Hans Faber

-Storyteller by heart-

At heart, I have always been a storyteller. From my first steps into journalism as a 23-year-old reporter for Het  Financieele Dagblad - covering the plight of corporations and breaking financial scandals to my days at Nike where I wrote about the experiences of athletes on and off the field - I've always told stories. In my experience, the best way of conveying a message is to translate it into a compelling narrative. And that's where I come in.

It was an eye-opener of enormous proportions to discover after several months at my School for Journalism that I could write. Not that I was convinced - but my articles often seemed clearer and simpler than those of my fellow students. And I could turn them around faster too. I guess I discovered my destiny.

Since then, I have created thousands of stories in all sorts of formats: from interviews, videos and white papers to best-selling books. And in all kind of roles as well: business journalist for Het Financieele Dagblad and De Volkskrant, head of communications for Nike, co-owner of an agency working for leading names such as Facebook, Zalando and Patagonia and for the last couple of years as an independent advisor, copywriter and spokesperson.

The good thing about storytelling is it never gets dull and I like to do this in many ways. I build stories about the strategy of a company to engage employees, investors and the media around a compelling narrative. I aim to captivate consumers and clients with stories about their products and services. And I train business executives to craft their own stories by considering topics from an external perspective. In my experience, viewing the boardroom through the lens of a journalist always helps to separate "corporate talk" from real stories. I write brochures, annual reports and case studies that help companies in promoting their business.

My work has gained regular recognition. As a young journalist I was nominated twice for the award for talented journalists. My book 'Anne' made the no. 1 spot on the Dutch bestsellers list and 'De Rus', the first book of my Van Zandt thriller series, got two nominations for debut thriller of the year.

I am also the proud co-founder of Namens de Famillie, an organization supporting families interact with the media after tragedy has befallen them. Since the launch in 2019 we have helped hundreds of families and survivors tell their stories to the press in a way that supports their path to recovery.

I operate as an independent, but I am used to collaborating with agencies and teams of clients.

What else is there to say? I like doing sports and the outdoors, love both the city and the mountains and truly believe people can do more than they believe possible. They just need a gentle push every now and then.

I work from Amsterdam and the Lausanne area for both Dutch and international clients.

Hans Faber

Faber

Communicatie