Mieke Gysens: “The fact that a connection has already been established and companies within our sector know Medipartner’s good reputation makes appointments come faster.”

Recently, the organisational chart within Medipartner changed and we had changes within the recruitment team. Because of the team’s independence and the ambition to further expand Medipartner’s activities, Mieke Gysens made the switch from Recruitment Manager to Business Development Manager. We let her have her say.

Mieke, with 5 years of experience within Medipartner, you have already covered quite a lot of ground. But we know you have done a lot more on a professional level. Take us through.

“I graduated as a physiotherapist and rolled into the position of Medical Representative after my studies. Back then, we were already being ‘hunted’ from school by pharmaceutical companies. I did this job enthusiastically for 10 years until the company I was working for at the time stopped its sales activities and I had to look for a new job along with other colleagues.
I attended career counselling and discovered that I get my energy from contact with people. I found a temporary job that allowed me to take my first steps within recruitment. The temporary job became a permanent job and I was immersed in the world of assessing candidates, looking for the right match and binding clients. I also met my current Medipartner colleague Cédric Mont there.”

So how did you end up at Medipartner?

“I was working at a recruitment agency outside the pharmaceutical industry when I received a call from Cédric asking if I was interested in joining Medipartner. It was the passion and commitment I felt, among the then limited in-house team, that convinced me to make the move. I had a good conversation with Sophie Mestré – still our CEO – and decided to join the start-up story. I had a combination role where I did both recruiting and a small part of business development.”

What do you remember from that period?

“I was put my feet on the ground. It was a challenge to give structure to a new department within a young company. I had to rebuild a network within the pharmaceutical industry. Working from home was a new thing and caused quite an adjustment in my work rhythm and schedule. Teams and Google Meet were not commonly used then. Interviews with candidates often took place ‘in the field’. I would visit them between their appointments at doctors and pharmacies. You still had a real contact with your candidates and you could sense them much easier.

I was then temporarily working with a freelance colleague to get the mountain of work within recruitment moved. LinkedIn was booming as a recruitment tool and our website was not ready to provide solid support at that time. It was really struggling at that time.”

You got reinforcements from 2020.

“True. In February that year, Bianca joined and two years later Margaux. We achieved great results with this team. In five years, the clientele calling on our services increased fivefold. We can be proud of that. Meanwhile, with Magali, the team counts a third recruiter.”

You are now taking a new step within Medipartner.

“To continue supporting the growth ambition, there is a need to bind more customers. We operate in a fast-paced and highly competitive market. Which is why there is a need for a full-time Business Development Manager. I have a large database that helps to expand my network.

The fact that a connection has already been established and companies within our sector know Medipartner’s good reputation makes appointments come faster. I focus on physical appointments so that clients really get to know us and I get a chance to sense company cultures.

In any case, it is nice to be an ambassador for a company I believe in and whose business, through my experience, I am close to.”

Want to discover for yourself what Medipartner can do for you?
Contact Mieke at mieke.gysens@medipartner.be or on +32 497 59 44 26.