ABOUT THE FOUNDERS.

"The future depends on what you do today."

-Mahatma Gandhi-

About the founders.

Dennis Michels

Hey! I’m Dennis Michels, together with my wife Jen we are the proud founders of Mobility Mastery. Let me introduce myself to you.

I found my true passion in a very early stage of my life when I was 11 years old. My passion was playing drums! It ignited a fire deep inside of me by only thinking about it! However, I lived with my mom and dad in a terraced house so they wanted me to pick a second-best instrument to learn to play in which I could plug in some headphones. At that time there was only one second-best option which was playing keyboards. I started to learn to play piano from an amazing piano teacher and he made me fall in love with the jazz music genre. I graduated at the age of 18 years, in Jazz Piano Improvisation, with the highest honor at the Music School of Arts in the Netherlands.

I started to play piano for money when I was 15 years old. Initially, I played piano in exclusive hotels, restaurants, and piano bars and got later into more exclusive gigs. I learned during my time as an entertainer a lot about hospitality and knew that making customers happy and giving them the best experience was my goal. It ignited the same fire in me as when I started to play piano! Thinking about my future career and life aspirations I concluded at that time that being a musician as a professional was not ticking all my boxes. Next to making music, I had a huge interest in the subject of taxation. It sounds geeky, which is, but I was fascinated by how taxation works for companies and people internationally. So, I decided to change direction and kept playing piano for a few more years as a side hustle and after that just solely as a hobby. I searched for a job in the tax industry to learn more about taxation and in parallel was going to study International Tax law and Economics.

I started to work at the age of 18 at a tax law firm PwC and moved later to Deloitte, where I was introduced to the for most people hidden world of global mobility, assignments, expatriates (expats) and gained experience in international employment taxation and cross border social security matters. I graduated from my studies at the age of 23. After my tax consultancy experience, I wanted to gain also experience in corporate business and worked for companies like ABN AMRO, Capgemini, and Bacardi-Martini where I learned more about immigration compliance, Compensation and Benefits, Talent and Mobility strategy, internal stakeholder and external vendor management. During my tenure at those companies, I won multiple awards and recognitions awarded by peers in the industry.

With my few decades of experience in the Global Mobility industry and the complementary tremendous experience my wife Jen brings to the table on Social and Mental psychology, Human Resources, Coaching, and Hospitality, we had a dream to unite forces and help companies who are having cross border activities to navigate them through the Global Mobility jungle and give their internal stakeholders and their talents a flawless international experience. More about that to read in our brand story!

Perhaps strange to hear but I do see similarities between Global Mobility and playing and composing music. As musicians, we always want to give the audience the best performance they have ever experienced in their life. Being a musician myself I am the composer of the symphony and the conductor of the orchestra. You need a conductor to listen very well to the sound of your orchestra as every musician in this orchestra plays a significant role. If one of them is playing off-key the full symphony and performance will be ruined and that is something you need to prevent. Therefore, it is key that every single musician in the orchestra knows how to play my symphony so we all can enjoy this beautiful music. Only in that way do you create an excellent performance which people would like to listen to in the concert hall. I am known by many as being a team player who wants to let others excel to get the best result.

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.” – Halford E. Luccock

Cheers!

Dennis

JEN VAN GERVEN - MICHELS

Hi! My name is Janske. As I have an Old Dutch name, it can be a real tongue twister for some of you who are non-Dutch speakers, so please call me “Jen.” Together with Dennis, my husband, I am the proud founder of Mobility Mastery. Let me introduce myself to you.

I started my first job in the hospitality industry at 14 years old, working in the dishwashing kitchen. I instantly realized that the vibrant and dynamic environment of the hospitality industry was where I wanted to be. When I reached the appropriate age, I started a study in Entrepreneurship and Hospitality. During this time, I worked as a bar manager in several trendy bars and an exclusive restaurant.

The hospitality industry is a place where dedication and hard work shine through, and you can truly see who has a heart for service. I was one of those people! Regardless of how exceptional the quality of food or drink is, it’s the warmth and care in the service that always define the experience. This belief continues to drive my passion and commitment to the hospitality sector.

During my hospitality studies, I learned a lot about attitude, excellence, and how to be a good chef. Although Dennis, our family, and friends highly appreciate my cooking skills, my fascination with people and wanting to understand the complexities of their behavior made me decide to delve deeper into the field of psychology. After four years of study, I graduated in Social Work, specializing in mental healthcare and forensic psychiatry.

The combination of all studies, as well as my experience in coaching, psychology, and psychiatry, gives me a strong foundation to understand human behavior, how it plays out in organizations, and how it can affect the hospitality experience. In the field of mental health care, I have worked in many different roles. I started as an assistant and worked my way up to case manager, internal coach, team trainer, training developer, and thesis supervisor. Along the way, I pursued further education in higher management for healthcare, continuously seeking to improve and expand my knowledge. This journey led me to roles in policymaking, project management, and leadership.

When I became a mom, I realized that balancing a full-time career with motherhood was challenging. It didn’t give me satisfaction to not be there for my children when they needed me most. I made the decision together with Dennis to take a step back from full-time work to be there for our children, but with the condition that I needed to not stop learning and developing myself.

These times gave me new insights about myself. I realized that I was creative, and I wanted to do something else other than what I had already done. Without compromising as a mom, I wanted to manage both work and family in a good way. I got myself retrained and opened an exclusive nail boutique salon from home, which became a thriving business. When we moved to Spain a few years ago, I wound down the business, knowing a new exciting chapter would come.

Expanding my skill set and cultivating a large interest in different areas (now specializing in breathwork meditation), it is obvious that study and personal development have always been a red line throughout my life and still are. I am, like Dennis, also geeky but in different areas. You could find me with earbuds, walking and listening to podcasts from inspiring leaders, scientists, and professors but also reading books about personal development on my porch. It is all about me trying to get the best out of myself and others.

My path may not be the most conventional, but every step in life—the easy and hard ones, the good and the ugly—has brought me to where I am today, and I am excited to be here.

I strongly believe that the lessons life offers us are as valuable as formal education. We are all shaped by our experiences. My guiding principle is to “do the right thing,” and this philosophy is the cornerstone of my approach to life. True worth lies in our character, the choices we make every day, and how we treat others. Who we are is reflected in our actions, the decisions we make, and our ability to give and take.

With my variety of experience in social and mental psychology, human resources, coaching, and hospitality, and the decades of experience my husband Dennis gained in the global mobility industry, it was clear that my new chapter in Spain should be to start our own business, Mobility Mastery. How cool is that! With our unique “people and value-driven” approach, we are committed to bringing our clients a new and exceptional experience in the field of global mobility. If you are interested in reading more about our company can be read in our brand story!

“The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Look forward to connecting with you!

Jen