Summary

Overview

Work History

Education

Skills

Languages

Timeline

TIKA KRUSE

Summary

Passionate leader with 15+ years leadership team & people management experience within fast-paced start-ups, small, medium and large companies
Strong sense of urgency, energetic, driven, positive personality combined with stable, balanced appearance, with a calm and collected attitude in challenging situations, keeping level-headed under pressure
Drive to build teams, improve and optimize operations, with focus on internal processes, structure and organizational design to enable an efficient working environment increasing productivity
Broad knowledge covering Content, Branding, Communications, Creative & Production teams, Operations, Analytics, HR with proven track record in cross-functional management, also within tech driven organizations working agile
Strong problem solving skills, solutions oriented approach, excellent stakeholder and relationship management, analytical skills and data driven mindset
Strong people skills & solid experience recruiting, leading, and mentoring high performing teams

Overview

25

25

years of professional experience

Work History

Head of Content, Data & Analytics

RELX

03.2022 - Current

Lead the Content team at Nextens to deliver high-quality content products such as the online knowledge database, print magazines and books
Set content strategy. Aim is to support customers with easy-to-use, easy-to-find, practical quality content, with a strong focus on the online in-product customer experience
Day to day management of the sub-department, tracking of the department main areas initiatives and operational KPIs, track and report progress and delivery annual planning
Interact with stakeholders: supporting the Marketing, Sales and Customer Success team with content marketing, thought leadership and content expertise
Ensure timely and high-quality analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative customer data that provides greater insight in the usage of products and content and use these insights to action continuous increase customer value and adoption
Align the organization in defining KPIs, strategic and operational metrics for the business, building a governance model and creating a cadence for review and drive decision making through reporting

COO

CoolGames

07.2016 - 07.2020

Oversee day-to-day operations to keep organization running smoothly while meeting business goals
Translate strategic direction into actionable plans and goals, kept oversight on execution
Focus on setting & monitoring KPIs, evaluate products (games) by analyzing and interpreting metrics, cultivate a company-wide data driven culture
Resource allocation across multidisciplinary teams
Improve processes and organizational procedures to optimize productivity
Identify and mitigate operational risks to minimize potential negative impacts on organization, constantly reviewing & improving the organizational structure, find and address knowledge and skills gaps
Drive recruitment and retain key personnel
Team management of: Production, Content, Data Analysis, Technology, Quality Assurance, Recruitment, HR & Office, Facilities Management
Establish and maintain strong relationships with vendors
Monitor and analyze industry trends to identify opportunities for organizational growth and competitiveness

Head of Content & Operations

CoolGames

01.2016 - 06.2016

Day to day management of the games portals team, the content team and the QA team, and responsible for cross-company program management

Head of Game Portals

CoolGames

01.2015 - 12.2015

Day to day management of the Direct-to-Consumer team, consisting of community, content operations and monetization professionals, developing and monetizing 10+ direct-to-consumer casual gaming websites

Online Director

G+J Publishers

09.2009 - 05.2013

Online Director and Management Team Member (Note: G+J Media Netherlands has been taken over by Hearst Netherlands in 2017)
Responsible for all digital activities (strategy, brand, creation, development, sales) related to G+J Publishers Dutch Magazines: Vogue, Glamour, Quest, National Geographic Magazine and Traveler
Lead a team of online professionals (10+) to create digital branded content, online communities, social media and apps

Program Manager

Fire Department

09.2008 - 09.2009

Development of program and project management within the organization

Manager Online Merchandising & Editorial

Vodafone

01.2008 - 08.2008

Lead the Online Merchandising & Editorial team within the Online Sales & Marketing Department
Create an industry leading shopping experience for both consumer and enterprise customers through development of a content strategy aimed towards customer engagement and customer satisfaction

CRM & Online Manager

EA

06.2007 - 12.2007

Team leader with strategic and operational responsibility for Netherlands and Belgium for Web Publishing & Communities, Database Marketing and Customer Service
Build, maintain and optimize interaction with customers and improve customer satisfaction

Program Manager

Government St. Maarten

03.2004 - 05.2007

Manage the multimillion dollar cooperation programs for development funding with the Netherlands, with focus on the programs: Good Governance; Sustainable Economic Development; Nature & Environment; Constitutional Development
Project management from start to finish: grant writing, terms of references, public tenders, awarding advices, start, lead, monitor and evaluate projects

Manager Online

T-Mobile

07.2001 - 02.2004

Team leader with strategic and operational responsibility for all online communications management of T-Mobile (formerly Ben)
Successfully led the website redesign project due to the rebranding from Ben to T-Mobile

Copywriter & Content Manager

CTS Online Agency

04.2000 - 06.2001

Copywriter and content manager for a digital agency which worked for a range of international clients
Create advertising copy for online content, adhering to clients' overarching brand identity and customized brand messages to reach and capture target audience interest and drive engagement
One of the projects I worked on as copy/content was in developing the HOYA (vision/eyecare) website and tools from scratch, including localization in 10+ languages

Editor BLVD Fashion Magazine

Credits Media

03.1999 - 03.2000

Determine readiness of written pieces, make changes, and approve final versions for publication
Review and edit final copy for accuracy and correct grammar errors
Co-ordinate the editorial process from incoming manuscript to printer's office

Education

Master of Arts - History, Economic and Social History

University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam

08.1997

Abroad Program Certificate - History & Sociology

UCLA, Los Angeles, United States

07.1997

Skills

Leadership
Team Management
Business Operations
Operational Efficiency
Planning and Execution
Cross-Functional Collaboration

Stakeholder Management
Process Improvement
Project Management
Data Analysis
Critical Thinking
Constructive Feedback

Languages

English

Proficient

C2

French

Upper intermediate

B2

German

Elementary

A2

Timeline

Head of Content, Data & Analytics - RELX

03.2022 - Current

COO - CoolGames

07.2016 - 07.2020

Head of Content & Operations - CoolGames

01.2016 - 06.2016

Head of Game Portals - CoolGames

01.2015 - 12.2015

Online Director - G+J Publishers

09.2009 - 05.2013

Program Manager - Fire Department

09.2008 - 09.2009

Manager Online Merchandising & Editorial - Vodafone

01.2008 - 08.2008

CRM & Online Manager - EA

06.2007 - 12.2007

Program Manager - Government St. Maarten

03.2004 - 05.2007

Manager Online - T-Mobile

07.2001 - 02.2004

Copywriter & Content Manager - CTS Online Agency

04.2000 - 06.2001

Editor BLVD Fashion Magazine - Credits Media

03.1999 - 03.2000

University of Amsterdam - Master of Arts, History, Economic and Social History

UCLA - Abroad Program Certificate, History & Sociology