Suzanne Bauwens - Participant 2021-2022
“Working for a startup involves lots of challenges and new things that need to be set up.”
Role
Tribù, the Belgian outdoor furniture company, wanted to expand to Dallas (Texas). Suzanne took on the role of Liaison Officer between the American team and the Belgian headquarters.
Responsibilities
Suzanne was tasked with setting up all aspects of Tribù’s US subsidiary, Tribù America, LLC. To fulfil this goal and rapidly develop a fully operational entity in Texas, Suzanne primarily focused on the financial, legal and HR aspects. She successfully created a 5-year business plan for the subsidiary, handled the finances of the American entity and oversaw the recruitment and onboarding of new employees.
How she benefited
Thanks to the Prince Albert Fund, Suzanne was able to switch from a very corporate environment where all the processes were in place to a startup where everything had to be built from scratch. She had the opportunity to really make an impact and make decisions. “In this context, you learn so much more by being operational and seeing real-life progress”, she affirms. On a more general level, she also learned to be resilient, confident, honest in communication and accountable.
The company – Tribù
Tribù (founded in 1966) is a family-owned high-end Belgian outdoor furniture brand. It creates outdoor furniture that enhances the lives of its customers. Over the years, the company has developed an ambition vision, with its contemporary and durable furniture which is sold across Western Europe and in the USA. Today Tribù’s products and accessories are available in more than 70 countries.
“Suzanne mainly served as our liaison between both entities and helped both teams to understand and overcome cultural differences. She was also instrumental in setting up the framework that the organization is currently operating in today.”