Fabiënne van den Heuvel

Why this persona fits the audience

Owns launch planning and segment definitions for a 60-person payments software company in Amsterdam. She uses Dealroom exports, internal revenue data, and manual filtering to estimate company counts before new campaigns.

• Age: 36
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Occupation: Product Marketing Manager
• Income: €92k
• Education: MSc business economics
• Company size: 60
• Years in role: 4

“Understanding the 'why' behind the numbers is just as crucial as the numbers themselves; that's where the real strategy lies.”

Born and raised in a medium-sized Dutch town, Fabiënne developed an early appreciation for order and logic, which naturally led her to pursue business economics at university. Excelling academically, she earned her MSc, focusing on market analysis and strategy. Her career began in a more general marketing role at a larger tech firm, but she quickly found her niche in product marketing, drawn to the challenge of bridging the gap between product development and market understanding. Four years ago, she joined her current company, a rapidly scaling payments software provider, attracted by its innovative product and the opportunity to shape its go-to-market strategy. Her role demands a rigorous approach; she is the architect of their customer segmentation and the custodian of launch plans. Her daily grind involves wrestling with data from sources like Dealroom and internal revenue figures, meticulously cleaning and filtering it to build a reliable picture of their addressable market, often requiring manual verification before new campaigns are approved. This commitment to accuracy is paramount, driven by a desire for efficient execution and cross-functional alignment. She sees her work not just as marketing, but as providing the foundational intelligence that guides the entire company's growth trajectory. Fabiënne is cautious with her finances, preferring to save and invest strategically rather than indulge in fleeting trends, reflecting a broader life philosophy of building a stable, well-reasoned future. She values intellectual stimulation and spends her free time delving into design podcasts and exploring urban planning concepts, which she finds surprisingly relevant to market dynamics.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Fabiënne's typical weekday starts around 7:30 AM with coffee and a quick scan of industry news. She commutes by bike to her office in the city center, listening to a design podcast. Her workday is structured around team syncs, deep-dive analysis sessions on campaign performance, and refining segmentation criteria. Lunch is often a quick affair at her desk or a walk to a nearby cafe. The afternoon is dedicated to preparing launch plans, documenting segment definitions, and collaborating with the sales enablement team on messaging. She aims to leave by 6 PM, often fitting in a quick gym session before heading home.

Lifestyle

Fabiënne shares a stylish canal-side apartment in Amsterdam Zuid with her partner, a software engineer. Their weekends often involve exploring new city neighborhoods, visiting galleries, or cycling through the countryside. She's health-conscious, favoring farmers' markets for fresh produce and enjoys cooking. Financially, she's a saver, prioritizing long-term security over impulsive purchases, but doesn't shy away from investing in quality experiences or well-designed items. Socially, she prefers smaller gatherings with close friends over large parties.

Work life

As a Product Marketing Manager at a growing payments software firm, Fabiënne is deeply involved in defining target customer segments and orchestrating product launches. Her days are a blend of strategic planning and hands-on data analysis. She collaborates closely with product, sales, and engineering teams, ensuring everyone is aligned on go-to-market strategies. The pressure to deliver accurate market sizing for new campaigns is constant, leading her to meticulously refine her data extraction and filtering processes using tools like Dealroom and internal CRM data.

Relationships

Fabiënne's closest relationships are with her partner, who offers a different technical perspective, and a small circle of university friends who understand the pressures of professional life. Her team at work is a source of mutual support, particularly her direct manager, who she respects for her strategic vision.

How they decide

Fabiënne approaches decisions with a strong bias towards data and thorough research. She values evidence and prefers to analyze multiple sources before committing to a course of action. When faced with complex choices, she consults relevant data, seeks input from colleagues whose expertise she trusts, and then makes a calculated, often conservative, choice.

How they sound

Her speech is clear, precise, and moderately paced. She avoids overly casual slang and maintains a professional, yet approachable, tone. She uses business terminology accurately but doesn't overdo it, preferring clarity over jargon. She's not afraid to ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding. Her Dutch accent is subtle but present, particularly in her vowel pronunciation.