Battle of the Newbies: Mathias vs. Pieter

WAVE has welcomed two new faces this month. Pro golfer Mathias Boesmans (PGA of Belgium) will dive headfirst into the Mercedes Golf Trophy. Pieter Maenhout – previously active at the Royal Belgian Football Association and 90/24 Media – will focus on strategy and business development.

“It’s important for the growth of WAVE’s sports expertise center to hire these kinds of profiles.” – CEO Kurt Tuypens

General manager Kurt Tuypens is delighted with the new hires: “It’s important for the growth of WAVE’s sports expertise center to hire these kinds of profiles. Mathias has an abundance of golf knowhow, combined with a good dose of entrepreneurship. His experience in organizing premium events is a big plus and will help extend WAVE’s impact on the world of golf. Pieter is someone we’ve worked with in the past and we were impressed by his expertise on several domains: from digital communications to concept development. We believe he’s the right man at the right place to take our content strategy and business development to the next level.”

Pieter Maenhout

We’ve asked Mathias and Pieter a few questions about their past adventures, idols and ultimate fan experience.

How important is sport for you?

Mathias: I’ve been practicing all kinds of sports since I was young: tennis, skiing, football, judo, squash, … When I was 13, I started playing golf, which eventually even became my profession.
Pieter: I’ve been playing sport since I was 4. Football, running, mountain biking and thai boxing have been a big part of my life.

Mathias, you are a professional golfer. What is your most impressive performance so far?

Winning the “All American” trophy is my most beautiful achievement. I was also part of the team that won the Belgian championship. It gave us the chance to play the European final in Bulgaria. We came 3rd, which was the best Belgian performance ever in a European team tournament.

Did you learn any valuable life lessons when practicing sports? Do you see similarities between sport and doing business? 

Pieter: Absolutely. Sport is a reflection of life. You never lose. Either you win or you learn.
Mathias: I think sport has a lot in common with doing business. You have to learn and accept that even if you experience a setback, you need to keep going. There is no time like the present.

 What made you decide to combine sport and communications?

Mathias: I’ve been working on projects that didn’t have anything to do with sports and it became clear to me lately that I wanted to get back in the world of sports, and especially with the sport I know the best: golf.
Pieter: I’ve always been passionate about sports. The moment I started my professional career I made sure I was able to combine sports with what I do best: communications and marketing.

Working at an advertising agency is something totally different than working on the client-side? What made you choose the agency life?

Pieter: The diversity of clients and projects combined with that typical “agency vibe” … That’s exactly what I need right now.
Mathias: I like the variety of work and I love project-based working. I don’t really like spending weeks behind a desk and this job gives me the opportunity to use golf courses as my office.

Why did you choose WAVE?

Mathias: I was presented several opportunities in the last few months, but WAVE already had a solid, proven structure and an experienced team. I think I can help them, and they can help me to fulfill my personal ambitions. 
Pieter: I agree. They have the ambition to create the ultimate fan experience. And that’s exactly what I want to do as well.

What does your personal ultimate fan experience look like?

Mathias: Attending a golf tournament “inside the ropes”. Getting as close to the players as possible. It would be awesome if that tournament would be the Ryder Cup or The Masters.
Pieter: I’m going old school. A bunch of friends, a couple of beers and a beautiful cycling race, an exciting game or an intense boxing match.

Who’s your sports idol? And why?

Mathias: Without a doubt Tiger Woods. His achievements are supernatural. Dominating a sport like that is rarely seen. Looking at other sports, I’m going for Roger Federer, Lebron James and Michael Schumacher. In Belgium, I follow the performances of Thomas Pieters, Thomas Detry and Nicolas Colsaerts.
Pieter: Bradley Wiggins, Vasyl Lomatsjenko & David Beckham. Wiggins has this amazing personality, Vasyl possesses dazzling boxing abilities and Beckham impressed with that unique style throughout his career.

Where do you spend the weekend?

Pieter: I’m doing a lot of sports during the weekend. At night I’ll have dinner at a nice restaurant or go have a drink in a bar.
Mathias: You’ll probably find me somewhere on a golf course.

Welcome aboard!

We’ve asked Mathias and Pieter a few questions about their past adventures, idols and ultimate fan experience.

How important is sport for you?

Mathias: I’ve been practicing all kinds of sports since I was young: tennis, skiing, football, judo, squash, … When I was 13, I started playing golf, which eventually even became my profession.
Pieter: I’ve been playing sport since I was 4. Football, running, mountain biking and thai boxing have been a big part of my life.

Mathias, you are a professional golfer. What is your most impressive performance so far?

Winning the “All American” trophy is my most beautiful achievement. I was also part of the team that won the Belgian championship. It gave us the chance to play the European final in Bulgaria. We came 3rd, which was the best Belgian performance ever in a European team tournament.

Did you learn any valuable life lessons when practicing sports? Do you see similarities between sport and doing business? 

Pieter: Absolutely. Sport is a reflection of life. You never lose. Either you win or you learn.
Mathias: I think sport has a lot in common with doing business. You have to learn and accept that even if you experience a setback, you need to keep going. There is no time like the present.

 What made you decide to combine sport and communications?

Mathias: I’ve been working on projects that didn’t have anything to do with sports and it became clear to me lately that I wanted to get back in the world of sports, and especially with the sport I know the best: golf.
Pieter: I’ve always been passionate about sports. The moment I started my professional career I made sure I was able to combine sports with what I do best: communications and marketing.

Working at an advertising agency is something totally different than working on the client-side? What made you choose the agency life?

Pieter: The diversity of clients and projects combined with that typical “agency vibe” … That’s exactly what I need right now.
Mathias: I like the variety of work and I love project-based working. I don’t really like spending weeks behind a desk and this job gives me the opportunity to use golf courses as my office.

Why did you choose WAVE?

Mathias: I was presented several opportunities in the last few months, but WAVE already had a solid, proven structure and an experienced team. I think I can help them, and they can help me to fulfill my personal ambitions. 
Pieter: I agree. They have the ambition to create the ultimate fan experience. And that’s exactly what I want to do as well.

What does your personal ultimate fan experience look like?

Mathias: Attending a golf tournament “inside the ropes”. Getting as close to the players as possible. It would be awesome if that tournament would be the Ryder Cup or The Masters.
Pieter: I’m going old school. A bunch of friends, a couple of beers and a beautiful cycling race, an exciting game or an intense boxing match.

Who’s your sports idol? And why?

Mathias: Without a doubt Tiger Woods. His achievements are supernatural. Dominating a sport like that is rarely seen. Looking at other sports, I’m going for Roger Federer, Lebron James and Michael Schumacher. In Belgium, I follow the performances of Thomas Pieters, Thomas Detry and Nicolas Colsaerts.
Pieter: Bradley Wiggins, Vasyl Lomatsjenko & David Beckham. Wiggins has this amazing personality, Vasyl possesses dazzling boxing abilities and Beckham impressed with that unique style throughout his career.

Where do you spend the weekend?

Pieter: I’m doing a lot of sports during the weekend. At night I’ll have dinner at a nice restaurant or go have a drink in a bar.
Mathias: You’ll probably find me somewhere on a golf course.

Welcome aboard!