Here at the friendly publishing platform, we’re delighted to welcome our new starter, Marit Spek. As someone who never stops learning, Marit is keen to explore how PublishOne’s editorial platform can better serve the training and education market. We caught up with Marit to find out more about her first few weeks in the new role, and her plans for the future.

What did you do before joining PublishOne?

I’ve always loved learning. As a young adult, I was a ski instructor and snowboard teacher in Austria. I also worked as part of the animation team at a campsite and taught English lessons at a school in Honduras. I knew that I wanted to build my profession around learning, so the choice to study educational sciences was a logical one!

After graduating, I worked in a commercial setting, organizing training and conferences in the educational world. Later, during the pandemic, I worked as an instructional designer in higher education building online educational content and supporting the transition from a traditional classroom practice to a blended learning experience for our students.

My experience taught me the value and importance of having good online educational content. I joined PublishOne because I was ready for a new challenge. As part of my role, I’m going to be exploring the relationship between the learning market and PublishOne.

I actually found out about PublishOne through its Chief Operating Officer, Ellen van Beijsterveldt, who plays for the same volleyball team. We got talking and discovered my expertise might be a good fit for the company.

How friendly is the PublishOne team?

Office days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. On my first Tuesday, the whole team was there to welcome me. They bought me flowers and we had an introductory lunch. I got to know the system and all the people. I’d say it’s pretty friendly!

So far, I’ve really enjoyed working as part of a small and friendly team. I love the ‘go do it’ attitude of the company and the ability to make a fast impact without multiple layers of approvals. The ‘friendly publishing platform’ tag line is very much lived and breathed!

What’s a typical day like for you at PublishOne?

It’s early days! So far it’s been very varied and flexible. With a young daughter, I tend to work early, then join the daily meeting with the development team in Vietnam. It can get quite technical, but I like to be there to catch up on the latest developments.

On Tuesday and Thursday, I’m based in the office. Right now, I’m planning to meet with every PublishOne client at least once per quarter. This is to find out how they’re getting on with the system and if there’s anything we can improve. At 4 pm, we have a daily team meeting to catch up with each other and end the day together. That’s something else I really enjoy. When working from home, it’s important to still feel part of the team. It’s great to have that check-in moment – especially when not everybody is always there.

Any challenges so far? How have you overcome them?

My main challenge is to define my role and focus for the upcoming months. I’m someone who wants to do everything, but I know that doing too much means I won’t be as effective as I could be. I need to focus and not pick up too many things at once! One of my objectives is to find and work with clients in the learning and educational market, so we can continue to optimize PublishOne to serve customer’s needs in that sector.

What do you enjoy doing outside PublishOne?

I really love all kinds of sports – at the moment I am into yoga, swimming and squash. I’ve travelled a lot to South and Central America – my boyfriend and I love the Mexican cuisine – and I enjoy cooking.

Meet the rest of the PublishOne family