WILLIAN VAN DEN HORN, GASSAN

She is the driving force behind the 300 events that GASSAN organizes annually. Willian van den Horn has been working at the jewelry house for almost 20 years and now knows the world of diamonds and watches like the back of her hand. We speak to this marketing director about what it is like to work for this iconic family business. Text: Susan Poeder
Image: Studio Steef Fleur

What was your very first job?

“I was 18 when I did my first internship at GASSAN, where I had a great time. After that I worked for an advertising agency for 5 years. I actually wanted to return to GASSAN and when I saw a vacancy I grabbed the opportunity. The first 3 years I worked as a secretary and then I became marketing director of GASSAN. I have now been employed for almost 20 years.”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“For me, that was initially David Bijlsma, the current COO of GASSAN and zirconia son of CEO Benno Leeser. He was the friend of my then boyfriend and gave me the internship and Benno ultimately trusted me from day 1 and gave me the position where I am now.”

What is your greatest passion in your work?

“No day is the same for me. We work with many different brands and each brand has its own target group. That requires a lot of creativity from you. We organize almost 300 events for these brands every year; there were perhaps only 10 in the beginning and this has developed further during my working years. In that respect, GASSAN is much more than a jewelry house. It is a special piece of Amsterdam's history that we would like to share with the whole world. We want to show this not only with these events, but also with the diamond tours that are accessible to everyone at the head office in Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat. So I am responsible for the marketing and event side of GASSAN from A to Z and that makes my work very dynamic. Perhaps the creativity and working with people are what I enjoy most. I try to look at every day with a new perspective.

What I also find so special is that I have now been able to work with 3 generations of this family business. Today, Guy Bijlsma coincidentally starts as an intern in the department and last month we were able to organize the launch event of the jewelry brand By GiGi by Giselle Bijlsma, both grandchildren of Benno Leeser.”

What has been your biggest learning moment in your career?

“I don't think I had one learning moment, but I gradually learned a lot. Think of diplomacy, learning to listen, putting things into perspective, having patience and always following your feelings, going for the optimal result and highest service level. If I could give advice to my 18-year-old self, I would say that you should do what your gut tells you. Honesty and integrity last the longest in this world and, above all, having fun and passion in your work, that is so important. It gives you a certain drive that makes you open and eager to learn every day and allows you to achieve the best results.” The GASSAN team during Masters of LXRY 2018 | Genius Edition.