Trea Tijmens, 43: matchmaker

It is not always easy for expatriates whose time is taken up by their careers to find that special someone in a foreign country. Trea Tijmens, a Dutch national living in Geneva, says her personalized matchmaking services help busy international professionals in their love quests. Having lived and worked in the United States and several European countries, Trea Tijmens knows first hand the challenges of international living. “Busy professionals who invest time and energy into their education and career advancement don’t always have an opportunity to shape their personal lives too,” she says. “This is where I come in.” 
Tijmens, who grew up in a small Dutch town near Amsterdam, didn’t always aspire to be a matchmaker. She has degrees in Political Science and International Relations, and was a career woman in Belgium, Spain and Germany before moving to Geneva in 2000 with her French husband. “I noticed the expats here are so busy with their lives, they have no time to meet compatible partners, or even know how and where to look for them,” she says. 
She soon realized that her professional background in human resources, coupled with good communication skills and experience working in the international environment, could be put to good use in Switzerland. 
In 2005, she started her company, Success Match, with the specific goal of helping well-educated, professional English-speaking expatriates find partners within the local international community.
In the early days of her venture, “my learning curve was very high,” she recalls. “But I soon realized this business was right up my alley.” 
Tijmens’ clients, whom she describes as “wonderful but not desperate” range in age from the 20s to the 60s, and “have one thing in common,” Tijmens explains. “A successful job and a busy social life, but that someone ‘special’ is missing from that life.” 
So far, Tijmens has worked with several hundred people. While she does not reveal detailed information – citing discretion and confidentiality inherent to her business - Tijmens says the percentage of successful match proposals “is very high.” 
That is because “we don’t do random matches,” Tijmens adds. Each client’s background, personality, interests and expectations are all taken into account. Preparatory interviews and other personalized contacts are done before any introductions are made.  
“After the first date we follow up, and if the introduction didn’t work out, we’ll continue searching,” she says.
Bringing together culturally disparate people that make up Switzerland’s English-speaking international community requires a special approach to the matchmaking process, Tijmens says  “I always tell clients their expectations should be realistic and well thought out,” she notes. “I also tell them there is no ‘perfect’ partner, but he or she must be perfect for you.” 
Today, Tijmens - who has three employees working between Geneva and Zurich - says using her own international background to bring people together has been “very rewarding and satisfying.”  Sounds like a match made in heaven.