Meet Our People: Maurits Matthijsse

Welcome to our exclusive series of “Meet Our People” where we provide you with an exclusive look behind the scenes to introduce you to the dedicated individuals who drive the Customs Support team. These passionate professionals play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of our mission: empowering your global trade.

In this edition, we are excited to present Maurits Matthijsse, who joined Customs Support in February as our new CCO.

Join us as Maurits shares his experience and insights in this article.

Who are you?

I’m Maurits, recently 56 years old, and living in The Netherlands. I’ve been here nearly all my life, have been married for over 20 years, and have three children.

I joined Customs Support as the chief commercial officer in February this year.

What does a chief commercial officer do?

It’s my role to lead the central commercial and marketing teams, and ensure that the different countries have the support that they need.

As an organisation, we have an unbelievable level of expertise, knowledge, and reach, and it’s my job to ensure that our potential clients understand how much we can really do for them.

Yes, we can do declarations across Europe, but that’s just the beginning of our product portfolio. What we are doing now with machine learning, data integration, and all of the boosts to efficiency and reporting that come with that – it’s another level compared to what the customs industry has traditionally seen.

What’s your typical working day like?

I’m an early riser, and am typically at my desk in our head office by 7:30 if there is no traffic jam. You never know in Rotterdam. If I am not at our HQ, then I am visiting the team in other offices so that I can work more closely with my colleagues.

Together with the central sales team, I liaise with customers and potential customers to fully understand their requirements and offer the best solution for them.

Although Europe-wide coverage, compliance, and cost savings are universal wants, how we best deliver that solution varies from customer to customer. So, it’s important that we work closely with you to make the magic happen.

You’ve been in the logistics industry for over 30 years. Tell us about your career

I’ve worked for several kinds of logistics service providers: large express companies, freight forwarders, and even an airline. I also worked for a goods owner, Samsung Electronics, where I was in part responsible for their logistics operations in Europe.

It’s been an interesting career, and I’ve experienced a full range of functions and challenges in that time.

How do you feel that your experience benefits you in a customs company?

I’ve had real, intense exposure to logistics operations of all kinds – both at an operational and commercial level. This helps me to understand your challenges without too much explanation. It’s hard to provide a solution when you can’t fully empathise with the other person’s needs, and it’s great that I can have the customs discussion with an informed view on both sides of that equation.

With the experience I have, I can objectively look at any digital solution during our internal brainstorming and give it direction from your point of view – as well as ask the right questions when we need your expertise. It saves you time and helps us to provide a better service, as opposed to relying on you 100% to tell us what you need.

What do you like most about this role so far?

It’s a combination of strategic development of ourselves and our services, and the operational discussion of how we can develop our customers’ businesses and enhance their supply chains, too.

It’s great to be in a position where we are on a growth path, but also play a part in the growth path of our clients too. That’s good business, and it’s only possible on this scale because of the operation we have backing us up.

What excites you about having the operational backing of the Customs Support network?

As I mentioned earlier, we have an unbelievable level of expertise, knowledge, and reach within Customs Support.

Our presence across the EU, UK, Switzerland, and Norway is a huge value-add for our clients in terms of simplicity. It’s great for them to be able to rely on us where they need us, instead of juggling multiple brokers and getting mixed service levels.

However, this only scratches the surface of what we can do for you. And this is where I get excited about having our operation behind me in my commercial role.

If you need customs, we can provide it all across Europe. This isn’t just declarations and a physical presence; this is a full portfolio of customs services and trade solutions:

• Duty and VAT management
• Classification
• Trade and customs accreditation support
• AEO accreditation
• CBAM and other sustainability initiatives
• Compliance checking and reporting
• Our digital-first approach.
  • Integrations with your software
  • Enhanced reporting and data mapping
  • Complete visibility over multiple systems in one place

Just to mention a few.

With the help of our operational and consultancy teams across Europe, we can provide you with what very few can: a full suite of customs services throughout the EU, UK, Switzerland, and Norway.

As a commercial person, it’s the dream to have such an operation backing up your conversations with potential clients. We can make a difference to an operation that very few can.

What do you like to do outside of work, and how does that influence your work skills?

I’m a cyclist, and love to get out on the road and in the mountains – not that there are many mountains in this flat country. Not only does it help me clear my mind, but it helps me to stay fit. Work days are long, and we need to move our bodies outside of work to have more energy when we are at our desks.

My favourite place to cycle is the Italian Alps, and I also love to cycle in Switzerland. I got married in Switzerland too; it’s one of my favourite places to be.

What’s the most important thing a client should look for in a customs partner?

Quality, which includes several things:

• We must be digital, so that we are more efficient.
• We must prioritise compliance and be up to date on the latest legislation.
• We must be able to provide for everything customs so that we can give you the best solution for your needs.
• We must be able to work across borders and throughout Europe, so that we be where you need us and pivot with your business.

Real quality comes from understanding the market and your needs, then creating a solution that helps you to reach your goals in the best way.

You work for a Europe-wide network. If you could visit a location of Customs Support, which country would you go to and why?

I’ve been to most of them already, and of course I would love to go back to La Spezia in Italy like most of my colleagues. Of the countries I haven’t visited yet, I want to go and see the team in Ireland.