Interim chief brand and marketing officer

Susanne Bavinck - Bender
Nov 23, 2025
2 min read

From March 2025 to September 2025 I got the opportunity to support Navoniq with its branding, design and marketing around the launch of this boutique advisory firm supporting leadership teams of large enterprises, mid-cap companies, and private equity-backed firms across Northwestern Europe.

I focused on building visibility, credibility, and engagement across our target sectors — from chemicals to consumer goods — while ensuring that all marketing efforts aligned with our partners’ deep industry expertise and hands-on approach.

Brand, design and marketing support as interim chief brand and marketing officer

In February 2025 I was introduced by Renske Jacobs, a talented PR professional with whom I worked with at Loyens & Loeff and Sweav. She supported Ruud Schmeink, a Deloitte partner who was preparing to launch his own boutique advisory firm with Jurjan Klep and Erik Delnoij. Together, these partners bring over 60 years of executive leadership experience in different sectors including chemicals, food & pharma, and consumer goods.

As Navoniq's interim Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, my role was to build the foundation of how Navoniq would show up in the world. Strategically, visually, and commercially. This included:

their brand strategy, including the target audiences and positioning
shaping the brand identity, including its colors, typography and tone of voice
develop, define and execute the go-to-market (GTM) strategy
create the visuals for LinkedIn and website
executive the launch and lead all communications

Ruud Schmeink, founder Navoniq: “Thanks a lot for your contribution and the outstanding quality you brought to the table. As you know, I’m very grateful for everything you’ve designed. You’ve helped me built a solid company!”

I’m proud to have contributed to the first chapter of this ambitious firm as I was given the opportunity to help shape and bring to life the brand, voice and digital presence.

Sincere thanks for the trust and inspiring collaboration. Also, a special thanks to Jeroen Veldkamp for his positioning expertise and Renske Jacobs for her sharp mind and precision in preparing everything for PR.