About me

I am Koen Thijssen, father of two boys, sports enthusiast and someone who genuinely believes that people make the real difference in any organisation. My work always focuses on behaviour, trust and how people act when no one is watching.

After studying sports management, I joined Decathlon, where I worked for seventeen years in various international leadership positions. I then briefly served as Head of Sales at Veritas. Those years close to decision-making taught me what happens when strategy and culture align — and especially what happens when they don’t. That insight led me to start Maximize Culture.

In my coaching and advisory work, I combine that experience with a simple belief: everyone is always right – the art is to understand why. When you take people’s perspectives seriously, space opens up for real conversations. I am direct but never harsh. Sometimes it gets uncomfortable, and that is part of the process. My role is to listen, ask the right questions and create just enough movement for things to shift, while keeping the environment safe.

I work in four languages (Dutch, English, French and German) and support leaders and teams across the Benelux. I live with my family in Willems, northern France. Every week I travel between Ghent, Maastricht and Brussels, and I am always willing to make the trip for a meaningful conversation. And if it’s easier, everything can also take place online.

People often describe me as calm, open and grounded. Probably because I learned early on that teams don’t improve by speaking louder, but by listening better.