kubik Storyteller Series: Monique Martan

Get to know our team and their stories with the ongoing kubik Storyteller Series. We’re sitting down with team members to get to know them a little better and give them a chance to tell their own stories. Stay tuned for more employee spotlights on other members of our team, too! This week, we interviewed Monique Martan for the next chapter in our Storyteller Series. Keep reading to learn more about her and her role at kubik.

Storyteller Series

Monique Martan | Account Manager

Monique is an account manager based out of Amsterdam, and she has been an integral member of the kubik team for the past four years. Monique has had her hand in account management and project management, beginning initially with smaller projects before moving up to work on some of our larger client accounts like Philips, HP, and Ergotron. She is a valuable member of our team here at kubik and her work is always top quality! Monique always ensures that our global clients receive the same standard of care in Europe as they do in North America. Here’s what Monique had to say about her experience prior to her role at kubik and how she has grown since joining the team:

What educational and professional experience did you have prior to joining kubik?

Monique: I attended university in Brazil for marketing and advertising, after which I began my career working for agencies in Brazil where I had the opportunity to work with large global clients like Unilever, Nestle and Procter & Gamble as well as some smaller regional clients. After six years, I found that I enjoyed the production side of that role the most, so I moved into the events industry where I focused on events in the sports and entertainment sectors. I eventually moved to Spain through a partnership opportunity and worked in Barcelona for a couple of years taking on exciting projects like FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, and Shakira world tour, before moving to the Netherlands where I began my position with kubik.

How has your career grown since starting at kubik?

Monique: I initially joined kubik as a project manager before moving up to the role of account manager, and in my time here I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot. Prior to joining kubik I had already gained a lot of knowledge with regards to the client-facing side of the business, but in my position with kubik I’ve had the chance to learn a lot more about the production side of the operation. Things like learning how to make estimates, sending offers, becoming familiar with production terms, and tasks of that nature have all been very interesting to learn and my time here has definitely widened my skillset in that regard.

What does an average day look like for you? 

Monique: Busy! I handle a lot in my role each day, including managing client requests, preparing offers, and keeping production schedules and overall projects on track. It’s my responsibility to manage deadlines and ensure that the work we produce is always of the highest quality, and I collaborate with all of the departments within kubik to make sure that all of our work is top notch and on track.

What is your favourite thing about working at kubik?

Monique: The team here in Amsterdam is relatively small, which I’ve found that I really enjoy. We all know each other well and the team is always working together, and no matter what position a person holds it feels as if there is no hierarchy and everybody is an equal. The team at kubik is very friendly and I’m given space to grow and work through challenges on my own, which is something I really value from my experience here.

Which project has had the greatest impact on you?

Monique: My very first project for the Philips account, and although it was challenging, it was very impactful for me. We had some areas of the project that didn’t quite go as planned, so it was a great opportunity for me to piece things together along the way and learn to deal with unexpected obstacles without allowing them to derail the project. It also gave me great insight into the Philips brand, as they have quite a lot of very specific requirements which were sometimes challenging to grasp in that first project but made it a great learning experience overall.

What inspires you to be creative in what you do?

Monique: I really enjoy listening to music and exercising creativity with my hands through drawing and painting. It’s something that I never really took the time to do before covid, but since starting I’ve found that it’s a very helpful tool to help me relax and spend some quality time with myself; it’s almost like therapy in a way. Being creative in that way helps the brain to relax, which allows me in turn to be more creative at work.

Something we do here at the Amsterdam office as well is weekly team drinks on Thursdays! All of us here will get together in the office after work and share a drink or two, which gives us a chance to spend some time together outside of working hours and let off some steam after a hard day’s work. It’s a great way to build our relationships and regain some energy which we can bring to our work the following day.