Senior Independent AEP Advisor

Clarity.
Recovery.
Governance.

I step into stalled enterprise Adobe Experience Platform programmes to restore decision flow, reset governance, and get delivery moving — then I step out.

9+ years Adobe EMEA Vendor-neutral Recovery typically within days

Request a 30-min intake View case studies

Former Adobe Consulting EMEA · Netherlands / Europe · LinkedIn ↗

Bas Bartholomeus — senior independent AEP advisor

Bas Bartholomeus · Leersum, Netherlands

9+ Years Adobe Experience Cloud (EMEA)

75% Platform overhead reduction (enterprise retail)

12+ Enterprise clients across finance, retail, telco & automotive

5 Adobe certifications including AEP & CJA

What I do

Three ways I create clarity

Each engagement is short, written, and designed to transfer ownership back to your team — not to create dependency.

Recovery

When delivery stalls and alignment collapses, I stabilise the programme and restore momentum. Fast diagnosis, concrete decisions, clear ownership.

Outcome: programme unblocked within days

Independent audit

A fast, vendor-neutral reality check. Risks, root causes, and clear decision options — without vendors defending their own work.

Outcome: written findings + decision options in 2–5 days

Strategic oversight

Temporary senior authority across vendors and stakeholders: governance cadence, accountability, and quality gates — until your team holds it independently.

Outcome: durable governance, no dependency created

Background

Nine years inside complex enterprise programmes in EMEA

For nearly a decade I worked within Adobe Consulting EMEA as a senior consultant in analytics, CDP and activation architecture — across telecom, finance, media, retail, and regulated industries.

→ Led enterprise AEP programmes including RTCDP, CJA, and Destination SDK implementations
→ Work across financial services, retail, automotive and media — ING, KBC, Volkswagen, AIDA Cruises, DNB, Santander, Swisscom, Carrefour and Flutter International. Details under NDA.
→ Specialised in escalated programmes where governance had broken down
→ Trained over 200 professionals across Audience Manager and Adobe Experience Platform

230M → 60M

Daily server calls reduced

Enterprise retail programme. Restored client trust within weeks of engagement.

Trust restored

Stalled RTCDP programme

Conducted full review, resolved each use case. Opened path to license renewal and new consulting scope.

Zero to delivery

Compliant activation pipeline

Built custom Destination SDK connector for regulated online business. Consent-aware, end-to-end validated.

Do you recognise this?

If this sounds familiar, it's time to talk

A short audit or recovery sprint usually creates clarity within days. Most situations below are resolvable — they just need a clear outside view.

AEP programme is "live" but activation and reporting don't behave as expected

Identity stitching or consent flows break downstream measurement and audiences

Multiple vendors deliver in parallel without architectural alignment

Governance exists on paper but decisions stall and accountability is unclear

Executives need clear options after significant platform investment without visible results

You've had more than two steering committee meetings without a clear decision

Start with a short call

The method

Short cycles. Written outputs. Clear ownership.

I reduce complexity until executives can decide. Then I step out.

Diagnose

A fast reality check of delivery, governance, and the few root causes that matter. Vendor-neutral. Written findings. No recommendations yet — just truth.

Decide

Clear options, trade-offs, and a plan that stakeholders can actually sign off. No ambiguity. No vendor agenda. Executive-ready within days.

Stabilise

Governance reset, quality gates, ownership transfer. I stay until your team holds it independently — then I step out. No dependency by design.

Engagement options

Start small. Get clarity first.

Scale support only if it adds value. If your situation doesn't fit neatly, share context and I'll propose the simplest next step.

30–45 minutes

Short call

A focused conversation about your situation. Outcome: a clear recommendation within 24–48 hours on whether and how I can help.

Schedule a short call

2–5 days

Quick audit

Popular

Vendor-neutral review with concise written findings and decision options. Fast, independent, structured. You leave knowing what to do next.

Request a quick audit

Weekly cadence

Recovery & oversight

Senior oversight to restore governance, unblock decisions, and keep delivery accountable. Until the programme runs on its own.

Request support

Case studies

Quiet proof. High-stakes delivery.

A selection of representative work. Specific client details shared under NDA where needed.

CJA Migration Enterprise organisation (EU)

Adobe Analytics → Customer Journey Analytics migration leadership

Governance-led migration that aligned stakeholders on measurement and data model, moving the programme from debate to delivery.

Outcome

Programme moved from months of debate to implementation-ready backlog in weeks. Measurement baseline validated. Identity and consent implications resolved.

→Decision cadence + target measurement model
→Baseline validation + identity/consent implications
→Implementation-ready backlog + quality gates

Read case study

Recovery Multi-vendor enterprise programme

Programme recovery & multi-vendor governance reset

Stabilised a high-risk programme by restoring decision clarity and governance, moving delivery from firefighting to predictable progress.

Outcome

Decision velocity restored within 2 weeks. Clear escalation paths and quality gates in place. Programme continued independently after handover.

→Rapid diagnosis across delivery + architecture risk
→Governance reset: sign-offs, escalation paths, quality gates
→Playbooks so progress continued without dependency

Read case study

AEP Regulated online business (EU)

Destination SDK integration for compliant activation & suppression

Built a custom Destination SDK connector for auditable activation and suppression, reducing compliance risk without slowing delivery.

Outcome

Compliance risk eliminated. Activation pipeline live. Governance checkpoints prevent configuration drift ongoing.

→Clear data contracts + operational monitoring
→Consent-aware delivery validated end-to-end
→Governance checkpoints to prevent drift

Read case study

Discuss your situation View all case studies

References

What the people involved say

Bas conducted a full review and successfully resolved each use case. This restored client trust in our solutions and significantly improved the adoption of Adobe Target. This increase in client satisfaction served as a gate opener for further license negotiations.

— Senior Manager, Marketing Technology · Enterprise client

Bas proved to be able to efficiently combine deep technical knowledge of Adobe Target with a keen understanding of client needs, providing tailored solutions that enhance digital optimization strategies. His ability to translate complex Adobe functionalities into actionable insights has been instrumental in driving measurable results.

— Technical Account Manager · Adobe EMEA

About Bas

Structure first, then build

I'm Bas Bartholomeus. For nearly a decade I worked within Adobe Consulting EMEA as a senior consultant in analytics, CDP and activation architecture. I left in early 2026 to work independently — stepping into enterprise programmes when delivery stalls, governance breaks down, or teams lose decision clarity.

My role is to restore ownership, reduce noise, and produce executive-ready options. Working style: calm, structured, direct. Short cycles, written outputs, clear ownership. I step out when programmes can run on their own.

I'm vendor-neutral by design. I have no quota to fill, no products to sell. My only obligation is to give you an accurate picture and clear options.

Certifications

Adobe Certified Expert

Customer Journey Analytics Developer

Verify on Adobe →

Adobe Content Supply Chain Champion

Recognition for platform leadership and enterprise delivery

View on LinkedIn →

Adobe Qualified

Adobe Experience Platform

Verify on Credly →

2018 Adobe Accredited Digital Marketer Adobe

2015 Certified Digital Analytix Expert comScore

Writing

Short notes on why programmes stall

Practical perspectives on AEP governance, activation, and the patterns that cause enterprise programmes to drift.

AEP · Activation

Destination SDK: extending activation responsibly

A practical perspective on Destination SDK and governance patterns for compliant activation across regulated industries.

Read on Adobe ↗

In progress

AEP · Activation · Governance

Destination SDK: A technical deep dive into custom activation

When to build a custom connector, how the three APIs work together, and the governance checkpoints that prevent configuration drift.

Coming soon — get notified below ↓

View all publications

Advisory intake

Describe your situation

I take on a limited number of advisory engagements at a time. If your situation is a fit, I'll respond personally — usually within 24 hours — with a clear next step. No account manager. No sales process.

✉

info@bbartholomeus.com

☎

Phone

+31 6 4569 4465

linkedin.com/in/bas-bartholomeus