It gives us the flexibility to access support exactly when we need it, without the commitments of a permanent full-time role.
Ivo van Dijk, Executive Board Member at Dutch health insurer ONVZ, explains how Moneypenny’s remote executive assistant, Sandra, makes their work easier. By providing flexible support at the moments it’s needed — and seamlessly aligning with the internal secretarial team — ONVZ benefits from the best of both worlds. In this interview, Ivo shares how this works in practice and offers tips for other organisations.
Of course. I have been a member of the Executive Board at ONVZ for nine years now. In this role, I am responsible for a broad range of areas within the organisation, including finance, IT, HR and services for our policyholders. Before that, I built a long career within the health insurance sector, which has given me the insight and experience needed to fulfil my current role effectively.
We were looking for a flexible solution: someone who could support us during the week when needed, without requiring a full-time assistant at all times.
A few years ago, our full-time secretary retired. She supported both myself and my colleague Jean Paul. We saw this as a good moment to rethink how we wanted to organise this role. Due to digital developments, many tasks had become easier to manage independently, and there were things we could handle ourselves quite efficiently. At the same time, there are tasks where you genuinely need support — and these often arise spontaneously during the week, making them difficult to plan in advance.
That’s why we were looking for a flexible solution: someone who could support us during the week when needed, without requiring a full-time assistant at all times. This led us to Moneypenny and the concept of virtual (executive) assistants. It gives us the flexibility to access support exactly when we need it, without the commitments of a permanent full-time role.
Her main responsibility is managing our calendars and scheduling appointments. This is particularly important for complex meetings, such as those with the Supervisory Board, the Council of Delegates, our management team or external parties like the Dutch Central Bank. She ensures that everything runs smoothly, resolves any scheduling conflicts and acts quickly when changes are needed.
It’s often a complex puzzle, involving multiple internal and external stakeholders and busy diaries — including our own. Sandra coordinates all of this very efficiently, which makes her support extremely valuable to us.
We are very satisfied with the remote collaboration. Jean Paul and I have a fixed weekly catch-up with Sandra on Monday mornings, either by phone or via Teams, to review our agendas. We discuss key matters and ensure that all tasks and potential challenges are addressed. During the rest of the week, we stay in touch by email or phone whenever needed.
A valuable interaction, where Moneypenny’s remote support truly complements the existing secretarial team.
Yes, Sandra is in regular contact with one of our internal secretaries. This ensures good coordination and a constructive working relationship. They consult frequently; if something is difficult for Sandra to assess remotely, the internal secretary takes it on. This creates a valuable interaction, where Moneypenny’s remote executive assistance truly complements our existing secretarial team.
The biggest advantage of the Moneypenny concept is that we can access support throughout the week without employing a full-time assistant. There simply isn’t enough work for this role to justify 40 hours a week. This gives us the luxury of receiving exactly the level of support we need at any given moment.
Because a VA isn’t physically present, certain practical aspects — such as the atmosphere or suitability of meeting rooms — can be harder to assess. For example, within our office we know which meeting room works best for smaller, informal discussions and which is more suitable for larger meetings. That kind of context is harder to judge remotely. That’s why it’s helpful that Sandra can rely on the internal secretary for these practical considerations.
Our experience with Moneypenny has been very positive. From the outset, everything was arranged quickly and professionally, including the onboarding of an excellent first virtual executive assistant. When she left, a replacement was offered immediately, and that transition went smoothly as well. We are once again very happy with Sandra. In addition, the account manager regularly checks in with me to make sure everything is still running to our satisfaction.
Absolutely, without hesitation. The Moneypenny concept works very well in practice, especially when combined with someone who is physically present internally. For organisations with multiple secretaries, this model is an excellent solution.
Clear and complete communication is essential for an efficient collaboration.
As a client, it’s important to be precise when formulating requests and sharing information. With a remote executive assistant, you don’t have the spontaneous, informal moments — like a quick chat at the coffee machine — to clarify things. That makes it all the more important to communicate clearly and thoroughly, so everything runs efficiently.
Visit the website of health insurer ONVZ to learn more about their services. Are you an executive considering working with a virtual assistant as well? Visit our virtual assistance page for more information and pricing, or book a free consultation to explore the possibilities.
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