Meet the Maker – Caspar Jans
The Meet the Maker Interview series is a fun and relaxed behind-the-scenes insight into people and what they do. Showcasing their talents as well as seeing what makes them tick. From ‘What’s your party trick?” to “You’ve got a week off, where are you going?” we want to know where they are and how they got there. Check out our interviews with architects, process people, agile folks, and more.
Caspar is a good friend of our show. We had him as a guest on Episode 16, “Management of Change” and he also wrote a guest post about this topic here. He is also publishing a regular newsletter on BPM topics on LinkedIn (go, subscribe) and I know he has more exciting projects in the works, which we will soon hear about from him 🙂
Hey there, my name is Caspar Jans, born and raised (and currently living) in the Netherlands. I’ve been active in the field of process management virtually my entire professional career (ever since I graduated from the Eindhoven University of Technology on the topic of the applicability of process simulation for the consultancy industry).
I’ve had the pleasure and opportunity to explore this topic from a wide range of different positions; for example managing SAP implementation audits, optimizing procurement and logistics operations, running a global supply chain department, but also leading a center of excellence for Business Process Management, including the very hot topic of process mining (and I did this already back in 2015-2017). Currently, I am working for Software AG (the company that brings you ARIS and Alfabet (among other great solutions) as a Senior Director on Business Transformation for the EMEA region.
On a more personal note, I’m loving the company of my family and my 3 youngsters (between 8 and 14 yrs old) keep me really busy outside of working hours. If and when I have to time to spare I love to read a good book, watch a good movie or play some video games. One of my greatest passions is the game of basketball, which I played for a long time and my son has taken over from me (he’s actually better at it than I was).
One great perk of the WFH situation has been to take walks in my own neighborhood and listen to some interesting podcasts in the process.
10 questions
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always considered myself to become an astronomer, looking into the mysteries of the universe.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for a living? (in case you have your own firm: what was the moment that prompted you to start your own brand?)
In my daily work I consult, advise and coach our customers and prospects on the wonderful world that is called Business Process Management (a.k.a. BPM), which basically means I listen more than I talk. I do this on behalf of Software AG and the majority of my time is spend on enabling our local presales colleagues and partners and discussing BPM implementations and process mining with customers.
3. In 3 words, describe your occupation or what do you enjoy most about your job?
- Interaction with other people
- Sharing (ideas, experiences, best practices)
- Traveling (although this has been rather non-existent for the last 2 years)
4. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
If it doesn’t make you happy, walk away from it. Doesn’t matter what it applies to, but life is too short to stick around in a situation that does not make you happy.
5. What are your main sources of inspiration? Are there any outlets you reference regularly?
I try to keep up with the developments in the academic world around BPM, people like Wil van der Aalst, Hajo Reijers, Jan Mendling, Marlon Dumas and more. Next to that I am quite active on social media (especially Twitter and LinkedIn) and get a lot of inspiration from there.
More recently I have engaged in listening to podcasts 😉 and they provide some beautiful nuggets as well.
6. Where do you see yourself (and your brand if applicable) in 10 years time?
In 10 years from now I would like to have left my mark on the way Software AG further developed their ARIS and Alfabet platforms, in any role possible or relevant.
7. What’s the most treasured belonging/item in your own home?
My family (wife and three kids), no doubt about that.
8. What was the last rule you broke?
A speed limit on my way to the latest covid test. In my defense it was only 5 km/hr over the speed limit.
9. What’s one thing other people may not know about you (for example, any hidden talents)?
I’ve been doing public speaking since the age of 13 (in front of 150 people between 8 and 80) and got addicted to it right then and there.
10. You’ve got a week off, where are you going?
A city trip or a wellness hotel, or better yet a wellness hotel in a beautiful city.
Favorite tunes
I grew up with a lot of classical music influences from my family. At the same time, I picked up a lot of hip-hop influences from my American basketball coach. Later on I’ve added some hard rock (mostly Metallica) and there you go…
Where to find the maker
- Website: Caspar Jans
- Job Title: Senior Director Transformation Solutions EMEA at Software AG (softwareag.com)
- Location: Netherlands
- LinkedIn and other profiles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casparjans/ and https://twitter.com/betterprocesses
Roland Woldt is a well-rounded executive with 25+ years of Business Transformation consulting and software development/system implementation experience, in addition to leadership positions within the German Armed Forces (11 years).
He has worked as Team Lead, Engagement/Program Manager, and Enterprise/Solution Architect for many projects. Within these projects, he was responsible for the full project life cycle, from shaping a solution and selling it, to setting up a methodological approach through design, implementation, and testing, up to the rollout of solutions.
In addition to this, Roland has managed consulting offerings during their lifecycle from the definition, delivery to update, and had revenue responsibility for them.
Roland is the VP of Global Consulting at iGrafx, and has worked as the Head of Software AG’s Global Process Mining CoE, as Director in KPMG’s Advisory, and had other leadership positions at Software AG/IDS Scheer and Accenture. Before that, he served as an active-duty and reserve officer in the German Armed Forces.