Anja Van Mensel: “In hindsight, you always know everything in advance. Looking back too much is pointless.”
Anja Van Mensel, CEO of Studio 100, took Jo De Wolf beyond the meeting table to Noorderwijk, where she was born and raised. During their walk with her dog, Tiger, they spoke about trust and creativity, about knowing and not knowing, about belonging and not belonging. “I want to stay naïve,” she says when discussing the fraud committed by the company’s former financial director. “Even if it means I’ll hit a wall again. I want to keep trusting people. Starting with a blank slate and creating something that ends up being seen by a large audience remains the most enjoyable thing there is.”
Rejection
At the end of the walk, Anja Van Mensel reveals that her biological mother, whom she now knows, gave her up for adoption shortly after her birth. “When you learn that at a certain age, it makes you realize that, whatever the reasons, you were in some way rejected by the person who brought you into the world. And that’s quite intense. During my childhood, I didn’t belong either. I wasn’t really bullied, but I just wasn’t included. I often think back to the little girl I was, watching from the windowsill as the group I so wanted to be part of was having fun without me. I wonder how different my life could have been if I could have told myself back then that everything would turn out okay. I usually reflect on this during walks with my dog through the fields and forests of Noorderwijk. That’s where I feel grounded and connected to nature. Nature is what’s real, the foundation, the essence. I firmly believe that everyone needs a nest where they feel at home. You can only spread your wings from a good nest.”
Creativity and teamwork: the most beautiful things
Anja finds these walks in Noorderwijk’s nature essential, given her demanding role as CEO and Director of Content Creation at Studio 100. “I’ve been working at Studio 100 for 17 years, starting as a producer. As with every job I’ve had, I gradually took on more responsibilities, eventually becoming CEO. However, I only accepted the role on the condition that I could remain the Director of Content. Starting with a blank slate and creating something for a broad audience with others remains the most rewarding thing. It’s especially fulfilling when you have the final responsibility and aren’t just another link in the chain. Organizational management, HR, and budgeting are also fascinating. These aspects require just as much creativity as content creation. To me, creativity is always about finding a side path to overcome obstacles so that you can keep moving forward. That same creativity is essential in both business operations and content creation. I can’t help but say that I genuinely enjoy so many different things.”
Trust
Anja Van Mensel’s work revolves heavily around trust. “I’m not a control freak, but I do expect everyone to honor their commitments. Agreements are agreements. I don’t care if people work at night or during the day, as long as the results are there. That said, I understand that sometimes circumstances make it impossible to meet an agreement. In those cases, I just want to know in advance and not hear excuses afterward. With some people, I write down agreements. With many others, I no longer do because we’ve built a relationship of trust. I also tell my employees that my goal is to no longer need to write things down. I’m not a perfectionist either. If the foundation is solid, I quickly get excited about what my team delivers.”
Anja had a very strong bond of trust with Studio 100’s former financial director, who defrauded the company of millions. “Of course, something like that hits hard,” she explains. “We got along very well. Just before his actions were discovered, we were in London together, and I reimbursed him for a gin and tonic he had bought me at the hotel bar. Naturally, I’ve wondered why I didn’t notice anything. The answer is that I’m probably a bit too naïve. At the same time, I’ve decided to stay that way. If it means I hit another wall, so be it. It doesn’t outweigh the ‘high’ you get from working on something beautiful with others. That’s why I enjoy working with trust. You can keep questioning everything, but I don’t want to dwell on it for too long. It costs too much energy. That’s also why I’m not a resentful person. Cracks are important because they let the light in, as Leonard Cohen sings in one of his famous songs.”
Corona didn’t damage the team spirit
Anja’s enthusiasm for so many things doesn’t mean she never has doubts. “Everyone does, I think. When I don’t know what to do, I feel a knot in my stomach. But once I’ve made a decision, that knot quickly disappears. I’ve learned how important it is to let things go. Saying goodbye to employees, as we unfortunately had to do because of COVID, remains particularly difficult. Due to my childhood experiences with rejection, I think the impact of being let go is often underestimated. When I have to deliver such news, I try to do so as positively as possible. I imagine how I would not want to receive such news myself. During the pandemic, we saw some employees take time for reflection and decide to pursue completely different paths. Seeing that our company provided the foundation for those choices is gratifying. I also took great satisfaction during a recent team-building event in realizing that the team spirit characteristic of this company had remained intact, even though we had hardly seen each other in person for a year and a half. Achieving big dreams is only possible by pulling together with different talents.”
