Meet the team: Anne-Sophie De Veyt

At Just Eat for Business, our mission is to make working lives better, and we couldn't do that without our team of passionate Pantlers. So, in our new Meet the Team series, you'll get to know some of us a little better - starting with Anne-Sophie!

Anne-Sophie joined Just Eat for Business in November 2019 and is our Senior Vendor Account Manager. She manages a team of three and prides herself in building strong relationships with our vendor partners. We sat down with Anne-Sophie virtually to find out more about her role, her favourite aspects of working at Just Eat for Business, and of course her most memorableJust Eat for Business food moments!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Anne-Sophie. How did you get to where you are today?

I’m from Belgium but have lived in lots of different countries growing up: the US, Brasil, Spain and now the UK, which has been home for the past five years. After university, I started working in my family business, but then I met my husband - who is British - so I moved to London and started working for a tech company.

Unfortunately, I later got made redundant so I started looking for a new job. I knew that I wanted to work for a company I loved or a product I loved - and if you can have both that’s a mega plus! I was looking for companies that had a great culture and a friend of mine told me about Just Eat for Business. I applied, got the job, and immediately had a good feeling about it. I love the product and the purpose of the business, which is to make working people’s lives better.

I am so grateful to live and work in London - it’s opened up a whole new world of opportunities for me to grow as a person and challenge myself. To get to where I am today, it took a lot of hard work, perseverance, patience and a positive mindset. You’ve got to believe in yourself and your abilities!

What does being a Vendor Account Manager involve?

Being a Vendor Account Manager basically involves building trust and solid relationships with our vendor partners. We take care of them from the moment they go live on the platform and have been handed over to us by the Vendor Partnership team.

From the Vendor Account Manager (VAM) team’s perspective, the vendor partners are our customers. So, it’s our team’s responsibility to give them the tools and support they need to be successful on the platform, so that companies can order from them.

We’re the voice of our vendor partners across the business - we want to make sure that they’re heard because we can’t have happy customers without a great-performing vendor base. A successful vendor experience is essential for a successful customer experience.

What’s your favourite part of working at Just Eat for Business?

Just Eat for Business really lives by its mission to make people’s working lives better. I’ve never known of a company that takes care of its employees so well! We’ve been given lots of support while working from home, through helping us with our workstation, having mental health days, support from UnMind and Pantry Packages treats, as well as team activities to boost morale. They’re really trying hard to support us in the best possible way and making our experience the best that it can be.

I also really like the fact that there’s a lot of autonomy within our roles. I am the Vendor Account Manager Lead, but I also have this autonomy to join working groups and employee resource groups that are outside of my day-to-day role.

There are also regular Peakon surveys to understand how employees are feeling within the business and take actions to solve any concerns. Just Eat for Business lives by its mission, basically.

What advice would you give to someone who’d like to get into a similar role?

To be an Account Manager, you have to be a people person. You have to enjoy building relationships with people and make every interaction as personable as possible.

I actually learnt a useful tip from when I was in a sales role previously. After meetings, I write down small things that the customer has brought up, like what they said about their dog or their child’s name, for example. That way, when you see them or email them next, you can just drop in those little things to create a wow effect. They’ll be so impressed you remembered and it helps to create a great rapport!

You also have to remember that being an account manager is a sales role, so you need to be comfortable with targets and be hungry to overachieve.

We’ve been working remotely for over 12 months now. Do you have any work-from-home tips?

One thing that has been helping me while working from home is that I have kept on doing commutes before and after work. So, at 8.15am I leave the house to go on a walk, and the same after I finish work in the evening. It just helps me to switch between work and home. It’s also been helping me to get fresh air, be out in nature, and see something different - not just my living room with the same table I eat and work at!

Another thing that’s made a massive difference is that my husband and I have been treating ourselves to really good food. So, we make sure to shop from local shops, whether it’s the local fishmonger, bakery, butcher, and also order from the small restaurants around us. That way, I’m always looking forward to having dinner in the evening!

Finally, stay positive! We’re all experiencing challenges - I’ve missed my family a lot this year and won’t be seeing them for a while still - and it hasn’t been easy, but I think keeping a positive mindset definitely helps.

Who’s your favourite Just Eat for Business vendor partner to order from?

I would say Green House - I love salads and their meals are super healthy. We’ve had a chance to order from them a few times when we were in the office and they just create such an amazing experience. They have beautiful packaging, the food’s organic, everything is compostable, and they really put a lot of thought into the ingredients behind their salads. They have a salad for focus, they have a salad for relaxation, they have a salad for feeling energised.

In terms of Pantry Packages, I was genuinely blown away by the package we received for Christmas from Kute Cake. Everything about it was so well-thought-out, so professional, the box was beautiful, the quality of the food was great. It’s something I’ll always remember!

If you'd love to join our team, be sure to check out our current openings here!