In the ever-evolving world of marketing, Robbie Cop considers himself lucky to have carved out a very unique career path, working in an international environment for both large corporations such as Microsoft and Telenet as well as in the fast-pacing world of tech start-ups and scale-ups.
This diverse experiences across multiple roles have empowered him with a unique blend of skills and insights. With a background and passion for technology and innovation, Robbie aims to elevate the Yields brand and expand its reach among the right target audience. How has Robbie’s journey so far shaped his role at Yields, and what exciting developments lie ahead for the company?
Educational Background and Career Beginnings
Robbie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting (English, Italian) from Antwerp University and further enriched his studies with an exchange to the Italian Università di Bologna to finish his Italian language and communication studies. Robbie recognizes this international experience, as the basis of being a true connector during his education and professional career. Thanks to his ‘never stop developing’ attitude he is following an online course in Resilient Regenerative System Design at ETH Zürich today.
“One of the most important things I gained from my education and work is that it is the energy and connection between people that builds teams and achievements.”
Prior to joining Yields, Robbie’s career spanned various roles in media, communications and marketing in Belgium, Italy and the US. He began his career in channel and product marketing with tech giant Microsoft, managing digital media channels for major portal MSN.com and product launches of Messenger and XBox in the Benelux market. After five years, he was lucky to be in the digital marketing team that launched digital tv and IDTV into the Belgian market for local telco company Telenet (Liberty Global).
After a very exciting six year path as a product manager digital services Robbie was invited to launch a content marketing start-up at one of the largest tech start-up incubators in the Benelux area. This experience ignited his unrelenting passion for working with start-ups in tech and thriving in fast-paced international environments where versatility is key. In recent years, he has focused on helping startups in sports and renewable energy scale their marketing activities, bringing his expertise and innovative approach to each venture.
Why Yields?
When asked why he has decided to join Yields, Robbie shared his enthusiasm for the company culture and values:“The team at Yields shares my passion for innovation and technology, “being in the front seat of growth”, is what I call it. Tech environments are my natural habitat as a product marketeer. Secondly, I was attracted to the distinctive venture capital and investment partners Yields is backed by, I ‘ve always wanted to work in that kind of innovative, growth-oriented environment. And last but not least, there’s a paragraph in my agreement about the willingness to travel. I love to meet new people, discover different cultures and visions that challenge my own. Yields brings together the most challenging and exciting parts of my skills and career.
Passion for His Role
For Robbie, his role as the Head of Marketing at Yields is extremely energizing: “I have always been driven by the power of connecting teams in an open network environment with the collective challenge of becoming the best versions of ourselves to achieve great things.”
When asked about his biggest challenge at Yields, Robbie explains:”Regarding marketing, the coming year will be of utmost importance, as we will be building a marketing strategy and structure that allows for an AI supported customer data platform and single customer view that gives us unfair advantage for the coming years and that empowers us to support business growth beyond the actual phase of the company. It is a huge opportunity that gives me an unrelenting flow of energy.”
Inside and Outside the Office
If he could take the entire sales and marketing team on a short getaway, he would choose a cold therapy session in a river in the mountains followed by drinks, lots of inspiring connections and a barbecue in the woods.
Future aspirations
In discussing the evolution of marketing over the next five years, Robbie highlights the rapid pace of development and need for explainable data and emphasizing the need for adaptability. He stresses that embracing AI and new technologies are crucial, as those who resist it will fall behind. He explained that “Marketing roles will continually evolve, requiring new skills and tools and the unfair advantage is in taking the right decisions based on the right data.”
Robbie’s goals for the marketing team in the coming years focus on driving growth by developing an intelligent marketing data platform, single customer view and actions and enhancing brand recognition within the industry. He envisions a future where the Yields brand and its services become a quality label in fintech and vertical markets such as greentech, medtech and the energy markets.
