Matthias du Mez's first shift as a supermarket associate was at age 16 at an Albert Heijn – a brand of Ahold Delhaize – in his hometown of Dordrecht. He distinctly remembers feeling utterly ‘knackered’ afterward. “And to think my shift was only two hours long,” he laughs. These days, two-hour workdays are a thing of the past. As an international HR trainee at Ahold Delhaize’s Global Support Office (GSO), 25-year-old Matthias is wholly committed to the full-time responsibility that the traineeship entails.
Matthias was promoted to team lead after three years at the Dordrecht store. “As team lead, it’s your responsibility to ensure customers have the best shopping experience. On a practical level, this means you make sure everything runs smoothly in the supermarket, and that all shelves are stocked. I often worked 30-40 hours per week. Sometimes it was challenging to combine it with school and, later on, my studies, but the fact that I really enjoyed it helped!”
His work as team lead was very fulfilling, he says. “It’s essentially a business with short-term goals, and I found great pleasure in being able to tick off each day’s tasks and responsibilities. At the company’s head office, it’s a completely different world. Here, we focus mainly on long-term goals, and projects often take months, if not longer. To be honest, it took me some time to get used to the new way of working. At the same time, I like being part of a more strategic apparatus, where we develop policies and processes that impact all of our brands. I look forward to truly making a difference.”
‘The traineeship offers me the chance to decide which area of HR I find most interesting and choose the domains in which I want to develop myself further.’
Operating at the heart of the company
The International HR Traineeship landed him at Ahold Delhaize’s GSO in Zaandam. “As this is the nexus that supports and monitors all of its different brands, you’re really at the heart of the company. I’m the HR Business Partner for the internal audit team Europe and for the communications team. I support them in various HR-related matters. I’m also involved in a number of separate projects. One of them looks at how new employees experienced online onboarding during COVID-times, for instance. Another project is focused on the staff’s ‘homecoming’ – now that everybody is slowly but surely returning to the office, we’re thinking of a nice ‘welcome’ for them. I absolutely love the scope and diversity of my tasks and activities.” 
He certainly didn’t expect such a broad range of responsibilities before embarking on the traineeship. “Quite frankly, I was a little baffled when I realized that HR encompasses all these aspects. There just are so many areas within HR to explore. I am extremely happy that this traineeship gives me an opportunity to do exactly that: explore, develop and grow – both within the domain of HR and as a person. For me, that’s what makes this traineeship as valuable as it is. You’re both a full-fledged employee and part of a team, but in a sense, you’re a student, too. In this capacity, I learn practical skills – for instance, recently we were taught a method to value functions – and I get more theoretical training. Together, they provide a better, more global perspective of the company.”
‘I absolutely love the scope and diversity of my tasks and activities.’
A perfect breeding ground for personal development
Personal development is very important to Matthias. “Learning new things keeps me challenged and on my toes. The traineeship offers me the chance to decide which area of HR I find most interesting and choose the domains in which I want to develop myself further. Everybody in this company is willing to assist and give advice. Whenever I send an email to anyone – no matter how high up in the company – I always receive a positive, helpful response. It makes for a very open and approachable work environment, which is the perfect breeding ground for personal development.”
“Within Ahold Delhaize, people often refer to trainees as ‘the leaders of the future’. Every day, I get to work with a range of colleagues across the organization, from the top level down. During meetings I’m continuously encouraged to voice my opinions, and when I do, it’s truly appreciated. One of Ahold Delhaize’s core values is courage. That’s anything but a hollow promise. The fact that the company motivates and stimulates trainees the way it does is testament to this.”
‘There just are so many areas within HR to explore. I am extremely happy that this traineeship gives me an opportunity to do exactly that: explore, develop and grow.’
Matthias is looking forward to what’s to come. He can’t wait for the international rotation to start. “I’ve never worked or lived abroad. During COVID, the opportunity to do an international internship was limited. So this is definitely my chance to experience what it’ll be like. It’s a dream come true. The only person who’s slightly less enthusiastic is my girlfriend Julia. But there’s a good part to look forward to: after I’ve returned, we’re moving to Utrecht to live together.”
Matthias du Mez (1996)
Studied: MA Organizational Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2021)
Living with: My older brother and my father in Dordrecht
Best book ever read: The Good Psychopath’s Guide to Success by Dr Kevin Dutton and Andy McNab
Favorite series on Netflix or TV: Breaking Bad
Most inspiring person: Elon Musk
Can be woken up in the middle of the night for: A holiday
Three items to take to a desert island: Music, a lounge bed and Julia
Life-changing event: A survival trip to Belgium when I was 19. For two days, we went back to bare basics. Although I really didn’t like it at the time, in retrospect, I really got to know myself during that trip
Biggest accomplishment in life so far: Obtaining my master’s degree
