General Manager, Yves Casteels, about Authentage

FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS, GENERAL MANAGER YVES CASTEELS HAS BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE DAILY MANAGEMENT OF AUTHENTAGE.

IN THIS ARTICLE, WE LOOK BACK ON THE PAST PERIOD WITH YVES AND ARE CURIOUS ABOUT HIS FUTURE PLANS FOR AUTHENTAGE.

"When I look back on the past three years, I can certainly be positive. We had a clear plan in mind and have created the right bases for the future.

In the first year, we wanted to focus mainly on production, in the second year we looked mainly at market activation and in the last year we planned more product innovations.

Looking back at this period, I see that this plan has more or less been followed. Perhaps with a little delay here and there, but we have certainly succeeded in making Authentage a stable organisation.

We have become less dependent on the physical fairs, deployed agents in crucial regions and continued to build on our expertise in digital marketing.

Moreover, we continue to innovate, for example with batteries within our Bellefeu collection, as well as with alabaster, a new material that provides space for new collections. Trade fairs can also take place again, as shown by the recent, successful edition of Maison & Objet in Paris. It was great to be back there with our renewed stand!"

"The past years give me great confidence for the future and I am convinced that all this can lead to exponential growth in the coming years."

Corona as a catalyst for the expansion of expertise

"Corona has made things grow at a rapid pace. The time and energy that would normally be spent on the physical fairs came suddenly free. As a result, we were able to add several agents in different countries to our network more quickly and, moreover, to gain sooner expertise in digital marketing.

As a result, we have come through the turbulent period because of Covid-19 pretty well so far.

And these challenging times certainly did not stop us from working on great projects! A while ago we worked on a business centre in Morocco. A very beautiful and also the biggest project ever for Authentage. We are now looking forward to the result, which we hope to be able to share with you in the near future."

Experience and love for the product

"I have always worked within lighting and therefore have experience within the industry. I love the product and enjoy working on interior decoration.

Before we took over Authentage, I always worked for a multinational. So it was definitely an adjustment to work for a much smaller company, but the nice thing is...that there is more "a bit of everything" involved and it is more pragmatic work, which gives me a lot of energy. Moreover, we work in a small, manageable team where everyone knows each other quite well and enjoys working together. That makes working days particularly pleasant."

Proud of the current team

"The team at Authentage is now stronger and more ambitious than ever.

There have been some changes over the years, but despite these changes, I am now more confident than ever that the right team is in place for a bright future.

How would colleagues describe me? I think as someone who tries to think along and is a good listener. I am also usually positive minded."

"All colleagues go through fire for each other, and all noses are in the same direction, a very good basis for further growth."

WHO IS YVES?

Favourite Authentage lamp?

The Micro on Pin. It radiates a lot of what Authentage stands for: you can see the handcraft in it, you can create great lighting effects with it and it is just a very beautiful lamp.

Ultimate relaxation/exhaustion?

Sports. It used to be mainly football, nowadays tennis, paddle and occasionally running.

For which dish people can always wake you?

Like a real Belgian: steak or stew with fries! You can also wake me up for a good glass of wine.