Founder Thijs set to work in new role

Thijs, you are now officially working as Chief Globalization Officer, what exactly does this entail?

Good question! Currently Evondos Group is well represented in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. At the same time, we are exploring options to expand into other countries and grow as an organization. Within Evondos Group we have a department focused on internationalization, which deals with the operational implementation of various expansion projects. There is also a globalization branch dedicated to the strategy behind it all. As CGO, I'm implementing more of a strategic approach, looking at how to enter the market in North America and establish our services. The field is still wide open, and it is now my responsibility to explore it.

Medido has now been actively helping clients maintain their independence for 15 years.How have you experienced those 15 years and how do you look back on this now?

That is very special of course. Where our growth went step by step for the first 10 years, it really accelerated after 2019. By taking on more and more tasks ourselves, we were able to make significant strides. This also shows how important it is to have control over the entire chain. I am especially proud when I look at what we have achieved with now more than 130 employees, delivering a fantastic service and helping people with their self-reliance.

If you had to name one thing you're most proud of, what would it be?

In those 15 years, there are some things that have been very important of course. The first medication dispenser, for example. If you only knew how much work went into that, that was bizarre. One of the best things was the introduction of the Medido Medicine Clock. That process went so smoothly and smoothly, of course that was also crazy to experience. But if I had to name one thing, I am most proud of what we have achieved so far with the company together, with customers, chain partners and suppliers.

Does it feel strange to take on a new role in the company after so many years?

No, it takes some getting used to of course, but it's not strange. What I am really starting to like is that I have become a bit more remote. Now I also see how certain things go and sometimes I think; 'it could go a little faster or slower' or 'I would do that differently'. Fortunately, I am no longer the one who has to make the decisions.

Also, I realize that I don't have the ambition to run a big company, and Medido has become quite a big company now anyway. As we got more staff, eventually you had to manage at a more serious level. I really enjoyed doing it, but my strengths lie elsewhere. In my opinion, it is much better now to have people who excel at managing. At the same time, I hope we don't lose our entrepreneurship. Of course, it is also very important that we move forward and sometimes dare to take some risks. I think that has been an essential part of Medido's success.

Can you name an example of a risk that ended up being a good move for Medido?

There are a lot of them haha! For example, with the development of the Medido Medicine Clock, we had no budget and yet we pushed it through. I never did a business case calculation. I felt it had to be done because it was very important for the success of the company. It ended up costing twice as much as estimated beforehand, but now you can see that it was the right move. I do think that if we had not taken this leap, our growth would not have been as great as it is today.

Doyou still feel involved in the company, though?

Yes, just not so much on the operational side anymore. More on the strategic side at Evondos Group, which Medido has been part of since 2023. I have to admit that I really did have a kind of empty nest feeling over the past few months. The child is fairly mature, leaving home, making his own decisions now - that's the best way to describe it. I had that especially in December when my operational duties were officially taken over by Immy Dekkers and Tom Hofland. Funny it is, but I have every confidence that it will all work out.

What are your goals for 2024?

It's all still fairly new, so I'm currently working on getting that in order. What I can say is that I hope by the end of the year we will have a clear picture of how and if we can enter the U.S. market. In any case, it's not easy. There are so many links in the story that affect the achievement of your goals such as healthcare, insurance companies, politics, pharmacists and so on. There are definitely some issues to overcome, but it's a fun challenge.

What will Evondos Group have accomplished in five years if you could take a look into the future?

Our goal, through automated medication dispensers, is to be able to allow people worldwide to experience more independence and for longer. It's so great when people tell you, for example, that they dare to go outside again because they are no longer dizzy because they took their medication correctly using our automated medication dispenser. That's awesome, at the end of the day that's what we do it for! How great would it be if we could help people worldwide with this? Helping people with their self-reliance by giving them back their independence while relieving caregivers and home care agencies.