At Keesing, we’re all about connecting the dots. From forging new partnerships to crafting engaging puzzles that stimulate minds worldwide, we’re dedicated to providing unique Braintainment experiences. With offices across Europe and the US, our team of entrepreneurial thinkers is involved, collaborative and believes in a good work-life balance. Join us at Keesing, a global leader in Braintainment, where fun meets creativity and every connection counts.
Thirteen brands, fourteen offices, four values, one culture,
one company.
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We are open and we collaborate. That’s a no brainer. We are accessible to everyone as a cohesive team - a team you can always reach, even if our dots are scattered across offices or borders.
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We support each other in our efforts and we help each other to learn, achieve and grow. By helping each other, we all benefit.
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We aim high and we are results driven. And we are always up for a challenge.
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We welcome new opportunities with open arms, so we support entrepreneurial thinkers. They, like our millions of players, take the initiative to connect the dots.
Keesing was founded in 1911 by the Dutch journalist Isaäc Keesing and has since grown into a global market leader in print, online, and digital puzzle formats. It all began with Keesing’s introduction of Denksport, the first Dutch puzzle magazine. Denksport started a new puzzle-playing craze that quickly made the brand a household name. Since then we’ve built Keesing into the largest publisher of puzzles and Braintainment games by working hard and being result-driven.
We are a global company loved by customers and colleagues alike because of our accessibility.
Keesing is a company that fosters exploration and creativity by nurturing a supportive culture
We are an ever-expanding Braintainment business that is constantly reinventing itself, thanks to our entrepreneurial spirit.
Meet our colleagues! A network of dots spread across the globe, working together to create Braintainment for all.
Monika Stalberg joined Keesing Sweden three years ago through a company acquisition, which led to a lot of change, and welcome growth. “Our previous owners did not really focus on puzzle material. But with Keesing, we’ve been able to expand our brands and our team, which I have enjoyed establishing in my new role.”
One of the biggest challenges Monika faces is achieving a balance of creativity for her team along with operational efficiency. “There are many great opportunities and products as well as business developments, and our team collaborates really well and always think of great new ideas. But we can’t automate our process, so it’s always a challenge to be creative and save time with the latest technology,” explains Monika. On the other hand, she is proud of a few special achievements like migrating most of the portfolio and subscriptions, collaborating with the teams in Amsterdam and overcoming technical challenges, to adopting an innovative new production model.
“The culture in Keesing Sweden is relaxed and a lot of fun even though we work really hard,” says Monika. “Since everyone has been working from home, we make an extra effort to stay in touch with daily digital chats and Teams meetings.”
Monika’s days are full managing a team of 23 editors in Stockholm and the Copenhagen office. “We create all the B2B puzzles for a variety of magazines and daily newspapers, to a Lidl store chain product for its retail shops and even book collaborations, too. And we’re planning to expand into additional new markets,” she says.
In her free time, Monika keeps busy with her teenagers, who are involved in a variety of sport activities. A true nature lover, Monika also enjoys visiting the local ski slopes, city park or relaxing at a nearby lake. If you ask Monika why you should join Keesing, she says, “Be prepared to connect with a variety of talented people and experience innovative developments.”
When a recruiter approached Iwan Cheng about a role with Keesing three years ago, he immediately felt it would be a good match for his interest in gaming. Iwan was excited to work on creating new digital puzzles in such a unique environment. “I’m based in the Amsterdam headquarters and it’s a nice diverse environment. Everyone is very friendly,” he says.
Digital puzzles are a fast-growing focus for Keesing and Iwan is at the heart of new product development. “Our teams build a variety of digital puzzle products for the web and apps.” Iwan gathers ideas and feedback from his colleagues and puzzle players and then transforms those ideas into products together with developers, designers, testers and editors.
One of the biggest challenges for Iwan as the Product Owner is to represent the needs of different stakeholders. “As the linchpin, it can be a challenge to transform creative ideas into something tangible while keeping everybody happy.” And his proudest achievement is to see products that he helped build being played by friends and family.
What does Iwan enjoy most about Keesing? “It’s not just the great products we develop, but I love creating something that really makes people happy and fulfils a need,” says Iwan. The digital products he works on are smart and fun entertainment. “Playing these puzzle games is a good mental exercise so it’s like guilt-free fun. And I get to work with brilliant people with a passion for puzzles every day in a fun workplace, too.”
Iwan is a true gamer at heart and plays all the latest games in his free time. “It’s a big hobby for me,” he says. If you ask Iwan why you should join Keesing, he says, “You’ll work on really fun products in a diverse, creative environment where your ideas are appreciated. And your colleagues are very friendly and welcoming.”
Paula Cascio Felgueras truly personifies the diversity and European reach of Keesing. Eight years ago, her journey began at Keesing in Paris, before she joined the Amsterdam office and then moved in 2020 to Italy. “After earning my Master’s degree in teaching Spanish, I joined a fellow trainee at the Cervantes Institute and started my job at Keesing at the Paris office on a part-time basis. Then a full-time role opened in Amsterdam and I worked there until moving to Italy last year,” she says.
One of the biggest challenges for Paula was on a personal level when she moved from Amsterdam to Italy during COVID-19. “Everyone had started working remotely and when I left, I wasn’t able to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues. It felt very strange to leave an empty office behind and then start a new life in Italy.” But since she moved, Paula has enjoyed a special achievement when her team helped introduce Megastar as the first puzzle maker to the Spanish market.
The number one thing Paula enjoys most about Keesing is the people. “You’re part of a company but you never feel alone. I’ve always had very nice colleagues to work with. It really feels like a family and there are always fun events that they plan for us.”
There is always something new in her role as Editor and technology plays a big part of Paula’s daily activities, including starting a Spanish database and developing a new Italian one, too. “We create puzzles using sophisticated software and are building databases with the words, definitions, themes and more. I am also training my Italian colleagues how to use the software as well as input words for the puzzles. It’s really fun,” says Paula.
With an eleven month-old daughter, Paula doesn’t have a lot of free time on her hands. Before having a baby, she enjoyed going to the opera or to the cinema. But one thing she keeps doing is teaching Spanish and Italian on the side. “Teaching has always been a big passion of mine,” says Paula. If you ask Paula why you should join Keesing, she says, “The company keeps growing and evolving its technology, and you can adapt and grow too.”
David Achille joined Keesing when he reached a personal milestone — turning 50. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone,” he says about leaving a sports newspaper role for Keesing. “What attracted me was the freedom to implement my action plans, their international presence and ongoing developments. Keesing respects people and gives me the tools to succeed.”
In his role as Commercial Director for France, David enjoys motivating a team of 65 people on the ground and in the office as they provide traditional and new brands to the market. “My job is to take care of assets and lead and motivate my team as we also produce a new brand called Megajeux to the market. It sells next to our traditional products like Megastar and Sport Cérébral,” he says.
One of the main challenges David faces is not gaining customer acceptance but getting buy-in from vendors with this new brand. “Our bigger issue is how to distribute our new products with the agreement from supermarket chains who don’t want to put them on shelves because they’re outside the traditional scope and they’re not familiar with them.”
Before David joined Keesing, he worked in a pyramid organization structure that didn’t motivate people. “Now I can give my team the freedom to grow. If people understand goals and share information in an open environment, they understand the context of the company or market and it’s easier to motivate them,” he says. “And even during Covid when everyone was isolated we were still able to launch Megajeux, our new brand. It’s very special and a real achievement that reflects our great teamwork.”
What does David enjoy most about Keesing? “With a team-based organization structure, everyone can speak freely and share their ideas, which is very important to me. We are more intelligent together than alone. It’s the kind of company where we make decisions together.”
An avid nature lover, David enjoys scuba diving and mountaineering in his spare time and has climbed the French Alps and Nepal mountains several times. If you ask David why you should join Keesing, he says, “Keesing is a proficient and reactive company where employees are at the center of everything and where your opinion matters.”
The first time Maria Eca heard about Keesing was when a recruiter approached her eleven years ago. “I started as a Production Assistant and then took over for my manager when she left,” says Maria, whose role has continued to evolve. “I enjoy being part of a big company that still has a small business culture. We all work efficiently and solve issues together and everyone is very approachable at every level.”
With her Italian roots and Danish culture, Maria feels like she strikes a perfect balance between being an open communicator while managing projects between the editors and developers. One of her biggest challenges is to provide the perfect link between various departments and team members. Maria’s team of ten editors publish traditional magazines and B2B products as well as meet a growing demand of B2R customer orders.
“It is challenging when there are many people involved in a project and I need to make sure everyone is heard and happy from our local teams to the Amsterdam team, too.” Maria is also proud of achieving the right balance between her people and project management skills. “With such a large team and new products to produce, it’s always rewarding when we deliver great results and make profits for the company.”
As a mother of three daughters who take horse riding lessons, Maria doesn’t have a lot of spare time to herself. But with her Italian roots, family-time is very important and she also enjoys taking Latin dance lessons. If you ask Maria why you should join Keesing, she says, “You’ll enjoy all the benefits of a large company but still feel like you’re working in a small, close-knit group. It’s the best of both worlds.”
In 2019, Jean-Paul Lo-Ten-Foe decided to join Keesing Netherlands for a variety of reasons. “I was impressed with the culture at Keesing and how well people get along with each other. It’s also exciting because the company is in a growth phase with acquisitions, developing new products and expanding into new markets,” he says.
One of the biggest challenges Jean-Paul has experienced was launching a new finance system in 2019. “It took longer than planned, but that isn’t unusual in these kind of developments. It was also a challenge to get everyone to welcome the new system and keep morale strong as we were working out the bugs. Success didn’t happen overnight but now everyone is experiencing the advantages.” Jean-Paul is also proud of developing his finance team, who offer a wide range of expertise and can keep growing with Keesing in the future.
There is no average day at Keesing for Jean-Paul, which includes everything from handling payments and adhoc tasks to month-end finances. He manages a team of seven who range in age from 25 to 52 years’ old. “It’s a really diverse team and we all work really well together. Everyone is very nice and professional and our company culture is informal and energetic.”
Jean-Paul enjoys spending weekends taking his wife, two sons and a daughter on day trips, having barbecues with friends as well as playing soccer. If you ask Jean-Paul why you should join Keesing, he says, “You’ll join an energetic company with a positive vibe where you can grow together with the company.”
When David Wakefield began working with Keesing Spain, he signed up for a one-year project. Today, he is celebrating his ten-year milestone. And while David had never heard of Keesing before he joined, he’s stayed on for its unique culture and more.
“It was an exciting challenge to expand the Megastar brand to the Spanish markets. While I wasn’t very familiar with the puzzle industry, all of the people were friendly and professional, which made it an easy decision.”
David’s responsibilities range from bringing in new business, growing client and distributor relationships to expanding digital and B2B products. His greatest challenge has been to grow the business in Spain from the ground up. “We’re still small compared to other Keesing country locations but we keep growing organically and are aligned with the company’s strategy.” Meanwhile his biggest accomplishment has been to develop the unique Keesing culture. “It’s a very open culture where our team is autonomous and everyone is encouraged to be independent and informal.”
David thrives on challenge and enjoy its people and culture. “In spite of our smaller team, Keesing as a group always makes us feel like we’re not alone and encourages us to expand the business under the inspiring leadership of our CEO Philip Alberdingk Thijm.”
David spends his free time with his wife and two children and enjoys playing Padel. If you ask David why you should join Keesing, he says, “Think big. It’s a brilliant time to join Keesing. It keeps developing and you’ll have opportunities you can create yourself to grow your professional career in a very positive environment.”
Do you have what it takes to help us achieve our ambitions? Check out the open positions below and get in touch.