Angelie works on behalf of Hago at organizations including Rentray in Lelystad, a custodial juvenile institution. According to the jury it is Angelie’s versatility and commitment that sets her apart: ‘She knows her field of cleaning, which focuses on domestic upkeep, inside-out and could not be a better example of the fact that cleaning is “people work”. In addition to her regular cleaning duties – in which she not only takes care of planned activities, but also highlights issues proactively – Angelie is closely involved with Rentray’s target group. She has an attentive ear for everyone. One special aspect of her work is that she trains young residents so that they can apply for work as cleaners when they re-enter society. Although she has not been trained to carry out this role, Angelie sets about the work with outstanding didactic skill. She is patient and able to teach her students about the cleaning profession effectively and with no small measure of affection.’ 

Angelie is delighted with her prize. Although she immediately names all the people she would like to thank, the honour is really her own. Her manager, Marie-Louise Visser, has been working with her for a year now: ‘She simply had to win this prize’. For Hago Angelie is a shining example of professional skill, a genuine expert who, rather than simply keeping her knowledge and expertise to herself, dedicates herself to training others, a task she undertakes with commitment and warmth, making her a truly engaging personality. It is currently raining prizes at the cleaning giant, which, after securing three gold medals at the European cleaning championships, can now also celebrate landing the highly coveted Cleaner of the Year title. A pleasant boost for a company that focuses on people as one of the two key pillars of its policy. 

Besides Angelie, four other cleaners were also in with a chance of winning the title, having made it through to the final: “Corrie BlokLaterveer from Leiden (ISS Cure & Care), Priscilla Jansen from Arnhem (Hommerson Schoonmaak), Ramona Moestar from Apeldoorn (Asito BV) and Helence Willemsen-Osayande from Arnhem (SMB Willems). 

Candidates are put forward by cleaning companies and by organizations’ and companies’ own cleaning services. An independent jury assesses the entries. During an initial jury round, the jury decides which entries will qualify for the semi-final. These candidates then receive a personal visit from the jury. The assessment considers, amongst other things, commitment, dedication, motivation, training and experience, knowledge (transfer) and skills, as well as the relationship with the client and the individual’s own team. Jury member Cor van der Velden: ‘In this competition we are looking for cleaning staff who excel in their profession - in other words, not employees who have a lot of managerial duties. We are also not looking for the people with the most diplomas. The title always goes to the skilled candidate who performs best at the interface between the client, manager and colleagues. These are people with a passion for cleaning, people who appreciate the human contact that cleaning involves.’ 

The Golden Service Awards recognize outstanding performance in the cleaning sector and aim to contribute to quality awareness within the sector as well as to the sector's image. The prizes were awarded for the first time in the UK in 1991. In Belgium and the Netherlands the competition was first organized in 2002. In addition to the annual Cleaner of the Year competition, there are biennial awards for Best Cleaned Project (in various categories), Best Training Company and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Golden Service Awards are an initiative of KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL. Alpheios is a Gold co-sponsor. OSB, SVS, FMG, VSDV, VSR, Stichting Schoonmaakkwaliteit and Service Management are involved in the competition as ambassadors. 

Hago is a top-five player on the cleaning company market. It is a family company that operates on a national level and specializes in cleaning for offices and for the transport, education and industrial sectors, with services being provided in the morning and evening, and increasingly during the day too. Hago has a total of 6,300 employees. The total turnover realized by Hago, Hago Zorg and Hago Airport Services in 2009 came to 156 million euros. Hago and Hago Zorg are part of Vebego International, which is active in six countries in the fields of cleaning and facilities services, healthcare, personnel services and products & systems.