Marlies van der Berg

Marlies discovered her passion for stationery and student success while working as an academic advisor at Leiden University. She noticed something simple but powerful: the right organizational tools directly influenced how well students performed. That observation sparked a career change that's shaped the last decade of her professional life.

This transition took her into the stationery industry, where she spent five years managing product selection and student engagement programs at a major Dutch office supply retailer based in The Hague. She wasn't just selling notebooks and pens — she was learning what actually worked in real classrooms and study spaces across the region. The experience gave her something most stationery experts don't have: direct insight into how students actually use these tools.

Since joining goldmanstein B.V. seven years ago, Marlies has dedicated herself to creating authentic, evidence-based content about notebooks, planners, and writing instruments that genuinely serve student needs. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Hague University of Applied Sciences — which means she brings both the practical experience and the formal training to understand what works.

What drives her work is a conviction that the right stationery tools can meaningfully support learning, organization, and personal growth. She doesn't believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Her approach combines practical student insights with retail expertise, always grounding recommendations in real classroom and study scenarios from The Hague's diverse student community.