Christo Sheppard

Christo Sheppard arrived in the Netherlands in November 2022. Read more about the story of Christo.

Christo, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
A while ago I started thinking about the next chapter in my career and what that would look like. The Netherlands seemed like an attractive option to explore. Ample work opportunities and traveling options around Europe.

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands everything works well and efficient such as public transport and the postal service. You will have to get around a few small annoyances such as the debit card system (luckily Visa, MasterCard and Amex are more widely accepted now) and having to figure out when a direct debit goes off your account. Luckily getting a bank account was very easy from a digital bank without having a BSN number. People here are very friendly and helpful.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
Currently working on the e-commerce project with Rijk Zwaan, launching digital channels in multiple countries selling numerous seed variants.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
The process went very well and smooth. The only hold up was waiting for the required documentation from SA Department of Home Affairs.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
The support was absolutely amazing from day one. summit developers guided me through each step and I was always updated. On arrival I had a house waiting for me, a fantastic internet connection as well as a very generous “starter kit” of essentials to get me going.