Ilse Helmons

Beyond ego and profit lies a world of value which cannot be captures in an Excel sheet

After studying economics, Ilse gained years of sales and process management experience in commercial services. Just as many career switches have a starting point in the private sphere, the choice to work for a charity almost 8 years ago also found its source in a private matter. When her son became ill (he was diagnosed with epilepsy) she decided to stop working and start focussing on caring. She was lived by docters’ appointments, hospitalization and arranging life according to her son’s abilities.

“In such a period of time you realize how much my answer to the question ‘who are you?’ was work-related and how little the answer was really about me. In addition to child-care, it also became a period of self-insight and thinking about the future. For Ilse, it became clear that she no longer wanted to use her knowledge and skills for results related to profit, shareholder value and sales targets.

She decided to work for the unique charity Make-A-Wish Netherlands. Because make no mistake, a charity also bears the responsibilaty of achieving results. The result is impact. Creating impact for children with a life-threatening disease by granting their dearest wish. This decision requires focus, knowledge, courage, experience but provides a sense of added value, in a way she never experencied before.