Welcome to Consultant Spotlight, a series where we shine a light on the talented professionals driving success at Investigo. In each edition, we get to know one of our consultants a little better - diving into their background, expertise, and the impact they’re making across the business.
We're thrilled to spotlight Dan Clark this month who has made the move to our new Amsterdam office to help grow the Investigo presence in the Netherlands!
Can you outline your role as a recruiter?
I’m a recruiter for freelance data roles across the Netherlands. This means that my role involves speaking with Data Managers & Directors to understand upcoming project requirements to support them with available consultants that meet their needs. Typically this involves regular meetings on Teams and onsite to understand the specific needs from a technical and cultural perspective. Following this, I will take 48-72 hours to connect with my immediate network and conduct a thorough market search to provide a shortlist of candidates that could be considered for an interview. After the interview process has concluded and the manager has decided on their preferred candidate, I am responsible for the contractual process, including conducting compliance checks and onboarding of the candidate.
As the freelancer will usually be hired for a given number of months, part of my role includes regular catch-ups with the manager and consultant to understand the progress made on the project and their individual contributions, as well as processing any contract extensions if necessary.
What types of roles/ specific areas or industries do you find yourself recruiting for?
My specialism is Data & Analytics within the Netherlands. Due to the nature of my market, with very niche, highly-skilled profiles, most candidates are industry-agnostic, so I do not constrain myself into one particular industry, however I have made a lot of placements in particular with Retail & E-Commerce clients over the past few years. Typical positions that I will hire for include:
Data Engineers
Data Analysts
Business Intelligence Engineers
Data Scientists
Machine Learning Engineers
AI Engineers
Can you share a success story where you helped a candidate land a role that was a perfect fit for them?
In May 2024, a candidate that interviewed via Investigo was offered a 12 month contract with a major Amsterdam-based client. Unfortunately, the client had sudden financial difficulties and despite the Manager and candidate wanting to collaborate, they were unable to finalise the contract. The candidate was understandably disappointed, however I kept in contact with him despite him securing a new position with a different company.
In April 2025, I was spending the day onsite with a client, meeting with multiple managers. One manager found out that I was at their office and was aware of a new requirement for a colleague of his, so booked a meeting room for me and his colleague. As I had a rough idea of the profile that was required and knew the candidate was searching again for a new role, I was able to walk into the meeting with a manager that I had not heard of before, already prepared with the CV of a candidate that I knew was available and strong, both technically and culturally. I gave the manager my laptop to review the CV and he agreed to interview the candidate, and he began working for the client the next month.
Due to keeping in contact with the candidate for 12 months, I was able to land him his perfect role.
How do you see the future of recruitment evolving in the next few years?
Those exposed to the world of business in 2025 will likely have seen first-hand the explosion in Generative AI content via online Platforms such as LinkedIn. I believe that the increase in usage of AI tools will lead to fewer recruitment conversations via email, as companies get more focused on the importance of cybersecurity and enabling their employees to focus more on their work and less on the external noise. Therefore I believe that recruitment companies will have to really focus on becoming trusted partners as opposed to just providing a one-off service.
This will come in the form of both a focus on human connections, building relationships with clients in-person and face-to-face, wherever possible, as well as ensuring the companies are capable of servicing clients with multiple solutions to meet their needs.
What inspired you to make the move to Amsterdam?
As I believe there will be an increase in the importance of in-person collaboration, I wanted to make sure that I could easily meet with the clients that I support. At present I am trying to spend 1 day per week onsite with a client, whether this be for a meeting at the office, lunch, or evening drinks. So far this has involved me travelling to Den Haag, Eindhoven & Groningen, as well as spending regular time in Amsterdam (where the Investigo EU office is located) and Utrecht, where I live.
I have also been able to easily travel to Barcelona, Milan & Berlin, for client meetings. Additionally, consultants are far more accessible, so I have been able to organise coffee-meets with potential candidates as well as for the consultants that Investigo have already placed on freelance assignments.
Organising the Investigo quarterly candidate dinner has been far easier, where the current consultants working for us are taken out for a meal as a way of saying thanks. Another benefit I have following my move is the ability to assimilate more with the culture of the Netherlands. I am taking evening classes in Dutch, with an objective of passing my B1 Dutch exam later this year. I also have enrolled on a cycling proficiency course in Utrecht where I aim to skill myself up from being an English cyclist to a Dutch one!
How has the consulting work differed in Amsterdam (clients, industries, work culture)?
Due to the lower level of corporation tax in the Netherlands compared to the UK, there are a lot of global tech firms with headquarters in Amsterdam. For the same reason, many startups are founded in Amsterdam. For both reasons, there is a strong focus on hiring for data & analytics professionals. Regarding the work culture, The Netherlands also has a healthier work-life balance. They prioritise quality over quantity, have more holiday days and there is less pressure to work over-time than in the UK - in fact there is sometimes even a bit of a stigma around this due to the association with burnout and a lack of enjoyment in life.
There are also far more benefits provided to Dutch employees; there is better Sick Leave protection, more Parental leave and most employees receive travel expenses to commute to the office. There are also far more people in the Netherlands who work part-time, as 32 hour or 36-hour weeks are quite common.
Dutch people are far more direct in their communication, however the market in the Netherlands is very international, especially in Amsterdam. The international culture in the Netherlands does mean that some businesses prioritise Dutch speakers, some prioritise English speakers and some will require both. Finally, the Netherlands has a far more diverse candidate pool than the UK. This is both due to the freedom of movement across the EU, but also many policies in the Netherlands designed to encourage highly skilled migrants and make it easy for them to gain Visa sponsorship.
