My name is Harry Tolsma and I am the father of two beautiful children and live in beautiful Friesland (and yes, I also have a sailboat and like to sail.
All my life I have felt comfortable standing in front of a group and sharing my knowledge. I think it's great to see how people grow as a person and what that means to them. Strangely enough, I started in (top) sports as an athletics trainer and gymnastics teacher at a secondary school. However, then IT emerged as an industry and it turned out that I had a feel for it. So I made the switch to IT and started as a computer science teacher at one of the largest IT companies in the Netherlands. I quickly got into management and enjoyed a combination of sales and management.
In 2006 I made my biggest step by working for Microsoft as Solution Sales and later as Technical Sales. A great time where I was able to supervise great projects for many customers in all industries. Innovation was already one of my biggest motivations!
The last 5 years at Microsoft I was able to focus on that innovation as a Strategic Technology Advisor. I had the opportunity to talk to groups and individuals all day about the latest technology and in particular about how you could apply that technology to help an organization achieve its goals. Business value, in other words!
All in all, I have been active in IT for more than 30 years, but always in the role of trainer, mentor or coach. Also as a manager, my style was that of mentor/coach. And now it's time to do this more broadly than just at Microsoft. I look forward to embarking on this journey with you and getting you on a higher level!