From Growth Hacking Trainee to Digital Innovator

So you finished your traineeship at TTI, but came back as a Digital Innovator years later – why?

After the traineeship I stuck around at Donsje to work as a Growth Marketeer for 3 years. Donsje is a luxury children’s clothing brand, and I initially didn’t expect to be matched to them. But that’s one of the charms of the traineeship: The matching event ensures you speak to different companies and that broadens your horizons. You might be matched to a company you initially didn’t put in your top 5, but then it appears to be a good match after all.

At Donsje I got the opportunity to work on the whole online strategy and help to professionalize the company. I learnt a lot and got a lot of freedom. There wasn’t really a marketing team, so I had to figure out a lot of things by myself. After 3 years I started to notice that I missed being in a bigger team with like-minded professionals. I figured that for my personal growth it would be a good idea to look around, so I checked out some vacancies at agencies. 

But eventually I was brought back to TTI. What I wanted at that point was to learn a lot of new things and develop myself. I spoke to another TTI alumni who went from the GHT to the Digital Innovator program as well, and I knew it was a good match.

The fact that you don’t only have training sessions and deep dives, but also have a coach to support you, is what really drew me to the Digital Innovator Program. Working on soft skills like presenting and stakeholder management is something I really missed in my old job. And the fact that you get to work on a lot of different (innovation) projects is something that appealed to me. 

How did your first month go?

It was a bit of a switch, but it’s been going well and I’m part of a nice team. I got the chance to do a shortcut while working on the case, as a few things are similar to the Growth Hacking Traineeship. I finished the case and now started at Nestlé-Purina to work on a project in cat and dog food supplements. I can notice that it’s a bit different being a consultant instead of ​‘an employee’, the client really expects you to work hard every minute. But it’s been fun and challenging so far. I’m happy with the choice I made.

What do you expect from the Digital Innovator Program? What do you hope to get from it?

I hope to develop myself even more professionally and personally. I’m looking forward to working on different projects for different corporations. And I would like to touch base on different phases of the innovation trajectory, too. Now I’m working on a growth project, as this is something I’m already experienced in. But later on I’d like to work on a project in the discovery phase to really do research and find a solution for a customer’s problem

Connect with our Digital Innovator Nick Moers.