“When we introduce Quooker in a new country, we start small. A country manager is appointed and begins from a small office or flexible workspace. Our IT department provides a computer or laptop, possibly a printer, an email address and access to the network. We call this onboarding,” explains Team Lead IT Operations Ralf Hulsker. “We make sure the workstations function properly. As the international team expands — as is currently happening in Italy — server racks are needed, additional switches, user accounts, a firewall, more laptops and printers, as well as meeting rooms equipped with audio and video technology. We have created a blueprint that we can apply to every new country.”

Across the Ocean The blueprint is only a starting point, as each country has its own specific focus areas. “At the moment, Quooker is exploring the possibility of expanding intercontinentally. For IT, this represents a major leap in terms of complexity, governance and scalability. We are preparing for that as thoroughly as possible.”

Country managers also occasionally approach IT with ideas and requests they had not anticipated. “Our colleagues in the UK, for example, are very entrepreneurial. They wanted to be able to host customers in an online environment and asked us to create a so-called Zoom room where they can give demonstrations. We arranged that for them, along with a mobile kitchen unit from which they can stream to social media. It’s great to receive those kinds of ideas and think: how can I make this work?”

Ad Hoc Telephony also falls under Ralf’s department. “Many companies take out mobile subscriptions for their employees, but at Quooker we handle everything via Teams Calling.” Whenever there is a system outage or a colleague experiences issues with their computer, the IT department is called upon. “Colleagues want to continue their work and hope you can resolve the problem quickly. That’s what makes the job so varied,” Ralf says. “On the one hand, you’re focused on the long term — supporting the company’s growth and onboarding new countries, which sometimes involves travel. On the other hand, there are the ad hoc issues you need to solve for colleagues as quickly as possible. It’s always different and often surprising. And quite often, you make people’s day.”

Posted on 20-04-2026