Let's meet Nabile!
Nabile is not even in his thirties, but his ambition and devotion during the two and a half years with The Hague International Centre advanced his career from the front office up to an account manager. He is an avid football player and keeps eyes on target both in game and at work.
Building relations
Nabile starts by introducing the premise of his day-to-day work as an account manager, “Many companies already use our services, but are unaware of the complete spectrum of assistance we provide and thus do not take the full advantage of benefits we offer. What I do is improve our positioning in the international environment in The Hague region. Together with another colleague, we seek collaborations and partnerships, build relationships with clients and partners, companies and organizations that may use The Centre’s aid.” Nabile adds that a lot of his time is required not only for external affairs, but inside the municipality as well, “Many departments work in the international ecosystem, so we need to be aligned and efficient in our pursuits.” Betterment of The Hague is on Nabile’s agenda for a while now, as his previous employment was with InnovationQuarter. InnovationQuarter works on strengthening the region's international business community competitiveness by attracting and assisting international companies in expanding or setting-up their business in the Province of Zuid-Holland also known as the greater Rotterdam - The Hague area.
The Hague’s challenges
Nabile is aware of the most aching challenges internationals experience when moving here: finding good housing and schooling. “We know a lot of people are having this issue, as housing is rather expensive, and difficult to find. Same goes for schooling – people enlist their children in various international schools, but have to wait to get access to them. We are in a very reasonable position to assist internationals though. Through our partner network we are able to connect internationals with a selection of partners offering desirable prices and locations. Us being in contact with most of the international schools helps too."
Life in The Hague
For an easier integration in the local communities Nabile shares his own experience, “For me personally it’s all about sports, and specifically football. When you’re playing in the field, you are one team, one community. With this spirit surrounding you, relationships develop much easier”. Nabile has lots of experience with football clubs in the Netherlands, and even lived, studied and played football in Istanbul, Turkey for two years. He is currently looking to join a new club, and assured that plenty of them have international members. Finally, for those of us, who only run when late, he also has an advice “I live outside The Hague, but I love coming here, because Het Plein is excellent to meet new people, with all the pubs and bars there. During the summer Scheveningen is even better”.