About GDO
Bert Fransens
Manager / founder
Background (1963)
Bert graduated with honors from the Royal Military Academy in Breda (Faculty of Sociology and Psychology) and held several leadership positions as an infantry officer before transitioning to the private sector in 1991.
There, he further developed his skills in various management roles in both SMEs and listed companies. In 1997, he became a shareholder in FlexiForce, an international technical wholesaler of overhead door components based in Barneveld, through a Management Buy-In. Under his leadership, FlexiForce expanded over the next 15 years, through both organic growth and acquisitions, into a successful international group of companies that became the global market leader in its specific niche market, with offices in several countries. In 2011, the company was sold to Assa Abloy, a listed Swedish company specializing in locks and access control technology. Bert remained involved with FlexiForce for another four years as Group Director and also served on the board of the Assa Abloy division that includes FlexiForce. The company continued to expand through, among other things, a major acquisition in Canada/North America. In 2015, he finally left FlexiForce/Assa Abloy on his own initiative. After a period of rest and reflection, he founded GDO in 2017, with activities in the field of informal investment, real estate, and management consultancy.
Keywords
No-nonsense. Down to earth. Direct. Doesn't beat around the bush. Sometimes confrontational.
Marian Pronk
Executive coach & team coach
Background (1968)
Marian studied Economics at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and after a corporate career (Shell and KPN), from 2004 onwards she worked as an entrepreneur in interim management roles at 15+ companies in various sectors.
Since 2020, she has been a certified coach for executives, teams, and as a couples therapist
Coach
Change is often good, sometimes necessary, always inspiring, and usually a lot of fun. Sometimes your organization or environment changes, whether asked for or not, at a pace or in a direction that makes you look for a better life. Both personally and professionally.
In both cases, you can use help in identifying your motivations and needs.
Marian helps you create overview and focus. What feels like a tangle of emotions & facts, of theory & daily
practice, behavior & processes, triggers & reactions, of inner world & outer world, of anecdotes & structures, and of ambitions & pitfalls, Marian helps you take control of your own life. You know where you want to go, how to get started, and why you're doing it.
As a coach, Marian guides professionals, groups, and couples in their search for the essence of their unique and often complex issues. What exactly do you want to solve?
This is how you gain new insights. And you put them into practice. You take control of your life; with more joy, effectiveness, and satisfaction than before.
Keywords
Empathetic. Analytical. Sharp questioner. Confrontational when necessary. Humor when possible.