This month’s Employee Spotlight shines on Andy Walklate, the Cluster Manager of the Netherlands! His journey with HBL started back in 2012 as a part-time Games Operator at Alton Towers. What started as a way to earn some extra money during the school holidays quickly turned into a long-term career that has taken him all around the globe.
Andy has experienced many roles within HBL. He started out working the skill games as a Games Operator and after a few years, he worked in Dubai for a few seasons, describing it as some of the most fun years of his life. It was in Dubai that he gained extensive work experience, enabling him to transition to the operations and management side of the business. At just 21 years old, Andy relocated to the Netherlands to take on his first site as Games Manager. After 10 years there, the Netherlands soon became his second home, where he played a major role in the growth of HBL’s operations in the region, helping to expand into additional theme parks and arcades while supporting the setup and day-to-day operations of new locations. Today, as Cluster Manager for the Netherlands, Andy oversees a growing portfolio of operations while continuing to support the development of his teams.
Reflecting on his time at HBL, Andy says one of the things he loves most about the business is the opportunity to continuously grow while travelling the world. From working on the games to leading large-scale operations, every role has brought new experiences, challenges, and opportunities to learn. His biggest achievement? Achieving a record-breaking revenue day at Walibi Holland during Halloween – a milestone that remains unbeaten to this day!
Andy also recalls the challenges faced during the reopening of operations following the COVID-19 lockdowns. As one of the first operating sites to reopen in Europe, Andy and his team worked with limited staffing while preparing for every possible scenario, implementing additional sanitary and protective measures across the operation. Despite the uncertainty, guest demand quickly exceeded expectations, and through adaptability, teamwork, and running from game to game, the team went on to deliver one of the highest spending years on record.
As Andy Walklate steps into his expanded Cluster Manager role covering both the Netherlands and Heide Park, his current focus is on strengthening collaboration between managers across the cluster and building successful operations together. “I’m forever learning new things along the way, and I’m sure when the time is right, and the opportunity arises, that will mean taking on additional responsibilities,” he says.
Looking back on a conversation he once had at 18 years old with Business Development Director Eddie Lehart about where he saw himself in five years, Andy laughs as he remembers his response: he quite liked the look of Eddie’s job.
