Entrepreneurship and customer centricity
“Working for a scale-up is both a rollercoaster ride and a deeply rewarding experience”, says Jorrit Hemstra. He joined Aurai as Lead Sales in 2023, setting up the sales department while the company was quickly expanding. “It’s been thrilling as well as humbling. We explored new opportunities, started exciting experiments, discovered winning formulas, and gained a lot of learning experiences. Our sales team is now fully up and running, working with some of the Netherlands’ leading organizations.”
“In previous jobs, I was often stuck in meetings, and mostly focused on internal processes”, Jorrit reflects. “I was eager to work in a position where I could leverage my entrepreneurial drive and be more externally oriented. At Aurai, I have the opportunity to closely collaborate with clients while simultaneously building a team of like-minded sales professionals.”
Young professionals and experienced colleagues
Looking back at his first year at Aurai, what stands out most? “It’s amazing to see that Aurai’s advanced traineeships have come to be recognized as some of the top data programs in the Netherlands, kickstarting young professionals’ careers as data engineers and machine learning engineers. At the same time, a core group of experienced data professionals are leveraging their careers at Aurai, further developing their expertise as the company expands.”

New adventures
Looking towards the near future, Jorrit is excited to embark on new adventures. “Continuous education and professional development are at the core of our company’s growth. Aurai’s projects are becoming more varied and challenging, likely resulting in more complex customer journeys. Therefore, as a sales team, we will continue to invest in learning and development.” For instance, the sales team regularly hosts inspirational sessions on topics such as data science, data platforms, large language models, and other relevant trends.
Client support is another area of focus for Jorrit and his team members. “We have identified interesting patterns within specific industries, such as finance and the public sector. Building upon insights in these patterns, we are able to create top-notch and industry-specific solutions that allow clients to reduce costs, increase profits, and enhance social impact. For the sales department, this means that we are collaborating more closely than ever with our colleagues to develop new initiatives on topics such as data platforms, large language models, and data & organization. The multidisciplinary collaboration is a fun and rewarding experience for all of our teams, including the sales department.”
Aurai’s sales department is continuing to grow. Jorrit and his team are on the lookout for ambitious new colleagues. Are you interested in learning more about the sales department and its career opportunities? Please feel free to contact Jorrit via jorrit@aurai.com!