Oscar Rangel

To keep up with Status Plus’ steady growth, Oscar reinforced the team of Status Plus in 2015.

After finishing his Study Leisure Management at the Stenden University in Leeuwarden (North of Holland), Oscar gained his organizational skills within a wide variety of activities, varying from small business courses to holiday trips all over the world and from small Board- to extensive business meetings for up to 3,500 delegates.

Over the years, Oscar has been able to develop his managerial and leadership skills in different positions in both the profit as well as non-profit sector. This resulted in broad experience and the ability to work with different teams on various political levels.

In his current position of CHRO, Oscar is responsible for the strategic management of the workforce within Status Plus. He is overseeing all aspects of human resources and plays a crucial role in shaping the company’s culture, driving employee engagement and ensuring the organization attracts, develops, and retains talent. Besides his HR-responsibilities, Oscar is also involved in daily operations, business development, (internal) project management and strategy & planning of the company.

Among the multitude of sports that capture his interest, Soccer, Kickboxing, and Formula 1 stand out as his prime passions,

Merel Hartog

In 2006, Merel graduated from the study of Tourism and Leisure Management at Inholland University in Amsterdam, after which she started her career as a project manager at Parthen Meeting Services. Working hard, efficiently, and accurately on all aspects of the realization of meetings and events, Merel found out she loved being part of this discipline, especially in the medical field.

Her skills as a strong project manager emerged after moving to Benecke Medical Education and Publishing. Within this company, Merel had ultimate responsibility for a wide variety of activities, such as the full organization of (year)symposia, reviews, telereviews®, workshops, skills training, and e-learning organized for medical specialists.

In 2013, Merel found her new challenge at Status Plus in her role of Association Manager, then changed positions to Association Director, and with her no-nonsense approach and her smart way of thinking, she has been a highly valued/not-for-profit person for all societies she is managing. Merel’s activities include but are not limited to helping define strategy, business development activities, financial monitoring, maintaining the master planning of projects, preparing meetings of the executive board, marketing & communications activities, and reporting and acting as the main point of contact to members.

Together with her husband, Merel lives in the Northwest of Holland, and they are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters.

Matilda Lindblom

Originally from Finland, Matilda has called Amsterdam her home for over two years. Her career path has taken her across industries and continents, from marketing in the Finnish shipping industry to international diplomacy in South Africa, and B2B software marketing in the Netherlands.

She joined Status Plus as a Communications Specialist in October 2025, bringing with her a strong background in strategic communications and a passion for building meaningful connections.

Matilda holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature with minors in Mass Communication and English Language & Literature from Åbo Akademi University, as well as a Master’s Degree in Journalism and Communication from the University of Helsinki. Naturally social and curious, she thrives in international environments and enjoys meeting people from diverse backgrounds.

In her free time, Matilda can be found immersed in a good book, at dance class, or out for a run. She loves journaling, traveling, and has recently discovered a passion for crochet.

Marlies Grent

Marlies has her background in tourism, specifically in the cruise industry. After graduation for tourism management, she developed her skills with educations in marketing, sales and communication. Throughout the years she fulfilled a variety of roles in these fields.

In 2009 she was co-founder and board member of a Dutch association for the cruise industry to promote awareness and a sustainable and safe environment to travel. In 2011 this association integrated in the world’s largest cruise industry trade association where she became national director for the Netherlands until 2016. She coordinated all activities for members and stakeholders and initiated a variety of promotional campaigns in the Netherlands such as member events, press meetings and media campaigns. With her enthusiasm and strength to connect people, she managed to create a strong, collaborative association.

From 2016 she moved back to the commercial side of the industry working for a niche travel organization where she managed projects, primarily with the goal to optimize customer experiences. Working in a demanding environment, she has developed the ability to offer high-end services and create loyal relationships.

In 2021 Marlies joined Status Plus in the role of Assocation Coordinator. She assists with day-to-day operations of both the national (Dutch) and international associations Status Plus is serving.
Marlies actively supports and collaborates with (executive) management, association leadership and committees to provide continuous support.

Marlies enjoys relaxing in the garden of her home in the Northwest of Holland where she lives with her husband. Furthermore, she likes travelling, cycling, waterpolo and open water swimming.

Madeleine Camp

Madeleine was born in the UK, but raised in France, Spain and Italy and with her moving to the Netherlands for her studies in 2018, she truly qualifies as ‘multicultural’.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Amsterdam in 2021. After her studies, she spent her time volunteering helping charities receive the attention they deserve.

Madeleine joined Status Plus as an Association Coordinator in July 2023 and is excited to work within a thriving and international company and contribute to the success of Status Plus.

In her spare time Madeleine enjoys seeing friends and family and furthermore, she has recently started playing the great game of padel.

Lilian Heemstra

Lilian holds a bachelor’s degree in European Studies. During her final year placement, she was offered a job at her placement company in Paris, France. She gladly accepted the offer and emigrated to France in the Fall of 2014. Before joining Status Plus as a Project- and Event Coordinator she worked as a logistics, marketing and communication manager for a French company that organizes btob events for the aerospace and automotive industries all around the world. And though Lilian has performed the associated activities with pleasure for many years the long for her home country made her return back to The Netherlands in the Fall of 2020. Lilian is a passionate, thoughtful and driven young professional with 6+ years’ experience in the organization of international events. She is curious and entrepreneurial. Loves working on a project basis, can act quickly and deals well with high pressure. She enjoys working in an energetic environment with motivated colleagues. Organizing events down to the last detail – whether this is for 80 participants or for 2000 – can be a challenge in many different ways but it’s these challenges that make her thrive. In her spare time, she enjoys catching up with friends and family, reading, visiting museums and watching sports (tennis, football, F1, cycling… you name it!). She is also a fanatic korfball player.

Katherine Thompson

Katherine is originally from the UK and relocated to the Netherlands over five years ago to pursue a Master’s Degree in Strategy and Organization at Vrije Universiteit. Since completing her studies, she has gained valuable experience in the tech industry as a project manager.

Katherine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and brings several years of experience from her work in a variety of non-profit organizations. This includes roles with the National Health Service, a prominent mental health charity, and a hospice. In these positions, she developed strong skills in managing volunteer-led projects, event coordination, relationship management, and driving continuous improvements through effective collaboration.

Outside of work, Katherine is passionate about sports, exploring new places, and attending music concerts. She currently lives in Amsterdam with her husband, young son, and dog.

Jeroen Wiggers

Jeroen is originally from the eastern part of the Netherlands, and now living in Zaandam (greater Amsterdam area). With a background in professional audio engineering he transitioned into the world of graphic design and eventually into web development. For the past 15 years, Jeroen has focussed mainly on Front-end web and WordPress development and has been working with a broad range of type of websites.

With his broad experience, Jeroen is a valuable addition to the close-knit team at Status Plus. He ensures that everything related to current — and future — WordPress web projects is well-structured and built according to the modern standards to secure top-notch websites for all clients.

Jeroen lives on a typical Dutch ‘dike’ and shares his home with his girlfriend, cat and 9-year-old daughter.
In his personal time, Jeroen enjoys playing guitar, cycling, riding motorcycle, traveling with his camper van, producing and enjoying music and social activities like scouting.

Frances van Klaveren

Frances is originally from the Netherlands and has spent 15 years in London, UK working for the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Biochemical Society. In 2021 she moved back to the Netherlands to join the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in Amsterdam, where she was responsible for developing a community of international associations as well as many of the organization’s sustainability and young professionals engagement initiatives.

Frances has a bachelor degree in Neuroscience and a post graduate qualification in Science Communication. In 2020, Frances became a Certified Association Executive through the ASAE in 2020 and has 16+ years’ experience in international programme management, membership engagement and volunteer management, working for non-profit associations.

Frances is passionate about working with association professionals from across the world, with a focus on science, engineering and medical disciplines. She also has a keen interest in regenerative and sustainable leadership and young professional engagement.

Frances joined Status Plus in June 2024 as the Association Manager for the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM).

In her spare time Frances likes to travel, get creative with photography, enjoy some yoga and also practices various forms of belly dance. Frances lives in the country side in the North of Holland with her German husband and British born daughter.

Erik Betjes

Directly after graduating from his Marketing and Communication study, Erik started working as an assistant branch manager in the field of telecommunication. However, after two years the opportunity to work in Aruba presented itself. Since working and gaining experience abroad was an offer he couldn’t resist, Erik left the country for a 1-year employment term. After this beautiful adventure, Erik moved back to the Netherlands and continued his career in the position of Account manager for a Print Management Company.

Throughout the years, Erik has been able to develop his administrative skills in various positions on different levels. With his efficient way of working and with his organizational and analytical skills, Erik has added important value to the Status Plus team since his start at the company in 2017.

Erik and his wife became the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy in July 2020 and obviously most of his free time is currently dedicated to this little one. Besides that, Erik likes to spend time on one of his main hobbies; soccer. This, both as an active player as well as by watching it in the comfort of his own home.