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1 Aug 2022
Employer

Storm5 Q&A With Tom Wisman

Tom Wisman, Director of Storm5 Europe Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself And Your Background?  Hi, I’m Tom and I’m the Director of Storm5…

Tom Wisman

Tom Wisman, Director of Storm5 Europe


Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself And Your Background? 

Hi, I’m Tom and I’m the Director of Storm5 Europe.

I am born and raised in Amsterdam. I completed all my schooling in Amsterdam, and sports were always a big part of my life. I’ve always had a very competitive mindset and it all started with my hockey career and continued even when I stopped playing hockey.

Outside of work, I am crazy about travelling! My dad is half Indonesian and half Dutch, so I have always been interested in culture and food from a young age. One of my biggest passions in life is food. When I go on holiday, food is always centralized during my trips as I enjoy trying authentic dishes. Plus, I enjoy cooking as it relaxes me so I tend to share this love with my friends as well.

Before Storm5 I had my own company at the age of 21; this was no surprise as I’ve always been very entrepreneurial. With the switch to Storm5, one of my best friends who is a successful entrepreneur gave me the best piece of advice:

“If you can be a part of something disruptive in your industry, explore the opportunity and take the chance. Go with it and just do it”

So, that is exactly what I did.

What Are You The Most Proud of Professionally? 

I’ve made big steps in the last five years, and I’m grateful to be one of the younger people in leadership. The proudest I’ve been is actually where I’m currently at now: setting up a new brand and having the opportunity to expand across Europe. I’m getting support while also feeling valued for the experience I’ve gained over time. Therefore, being able to share what I’m doing right now with my friends and professional network is my biggest career accomplishment so far.

Are There Any Areas Of RetailTech That Excite You The Most? 

I’m very interested in subscription models, specifically loyalty and rewards technology. There are a lot of companies in this space right now as it’s a huge sector that appears to be very profitable.

I learn about new companies almost every day since it’s a huge market. Retail Technology consists of so many different things and I’m very excited about the upcoming technological possibilities that will transform more traditional retailers and change the experience for shoppers in a very new way. I’m intrigued by a lot of the traditional retailers who are undergoing a digital transition to keep up with competitors. The possibilities are limitless.

Are There Any Retail Technologies Or Apps You Use Yourself Or Any You Can Recommend?

I frequently use apps for food delivery, such as Gorillas and I also regularly shop on online marketplaces like Amazon.

Are Companies Actively Hiring? 

Yes, definitely! Storm5 works with well-funded startups and scale-ups that are always hiring. Investments in the industry are still being made, but investors are becoming more selective about which companies they invest in.

What Do You See As The Growth Areas Or Trends For 2022? 

A significant area of growth is the supply chain. A growing trend in the delivery and automotive industries is the use of geo-tracking and GPS.

Traditional retail spaces are changing how people perceive shopping. Technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality have made it possible to better visualise products, and I see this trend continuing.

What’s Your Advice For RetailTechs On Attracting And Retaining Top Talent? 

Work with us!

Understand what your people need, especially in this economic climate. You can attract and retain employees if you understand what they want and are moved by.

The biggest fear among companies that are investing heavily in hiring people, developing new products and services, and implementing new technologies is that they will hire people, use them, and then lose them to competitors.

Make sure that you invest in proper qualifications and that you understand the person you are hiring. Spend the extra time in the hiring process to ensure you’re hiring the right person, and don’t settle for less, someone cheaper, or less qualified to fit the budget. Invest in someone who is worth it, and they will make up for it.

Finally, What Makes Storm5 Different From Other RetailTech Recruiters? 

As a company, we understand how startup and scale-up companies grow, which means we can relate to and advise them on what we’ve been through, as well as make them aware of problems we’ve encountered and assist them in avoiding them.

We also provide a very high-quality service that is focused on a very tailored, personalised approach. Rather than simply finding candidates and putting them through the interview process, we aim to truly assist and advise our clients in their recruitment process. It’s more consulting than just selling.

Finally, we are a tech company ourselves. We use a lot of tools and data, and we have a lot of similarities, which allows us to relate to our clients in a variety of ways.

Company Bio: 

Storm5 are the leaders in global RetailTech and eCommerce recruitment, connecting organizations with the talent to drive their mission. Launched in 2021 by executives from a hugely successful global recruitment company, the founding team achieved $3 million in Series A funding from Puffin Point Investments to disrupt and solve one of any technology CEO’s biggest challenges – attracting and retaining talent. Their highly specialized teams cover key RetailTech skillsets in Engineering, Data & Analytics, Sales & Marketing, and Product Management. They are the leading provider of RetailTech-focused information to clients for market compensation and best practice in diversity, hiring and retention. If you have hiring needs, or are looking for your next RetailTech role, contact our team today. 

We’ve helped some of the most successful RetailTech startups grow.

— now it’s your turn.

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