Mirjam van Olst has been appointed as the General Manager of Rapid Circle Netherlands, starting from November 1, 2023. Harold Punter, CEO of Rapid Circle, will focus on the growth and development of the global organisation. Mirjam brings extensive experience in leadership, delivery, and operations, as well as a strong national and international network.

Mirjam van Olst, originally a SharePoint developer and architect, was previously the Global Business Applications and Data & AI Talent Creation Lead at Avanade until the end of October.

In that role, she was involved in the global IT talent training program, which has been crucial for Avanade’s growth.

Before that, she led all Avanade operations for France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Mirjam brings extensive experience in leadership, delivery, and operations. With her extensive network, both nationally and internationally, she adds significant value.

Mirjam was also active in the Dutch SharePoint user group (DIWUG), where she was succeeded by Maarten Eekels, CTO at Rapid Circle. She writes a column on leadership and personal development for AG Connect.

Growth, stability, and collaboration

As General Manager of Rapid Circle, Mirjam will combine growth and stability.

“I look forward to being ultimately responsible for how leadership and organisation work at Rapid Circle. I have very clear ideas about that. I strongly believe in collaboration, both internally and externally. Because even with your customers, you have a partnership, and that relationship changes as Rapid Circle grows so rapidly. We are handling increasingly larger projects, and we need to think about how to deliver them in a way that works for everyone, for Rapid Circle as an organisation, for customers, and for employees.”

Mirjam van Olst, General Manager, Rapid Circle

Increasing scale

Our CEO Harold Punter has spent the past few years building the national and global growth of Rapid Circle, but it’s time to focus entirely on international developments.

“We have three very strong national organisations, but as we become a larger organisation, the international organisation becomes more critical. Culturally and strategically, they need to grow closer, and that’s what I’m going to focus on. I will also be involved in the acquisition agenda.”

Harold Punter, CEO, Rapid Circle

A major player

Mirjam and Harold share the vision that collaboration, between teams and business units and between customers and suppliers, is essential to address the challenges of our time.

“We are in the era of AI and various other significant changes. To move forward, we need to bring together technical expertise, knowledge of organisations, and various innovations. As a group, we can do this best by working better together across countries. That’s what I will lead. In the Netherlands, we want to double the organisation in the coming years and become one of the largest Microsoft players in the country. That’s our ambition.”

Harold Punter, CEO, Rapid Circle

Expansion of services and expertise

Mirjam’s appointment is part of a broader development. Rapid Circle is playing an increasingly significant role in the digital transformation of larger clients through the expansion of its services and expertise. Since October, Marit van Dijk has been leading Rapid Circle Advisory, resulting from the acquisition of Weolcan.

“It’s fantastic to leave Rapid Circle Netherlands in the hands of Mirjam and Marit, two prominent women in the IT world. I will mainly try to facilitate Mirjam and not get in her way too much. Although that might be challenging because, after 15 years in this role, I have opinions on everything.”

Harold Punter, CEO, Rapid Circle

However, in the IT world, everything is constantly changing. So, Rapid Circle must evolve with it. As Mirjam, always mild, always with a smile but also determined and confident, puts it:

“I look forward to collaborating with our people and customers. I will absorb as much of Harold’s knowledge and experience as possible, but I also have my own ideas. So, if Harold struggles to let go of things, I’ll give him a little hip-check now and then.”

Mirjam van Olst, General Manager, Rapid Circle

About Rapid Circle

Rapid Circle helps organisations innovate and “achieve what’s next.” Rapid Circle provides the foundation based on Microsoft cloud technology and assists with realising digital progress. The international organisation has approximately 440 employees with offices in the Netherlands, India, and Australia.

Rapid Circle’s clients include Shell, Amsterdam UMC, Heineken, Gelre Ziekenhuizen, and RIVM. In 2015, Rapid Circle was named the “Worldwide Microsoft Partner of the Year” becoming the first Dutch organisation to receive this prestigious award, and subsequently won it again in 2019, 2020, and 2022 in the healthcare and modern workplace categories.

Additionally, it is a five-time FD Gazelle winner and a member of the exclusive Microsoft Partner Advisory Council.