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Housing  Anywhere  B.V.,  Oostzeedijk  90,  3063  GB  Rotterdam,  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  number:  58199276,  Rotterdam,  the  Netherlands      |      Tax  number:  NL853222368  

Housing  Anywhere  B.V.    Oostzeedijk  90  3063  GB  Rotterdam  The  Netherlands    

Letter  of  Recommendation  for  Robin  Fricke  

 

To  whom  it  may  concern,    

My  name  is  Niels  van  Deuren,  Founder  &  CEO  of  HousingAnywhere.com.  HousingAnywhere.com  is  a  housing  platform  for  students,  especially  those  aiming  for  exchange  or  an   internship,  who  want  to  sublet   or   rent   accommodation   for   a   limited   period   of   time.   I   developed   the   concept   due   to   a  problem   I   faced   myself   when   leaving   for   exchange   to   Singapore   in   2008.   The   website   was   first  created   solely   for   the   Rotterdam   School   of   Management,   Erasmus   University,   but   since   then  evolved.  We  now  are  present  more   than  70  countries  at  more   than  100  universities,  have  15   full-­‐time   employees,   and   have   received   a   second   round   of   funding,   valuing   the   company   just   over   1  million  USD.  

I  hereby  confirm  that  Robin  Fricke  has  worked   for  my  company  as   the  Country  Manager  Germany  and  as  part  of  the  Customer  Care  team  from  February  2015  –  August  2015.  

His  job  here  at  HousingAnywhere.com  carries  the  following  responsibilities:  

• Developing  a  strategy  for  selling  &  launching  HousingAnywhere.com  in  Germany.  • Convincing  a  university  to  join  HousingAnywhere.com.  • Developing   a   global   marketing   strategy   including   promotional   campaigns   in   cities   and  

universities,  using  offline  as  well  as  online  and  social  media.  • Being  actively  involved  in  weekly  meetings  with  top  management.  • Maintaining  relationships  with  potential  and  current  users  of  the  platform.  • Helping  HousingAnywhere.com  to  set  up  a  strategy  to  develop  client  relationships.  • Increasing  the  number  of  rooms  rented  out  on  the  platform.    

Robin   is  a  very  motivated  and  committed  member  of  the  Head  Office  team.  He  always  works  very  hard   and   completes   tasks   on   time,   bringing   in   several   very   good   ideas   to   the   team  meetings   and  often  works  after  hours  in  order  to  complete  his  tasks  to  a  high  standard.  It  is  for  this  reason  as  well  that  Robin  is  very  disciplined  in  his  nature  and  organised  with  outstanding  time  keeping  skills,  as  he  is  always  on  time  and  manages  to  balance  his  work  life  and  personal  life  very  well.  In  addition,  Robin  in  his  role  as  Country  Manager  Germany  and  as  part  of  the  Customer  Care  team  showed  excellent  self-­‐discipline,   coping   independently   with   a   lot   of   responsibility.   He   showed   a   constant   strong  interest   in   innovative   ideas,   flourished   in   strategic   discussions   we   had   about   the   future   of   my  company,  and  contributed  a  strong  analytical  yet  visionary  perspective  to  them.  As  an  Entrepreneur  I  would  be  happy  to  work  with  Robin  again.    

Robin   has   excellent   communication   skills   both   orally   and   written.   For   example,   he   has   written  several  articles  for  a  newspaper,  which  were  published  about  HousingAnywhere.com.  In  addition,  he  interacts  well  with  the  team  and  is  comfortable  with  talking  to  universities  as  our  main  customers,  student  unions,  current  users  and  other  stakeholders  of  the  HousingAnywhere.com  concept.  He  has  

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Housing  Anywhere  B.V.,  Oostzeedijk  90,  3063  GB  Rotterdam,  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  number:  58199276,  Rotterdam,  the  Netherlands      |      Tax  number:  NL853222368  

undertaken  sucessful  meetings  with  several  high-­‐level  staff  members  at  many  universities   in  which  he  presented  HousingAnywhere.com  and  convinced  the  universities  to  join  the  platform.    

Robin  consistently  led  by  example.  He  was  dedicated  to  and  motivated  by  his  job,  constantly  going  the  extra  mile  for  the  team.   In  case  one  of  the  team  members  had  a  problem,  Robin  was  there  to  help,   even  past  working  hours.   Robin’s   interpersonal   skills   lead   to   him  being   a   team  player   and   a  great  leader.  Robin´s  passion  and  ability  to  develop  a  holistic  view  let  him  connect  with  people  and  guide  them  towards  a  common  goal,  while  still  showing  how  essential  each  part  of  it  is.  Within  the  team,   new   employees   highly   valued   his   advice   since   he   was   able   to   transfer   knowledge  comprehensibly  and  structured,  providing  a  clear  overview  of  the  business.  

Robin   embodies   a   rare   combination   of   qualities,   skills,   and   values   at   many   levels:   for   one   he  combines   creativity   with   an   analytical   approach   and   rationality.   On   a   more   personal   level   he   is  extremely   ambitious   and   goal-­‐oriented,  while   still   showing   so  much  empathy   and   care   for   others,  and  a  great  sense  of  humour.  This  mix  makes  him  a  great  part  of  any  environment,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  flourish  in  your  organisation  in  many  ways,  being  a  valuable  addition  to  your  community.  

I  wish  him  all  the  best  and  highly  recommend  him.  If  you  have  any  questions  that  I  could  not  answer  yet,  please  feel  free  to  contact  me  via  niels@housinganywhere.com  or  +31  6  2324  5967.  

 

Kind  regards,    

 

Niels  van  Deuren  Founder  &  CEO