Stephan Surmont on 20 years at EBTS – Pro In Motion

Stephan, our Commercial Director, has something to celebrate! He has been working with us for 20 years. After all this time, he is still very passionate about his job, what we do and our team. Read more about his story in this article.

How it all started

“I have been active in the world of breakdown services since 1994. It was in my first job that I became acquainted with EBTS – then called ‘Banden de Condé’. The company I worked for was a client of EBTS’.”

“After some time, I got in touch with Frank Van Parijs, the CEO of EBTS today – back then he was a project leader. In 2001, he asked me if I wanted to join the company which I did in 2002.

“The main reasons why I took the plunge were:

• I was impressed by EBTS’ high degree of IT integration.
• I shared Frank’s vision on the business
• I believed that Frank and I complemented each other: he was experienced in tyres, I was experienced in technical breakdown services.”

Tremendous growth of EBTS

“And I was right. The team, Frank and I built out the business from a tyre assistance platform to a company that is a globally renowned leading player in breakdown assistance for trailers.

Over the years, we have seen tremendous growth in the number of employees, offices, incoming cases, contracts with partners, expertise, and so on. I am very proud to be a part of it.”

A very international and fulfilling job

“Aside from taking care of the technical set-up of the business, I am responsible for all commercial activities. When a client contacts us, I guide them in the process from request to contract.”

“Then I assign the contract to account managers, who take care of the day-to-day communication. The account managers then report back to me and the rest of the management team. On top of inbound sales, I also do a lot of networking with customers all over the world, represent EBTS at expositions, and so on.”

“What I like most about my job is the travel. I enjoy meeting new people, speaking different languages and exploring new cultures. The fact that we have a noble job of helping people, is also rewarding. After I retire, I still see myself being a part of EBTS in some way. I look forward to the years ahead.”