"We should be more confident in telling the world about our sustainability activities"

Arjan Klifman

Sales & Marketing Director Xella Belgium and Xella UK

Arjan, what's your original profession?

I studied social and educational sciences, which is a completely different field that I have never worked in. But it helped me understand the psychology of people and teams. I'm very interested in how group dynamics work. How do you motivate people? How do you convince them of an idea? What are the reasons behind people's buying decisions?

How did you come to work in sales?

I'm a hands-on kind of guy. I like action. That's why I've done almost every job in sales, even selling socks in a marketplace. As my responsibilities grew, I did a variety of training programs to develop myself as a manager and became a sales director with a larger team. For me, it's very interesting to have a broader view of how an organization works and to make changes for the best. I like the metaphor of the boat - and we all must paddle in the same direction to move forward towards clear waters. And that's something most companies can improve on.

You've been at Xella for a few months now. What is it that brought you here?

I've worked in the flooring industry for 20 years and, of course, in sales since ever. I was looking for a new challenge, something that I can set my teeth in and have an impact. After my first months here, I think Xella is a fantastic company. I feel that it's all about getting things done, being there for our customers, and providing the best solutions and services.

What are your tasks as Sales and Marketing Director in Belgium/UK?

I lead passionate and experienced teams in sales, back office, logistics, drawing, and engineering. My role is to support collaboration and communication towards shared goals. I’m responsible for Xella UK and Xella Belgium. There is good collaboration between both countries. Belgium is small but full of potential for our calcium silicate units as well as our autoclaved aerated concrete solutions. The UK on the other hand is a large market where our highly efficient team sells a lot of Ytong blocks. It is impressive to see how they seem to punch above their weight.

What are the biggest challenges in the upcoming months?

We need to act as one team with one goal and with open, transparent communication, also among ourselves. I am working to ensure that everyone, inside and outside the company, understands our added value and the reasons behind our actions. But I see a clear willingness to move forward. As a manager, I also see it as my role to create a safe and supportive environment.

What does this mean to you?

There are different levels of such an environment. Having fun at work should go hand in hand with achieving good results. But things like a good cup of coffee, a pleasant office, and sharing moments with your team also contribute to that environment. We even have a real party committee in Belgium organizing teambuilding events.

People often feel insecure when they don’t know what’s going on. That’s why we focus on structured meetings and maintaining a high level of communication. As a management team, we try to create a working environment where people can share their ideas, and new strategies are built from the bottom up, supported by the whole team.
I believe it’s crucial to give people feedback constructively when things could be improved, but also positively when things are going well. That way, people feel confident and empowered in their work.
Communication works when the right message is shared at the right time and in the right way.

Do you see potential for improvement in the communications?

We should be more confident in telling the world about our sustainability and circularity activities. In my opinion, if you do good things, tell the world about it. Even if we're making a profit, but we're doing it sustainably, that's called happy profit. Why not show it to people? They usually like to see it. There are many stories in different countries, and we should strengthen our power to share them more.

What do you do in your spare time?

I try to do a lot of sports, I do a bit of running and fitness, but - being Belgian, where cycling is a national sport - I love cycling. When I ride alone, I sometimes ride for 2 or 3 hours. It helps me to clear my head or even to get some new business ideas. Last week on my bike for instance, I thought about how we should focus more on the progress we make in lowering our carbon offset by working on a true circular business model.

At the same time, it's important to keep your body healthy, but it also has an effect on my mind. The Roman poet Juvenal said: Mens sana in corpore sano - a healthy mind lives in a healthy body.