attention on a personal level as well as on career development and progress. A real hierarchy is not experienced, the doors are always open and everyone in the organization is easily accessible. Personally, I also find it really important to know the name by the face. That means that I want to know every Ditiosi with a little background of this Ditiosi. After all, we are Ditio together.

What are your greatest moments with Ditio? 

I have had a lot of great moments and fortunately I still have them. These don't have to be big things for me either. I can just enjoy when a number of colleagues put their heads together to work out an idea, for example.

If I have to mention a few highlights, the first one that comes to mind is moving from Utrecht to the Treubstaat in Rijswijk. This building we could then furnish "our first office," and I am very proud of that! I am also thinking of the many table tennis games during each break in the Treubstraat, the first trade group evenings at van der Valk in Amersfoort, the trips to Vegas that I made with Arjen to partner with Hexagon (a very big IT club in our business), the move to the Veraartlaan, all the efforts that we - as Ditio - put into the Corona time to stay connected, culminating in the personal delivery of the Christmas hampers to every Ditiosi at home. visiting a client's FPSO (floating platform in the form of ship) in Scotland, attending the badminton World Cup watching our sponsored player in Copenhagen.

Two moments that also really stood out were the Corona Time Christmas Party and the 2022 Summer Party. During that Christmas party, I was surprised by the Ditiosi with a personal gift because we didn't get to really celebrate Ditio for 10 years. That touched me. And we tried to make up for that celebration during the 2022 Summer Festival. And we succeeded! On the boulevard of Scheveningen we really celebrated a fantastic party! Everything was right, everyone was happy and I spent the whole evening with a big smile.

Furthermore, there have of course been many great business moments. I still find it very special when a large oil or steel company signs a 3-year service contract with Ditio. I get goose bumps when I think back to the photo opportunity. The trust that such a party places in Ditio gives an enormous boost and makes me realize that in 12.5 years we have built a company that is significant.

What is your vision for the next 12.5 years? 

The world around us is changing very quickly, as is our field. I can remember us talking about it years ago on a professional group evening : does the document controller of the future still exist?

Now almost 12.5 years on the road, I can say that this field is here to stay forever, but you have to stay ahead of the curve and be able to anticipate how it then evolves.

The vision for the coming years is in the ''Ditio Way Of Working''. We are a knowledge club in DIM (Document and Information management) and PCM (Project Controls Management). We do our work according to our own way of working, our own Ditio method. After all, we have that knowledge in-house. Clients no longer hire an experienced planner or a document controller from us but buy a service. The result of this service is that they get a grip on their projects in terms of time, money, quality and information. We achieve this by feeding the projects information, supported by the right software and providing this with context. In this way we make the information understandable, through our consultants.

The Ditio Way Of Working will keep us busy for the next few years. The longer term is much more in proof of this, or the proven way of working. What I mean by that? That we can really demonstrate that our methodology is making an impact with our clients and on their project portfolio.

In addition, we always continue to work on being a great employer. You should enjoy your work, feel appreciated and feel part of the club. Of course, that includes an appropriate benefits package. We have imposed on ourselves that the Ditiosi, all our colleagues, must experience that they work at a People's Club. If they feel part of the Ditio club where they are valued, have impact, can develop AND be and stay themselves!

The 12.5 years have gone quickly. Looking back, during this period the most has happened in my life. We are a true Ditio family and I still love seeing that every day. I look forward to the next 12.5 making new memories!