Dare to Connect

“A Healthy Mind In A Healthy Body”

Check out the interview with Orestis Steriopoulo – our Cluster IT Manager at Crowne Plaza Amsterdam-South, voco The Hague, and Holiday Inn Voorburg – The Hague.

In November, we will celebrate your 10th year anniversary at Crowne Plaza Amsterdam-South. Could you share you career path?

It was almost 10 years ago when I first came to the Netherlands, searching for a job as a software engineer. The first job I found here was a housekeeper and public area employee at Crowne Plaza Amsterdam-South. After a few months, I spoke with people about my background and found an opening as an IT and maintenance coordinator.

I started learning about both IT and maintenance. After two years, I became a full-time IT specialist. When my manager left, I took over as the IT manager. Later, I got the chance to manage a cluster of three hotels: Crowne Plaza Amsterdam-South, voco The Hague, and Holiday Inn Voorburg. Now, with my previous director gone, I am fully responsible for these three hotels as a Cluster IT Manager.

What is the biggest challenge you have met and overcome working at IHG?

The biggest challenge was learning to stop saying yes to almost eerything. Setting productive boundaries and learning to delegate tasks effectively was crucial. This transition from a doer to a thinker and planner involved prioritizing tasks, distinguishing between what is urgent and what is important, and relying on the support and guidance from my direct managers.

Training courses in leadership and time management also helped me structure my work more efficiently and focus on long-term goals. Adapting to this new mindset was a significant shift, but it was necessary for my personal growth and the success of a team. It allowed me to manage my workload better and ensure that projects were completed on time and to a high standard.

What is the most exciting or funniest memory working here?

The most exciting moments are the annual IT community conferences where we share information, discuss issues, and exchange methodologies. There gatherings provide a platform for IT managers to connect, share frustrations, and find solutions to common problems. It’s refreshing to step out of the daily operations and engage with colleagues who understand the unique challenges of our field.

What inspires you?

What inspires me is puzzles and situations that really push my brain to new levels. I love rethinking ways of manageing security or dealing with unprototyped scenarios. One of my passions is astrophysics because it embodies the unknown. Using basic rules we’ve invented, like mathematics, to understand things we can’t see but can infer through numbers, fascinates me.

I enjoy the challenge of mating the unknown know. It’s incredibly intriguing – the challenge of solving a puzzle, whatever if might be, and bringing your brain to a level where it doesn’t have prior information but still needs to solve something. That process is brilliant to me.

What would be the title of your autobiography and why?

It’s an interesting question. I love futuristic things, like thinking about 2050 or 2100 and how society will evolve. A funny title could be “The Basketball Player Who Became an IT Manager”, sin athleticism and geekiness don’t usually mix. But let’s go with the ancient Greet phrase: “A healthy mind in a healthy body”.

Working in technology impacts your brain a lot, so it’s critical to channel that energy into physical activities like sports to relieve pressure. Growing up with a mentality of athleticism and teamwork, I’ve learned to balance this with my IT career, expanding my horizons and becoming more adaptable.