Contact Nicolaas Smit

Background

Until 2017, Nicolaas Smit led the Industry Marketing and Business Development organisation for the energy market at Cisco Systems. He led the organisation to high value customer relations including top tier partner eco-system positions with co-innovation programs. Transforming the Cisco sales organisation to a customer centric out-side in culture with customer business relevant communications, processes and solutions.

Smit had been with Cisco since 1999 and held multiple leadership positions within the Global Enterprise Theatre, the Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Customer Service and Global IT. As the Director of Oil and Gas Strategy with the Global Enterprise theatre he shaped Cisco's go-to-market for the Global Customers. In his role in IBSG Director of Technology and Customer Experience, he successfully consulted with many customers to become more effective through changed business processes and intelligent technology deployment. In Customer Services and in IT he led solution development, organisation development and global change management programs.

Prior to joining Cisco, Nicolaas worked for Ericsson's European IT organisation focused on strategic planning, IT services, cost management, and total quality management.

Throughout his career, Nicolaas has focused on leading organisations through transformational change, with focus on the customer and relevance to the business. From setting the joint vision to strategy implementation and operations optimisation.

Nicolaas is a graduate from the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with a Master's Degree in Dutch Notary Law. His professional education includes Stanford/Harvard 'Leading Change and Organisational Renewal', Wagner Group 'Governance for Supervisors and Non-Executive Directors' and certification in IT project management from the British computer society. He speaks Dutch, German and English.

Current activities

Nicolaas Smit is consultant and boardroom partner with a passion to realise new business results through sale leadership, digital acceleration and organisation professionalisation. Nicolaas is founder of Rebellution based in the Netherlands.

Nicolaas Smit is Visiting Fellow at Cranfield School of Management and is involved with the Strategic Sales Leadership Programme. He is also visiting faculty with Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, for the Strategic Account Management and Customer Centric Strategy programmes and St Gallen University, Center for Global Account Management (CGAM). Nicolaas is senior consultant at Value Creator Account Management Center and is Master level certified in Triple Fit account planning methodology.

Nicolaas is a member of the Supervisory Committee of the Water Company of the Groningen Province (N.V. Waterbedrijf Groningen) with business strategy, operations, digitalisation and ICT in his portfolio.

Publications

Articles In Journals