A conversation with Fritjof, Head of IT, Body&Fit
Opportunities and potential for growth are important to me whenever I join a company — and Body&Fit is full of them, especially for anyone who wants to work in e-commerce.
I joined Body&Fit as a contractor in December 2016. Back then, I was the company’s first technology resource and a big part of my role at the time was working on our old e-commerce platform on Magento. But it wasn’t long before I was building the architecture for a brand new e-commerce platform capable of supporting Body&Fit’s expansion plans to grow into new markets and onboard new brands.
I’ve worked for other retailers in the Netherlands, both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce, and it’s not often that you get an opportunity to build an e-commerce platform from scratch. I was involved in that journey from the start, which was amazing.
That’s not all that’s changed since I first joined the company. Today I head up the technology operations team within Body&Fit — there wasn’t such a team a year and a half ago — and it’s my responsibility to make sure that any technical issues get resolved ASAP as well as finding opportunities to implement better systems, easier internal ways of working and to optimise the consumer experience on our sites.
Everyone on my team manages a different part of the e-commerce platform, from the core website to the databases to back-office processes, and they also provide support to other teams when they need help operating the site. For instance, if a merchandiser wants to know how to change a price or set up a promotion, someone on my team will help them do that. At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the technology we have in place helps the business run smoothly and meet its targets.
The company is growing so everyone is working hard at the moment, and now I need to spend most of my office days in Amsterdam, but I also make sure to keep my work-life balance in check. It’s really important for me to be able to spend time with my wife and kids and it’s great that Body&Fit offers the flexibility I need to make sure that happens.
Another thing that I love about Body&Fit is that we have a lot of different cultures working here. It’s great to work with people from France, Italy, the UK — wherever! Plus, everyone bonds over a shared interest in sport or fitness. I love being outside and spending time in nature, running and cycling, but there’s someone on my team who’s really into fitness and tai chi — very different to what I like! It’s nice to explore other sports and hear about other people’s passions. That’s something I personally really like about working at Body&Fit.
I joined Body&Fit as a contractor in December 2016. Back then, I was the company’s first technology resource and a big part of my role at the time was working on our old e-commerce platform on Magento. But it wasn’t long before I was building the architecture for a brand new e-commerce platform capable of supporting Body&Fit’s expansion plans to grow into new markets and onboard new brands.
I’ve worked for other retailers in the Netherlands, both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce, and it’s not often that you get an opportunity to build an e-commerce platform from scratch. I was involved in that journey from the start, which was amazing.
That’s not all that’s changed since I first joined the company. Today I head up the technology operations team within Body&Fit — there wasn’t such a team a year and a half ago — and it’s my responsibility to make sure that any technical issues get resolved ASAP as well as finding opportunities to implement better systems, easier internal ways of working and to optimise the consumer experience on our sites.
Everyone on my team manages a different part of the e-commerce platform, from the core website to the databases to back-office processes, and they also provide support to other teams when they need help operating the site. For instance, if a merchandiser wants to know how to change a price or set up a promotion, someone on my team will help them do that. At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the technology we have in place helps the business run smoothly and meet its targets.
The company is growing so everyone is working hard at the moment, and now I need to spend most of my office days in Amsterdam, but I also make sure to keep my work-life balance in check. It’s really important for me to be able to spend time with my wife and kids and it’s great that Body&Fit offers the flexibility I need to make sure that happens.
Another thing that I love about Body&Fit is that we have a lot of different cultures working here. It’s great to work with people from France, Italy, the UK — wherever! Plus, everyone bonds over a shared interest in sport or fitness. I love being outside and spending time in nature, running and cycling, but there’s someone on my team who’s really into fitness and tai chi — very different to what I like! It’s nice to explore other sports and hear about other people’s passions. That’s something I personally really like about working at Body&Fit.