Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands
Tjibbe Gaastra is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in navigation technologies, bid management, and team leadership. His early career began at ARS Traffic & Transport Technology, where he played a key role in developing traffic and transport systems across various industries. This foundation set the stage for his subsequent contributions to the field of navigation technology. In roles at TomTom and Garmin (previously NAVIGON), Tjibbe demonstrated a keen ability to innovate within product management, spearheading the launch of new online products and services that enhanced user experiences. Tjibbe's tenure at HERE Technologies marked a significant chapter in his career, where he expanded his scope to include global go-to-market strategies and operations. In these roles, he adeptly combined market insights with product and sales strategies, contributing to the growth and success of HERE's automotive products and services. With establishing Global Bid Management, Tjibbe played a crucial role in guiding HERE Technologies through the complexities of securing significant revenue through winning RFx proposals. His approach to establishing teams and process for crafting tailored proposals and managing intricate customer requirements showcased his ability to navigate the demands of the industry with precision and strategic insight. Throughout his career, Tjibbe Gaastra has remained committed to driving innovation and efficiency within his teams and projects. His modest approach, combined with a solid track record of achievements, underscores his valuable contribution to the navigation and location-based services industry.
As head of the Bid Management at HERE, I oversee a globally situated team of specialists committed to creating winning RFx proposals that support our Regional Sales. Professional Services and Product Organization with a remarkable average win rate of over 50%. Our expertise in bid management has been instrumental in securing more than 500 million euros in revenue annually. Our expertise lies in: Bid Management: Crafting tailored proposals with precision in technical and commercial aspects. Requirement Management: Streamlining the intake and processing of customer requirements for optimal solutions. Bid Assessment: Providing strategic guidance on the business performance of proposals. Quality, Tools & Processes: Enhancing RFx processes through our Center of Excellence in content, tools, and training. Our primary focus is on our customer requests (RFI/RFP/RFQ/Tenders..) which may require enhancing existing products, building custom solutions, and/or analyzing extensive customer requirements. We are dedicated to driving success for HERE and our clients through innovative and efficient Bid Management.
As head of the Go To Market organization, I oversaw a diverse range of teams, each with specific responsibilities that supported Sales and Product Management efforts within the company globally. It comprised the following six teams: Go To Market Team: Developing regional go-to-market product strategies by integrating regional market insights, sales account strategies, and the global product roadmap. This team served as a technical resource partner for Sales, providing product expertise, aiding in customer engagement, and collaborating with the Bid Management team for proposal preparation. Bid Management Team: Focusing on responding to RFQs, coordinating with relevant HERE teams to ensure quotes met OEM requirements and were technically and financially feasible. This team assembled customer-specific RFQ teams with cross-functional stakeholders. Application Maintenance Team: Responsible for post-SOP development and maintenance of customer solutions, also serving as Tier 2 customer support in collaboration with Technical Customer Support (TCS) teams. Lifecycle Management Team: Managed negotiations of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with Sales and customers. This team led the development of Lifecycle Costs for product verticals, building Opportunity Business Cases in collaboration with the Business Performance team, Product Owners, and R&D teams. Business Performance Team: Built business cases for product verticals, including financial modeling, monitored real-time P&L, and prepared materials for Sales Monthly Management Meetings to review revenue forecasts and sales pipelines. Data Quality & Operation Team: Handled Traffic and Application Field Testing, Traffic sourcing, Traffic Broadcasting, and Traffic Sensor Management. The portfolio included a full range of automotive products and services which went way beyond navigation.
As the Director of Product Management for HERE Traffic in the EMEA region, I led the management of all traffic-related products, overseeing coverage expansion, business development, data sourcing, customer and industry events, and Quality/Ground Truth Testing. Developing, launching, and maintaining Real-Time Traffic services (Connected & Broadcast) in over 25 countries. Key achievements include: Launching new Traffic services in countries including Turkey, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Russia, South Africa, Qatar, and Kuwait. Expanding Broadcast services to Germany (DAB), Turkey, Ukraine, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Introducing innovative features such as lane-level traffic, predictive traffic capabilities, and advanced analytics products.
As head of the 'Content and Services' department at Garmin (at that time NAVIGON) and a member of the management team, I was entrusted with the strategic definition and execution of NAVIGON's worldwide content and services, including budget, roadmap, and strategy. My department was composed of a skilled mix of Product Managers and Technical Product Managers. Together, we successfully launched new products for the PND, Mobile, and Automotive markets, ensuring timely delivery within budget constraints. My areas of focus included: Connected Services (Traffic, Speed Cameras, Map updates etc..) , Content Delivery Platform / Desktop Client, Location-Based Advertising, Data-Selling (B2B)) Achievements during my tenure included the development and launch of NAVIGON FreshMaps and NAVIGON Select, which at that time was innovative and brought disruption to the industrie.
At TomTom, I embraced the role of Product Manager for online products and connected services, where my enthusiasm for innovation and technology was fully engaged. My responsibilities centered around defining and launching new content and services, such as Traffic & Safety Cameras, which aligned seamlessly with my background and expertise. During my tenure at TomTom, we elevated the navigation experience to new heights with the introduction of groundbreaking products like TomTom Traffic, TomTom Safety Cameras, TomTom Mapshare, and TomTom Home, each contributing significantly to enhancing user experiences within the navigation industry.
I spearheaded software design and led development teams across The Netherlands, Argentina, and India in both the government and private sectors. My role involved orchestrating multiple projects in the dynamic traffic and transport technology sector, encompassing Automotive, Rail, and Marine industries. I accumulated valuable experience and expertise through my involvement in diverse projects, including National Traffic Information Systems, Tracking & Tracing Systems, In-Car systems, Parking Information Systems, Traffic Websites, and other Telematics and Navigation-related projects. My contributions to these initiatives not only enhanced system efficiencies and user experiences but also played a pivotal role in advancing the field of intelligent transportation systems. Gained experience and expertise in the traffic and transport technology sector. (Automotive, Rail and Marine). Working on several National Traffic Information Systems, Tracking & Tracing Systems, In-Car systems, Parking Information Systems, Traffic Websites and other Telematics and Navigation related projects.