Shift2's first podcast - 15 years of SIM Caribbean

The very first episode of partner Shift2's podcast is online! In this episode we look back on 15 years of SIM Caribbean with Mike de Ruiter, Managing Director of Shift2, and Wesley Eleonora, Managing Director of SIM Caribbean. Curious about the whole story?

A journey through time

SIM Caribbean, a subsidiary of Shift2, started in 2009 with the parliament of Aruba as its first client. Wesley Eleonora, who officially became Managing Director in 2010, talks about the early days of the company. "We started with one client, and through word of mouth we grew quickly," says Wesley. Other clients soon followed, such as the parliament of Curacao and Fundashon Kas Popular.

Services that create connections

Today, SIM Caribbean offers a wide range of digital services. From websites and accessible forms to webcast solutions from Company Webcast and paperless meeting applications such as iBabs. Readspeaker, a read-aloud function for websites, and Spotler, for e-mail marketing and webcare, are also part of the range.

What makes this service special is the close collaboration with Shift2 in the Netherlands. "For a large part of our portfolio, there is implementation support from the Netherlands," Mike explains. "The products are built at Shift2 and supported by our Dutch support team."

Mike de Ruiter, Managing Director at Shift2
Mike de Ruiter, Managing Director at Shift2
Wesley Eleonora, Managing Director SIM Caribbean
Wesley Eleonora, Managing Director SIM Caribbean

Looking ahead to the future

But it doesn't stop at the current successes. Wesley and Mike share their vision of the future, in which further digitalization is central. One of the most important steps is the introduction of online authentication options, comparable to DigiD in the Netherlands. This step will significantly improve digital services and make them more efficient.

In addition, there is a lot of focus on integrating AI technologies to optimize the service. "We also want to make our customers aware of aspects such as accessibility and security," says Wesley. "Even if they don't choose us, we want them to be able to make well-considered decisions."

Challenges and innovations

A major challenge remains bridging the gap between physical and digital services, especially in the area of ​​identity verification. But there are positive steps in the pipeline, such as the possible introduction of a BSN in the Caribbean, which would greatly improve digital authentication and service provision.

Shift2 podcast #1 - 15 years of SIM Caribbean

Mike: "In the Netherlands, it is already possible to have fully digital interactions with the government. We want to bring the same possibilities to the Caribbean. It is about convenience and efficiency, just like with commercial platforms such as Amazon."

Listen to the podcast

Want to learn more about SIM Caribbean’s fascinating journey, the challenges they’ve overcome and their ambitious plans for the future? Listen and/or watch the full podcast. Wesley and Mike share their personal stories, insights and visions in a way you won’t want to miss.

Listen to the podcast on Spotify Watch the podcast on YouTube