Speakers¹⁶

For say, it is rather turbulent in the world. It feels like we are stumbling from crisis to crisis. That’s because our systems and institutions are dated and no longer doing what they were designed to do. There has never been a better time in our history to redesign and reshape our future.

Where are the opportunities that we don’t see now, let alone take advantage of? How should we connect with the emerging future and what role and responsibility is there for governments and for the business community? Not to mention for ourselves? How do we create together the world everyone longs for?

Make your event an unforgettable experience and go with Ruud on an exiting expedition to the unleashed future. Maximum impact with lots of interaction and examples of best practices.

“Take care of the place that takes care of you“, that’s really the essence. The reason biomimicry stayed on her mind when Saskia was introduced to it in 2009:

“We as humans want to take care of our children and grandchildren. But we can’t physically do that for our descendants seven generations from now. What we can do is create an environment that takes care of them.”

That realization touched her, as it did the many people she inspires with biomimicry. Audiences are sometimes moved to tears. So Saskia strives for a better, more beautiful, fairer and healthier world, and if you ask her, biomimicry plays a key role in her mission.

According to Saskia, the philosophy of biomimicry can be applied in all facets of our personal lives, but also in all areas within various organizations. It can provide new perspective and guidance for engineers and architects, economists, policy makers, educators and entrepreneurs, for example.

Saskia van den Muijsenberg therefore appeals to a broad audience with her lectures and workshops, which are interesting for anyone who wants practical tools and answers to the question: “How can I start making changes tomorrow in order to do better?”

“Why do people do what they do?” A very important question that everyone in society and in organizations should study if you ask Mark. Because understanding our mind plays a big role in tackling major societal challenges and issues.

According to Mark, a better world starts by taking into account the different ways people function, work and change. Among other things, he draws inspiration from nature, cultural and healthcare organizations – pioneers who fulfill a social role and are people-oriented rather than commercial-oriented.

The traditional way of dealing with a problem – such as high workload – for example is to work faster, harder and more efficiently. But efficiency can actually make us ineffective if we put processes instead of people first, says Mark.

With his lectures, Mark wants to make a difference for people and organizations, by reminding them what their purpose is, showing them how their beliefs play a role and how they determine their behavior.

Marga’s drive to have maximum impact to make business more sustainable is the common thread in all her roles. Initially as a CEO, then as the leader of networks ‘De Groene Zaak’ and ‘Het Groene Brein’, now as an international writer, speaker and Board Member. She is deeply convinced that entrepreneurs can and should help solve world problems. They can, because it offers a range of business opportunities, according to Marga. Therefore, there is no reason not to do it, so she wants to help companies see how they can do it. Ultimately, her wish is for sustainable business to become the norm, rather than the exception.

Purpose is therefore her keyword and she helps companies find that purpose, make it concrete and lead the company from that insight. This means that companies actually focus on world challenges and then consider how their business can contribute to them, while maintaining or even increasing profitability and growth. In doing so, she likes to use the Sustainable Development Goals, which also form the core of her gold-winning new book ‘The Trillion Dollar Shift’.

Rumbling in the margins

Once Harm saw Princess Irene speaking in front of a group of people about sustainability. An 88-year-old man in the audience exclaimed, “I’m doing it all for my grandchildren“. Irene – then also in her 80s – replied somewhat piqued “if you don’t think life is worth doing it for yourself, then it won’t be anything!”

“That’s the way I see it. If you only do it for your children or grandchildren, you don’t really feel it. You also have to want it for yourself, for nature, for everything on earth.”

And it’s desperately needed too. Ecosystems are on the verge of collapse, deforestation, freshwater and resource shortages, plastic soup. Or in Harm’s words, “It’s drama! The Earth Overshoot Day is at the end of July, which means 5 months of living at the expense of the future, every year.” His lectures are a plea to stop messing around on the margins, and get two feet in the new economy.

“Companies need to stop lying to us, young people need to demand a better future from those currently in power, and we need to dream and act bigger and more radically.“

The care and well-being of people must and can be improved Egge van der Poel knows. That technology plays an important role in this, he believes, is beyond dispute. But despite insufficient hands at the bedside, he believes it is not the lack of technology that hinders progress.

“There is fear of change due to big-data and AI, among other things. Fear of losing jobs, of losing income, of losing privacy and control.”

Egge wants to overcome this fear by showing how we can harness the potential of people and data for good. He describes this in his book “Geheelmeesters – compromisloos radicaal betere zorg ontwerpen”, and he lectures on this and related topics.

In Egge’s lectures, the experiences from his “fragmented career” come in useful. Egge creates an unlikely bridge between the fields of physics, philosophy, data and communication he has studied, painting a rose-colored yet real picture of the future of healthcare.

Read more about Egge >>

A truly sustainable business model requires radical thinking, but it is possible, Ankie van Wersch knows. She is founder of Tika foundation, a foundation offering programmes for underprivileged children and young people in Nepal. She is also CEO of Powered by Enviu, an organisation that builds business models that create value for people and the environment.

Perhaps it is her grandfather’s words; ‘you must always do the right thing’, or perhaps it is her own experiences; ‘children are still dying of hunger’. Probably it is a combination of both that drive her to make the world a nicer place. And she successfully does so in various ways.

“We have reduced avocado waste by 95%, saved billions of litres of water, and prevented 25 million single-use plastics from ending up in the ocean. We also set up a pension fund in Ghana for people without formal jobs. They can now also build something for later.”

Although Ankie’s stories don’t leave you cold, a positive tone prevails in her lectures. She tells inspiringly that it can be done; as a company, making a positive impact on the environment and people’s lives. ‘Thinking big and starting small‘ is her motto.

Frank Peters is founder and owner of VIRTUS Communications, a boutique consulting firm focused on building and protecting reputations. From his agency, Frank advises clients in business, nonprofit and government.

Frank works and speaks for leading companies and organizations in a variety of industries, including banks, insurers, and other financial service providers.  Frank is also a sought-after speaker in the agri/food sector, as well as in the world of healthcare and well-being, where Frank regularly speaks for executives and healthcare professionals at hospitals and related parties.

Furthermore, Frank is also associated as a guest lecturer at various universities and business schools, including Nyenrode, TIAS and Beeckestijn.

Frank is also a successful writer and bestselling author of several management books, including “Doing the Right Thing when No One Is Looking (2021)” and “From Profit to Value” (2022) and “Stop the Silence (2023).

Two of his former books made it to the shortlist (top 5) of ‘Nominated Management Book of the Year.

Read more about Frank >>

Inge used to be a flight attendant and flew around the world.

Now she is a sustainability consultant and green influencer. At the time of the corona pandemic, she began to delve into the world of fashion and sustainability and the dark side of the fashion industry.

She was shocked by the effect it had on the planet and how people were treated in production chains, not just in fashion, but in other industries as well. One problem many companies experience is that the barrier is unnecessarily high due to complex language and legislation. Also, sustainability is often unnecessarily seen as expensive. This is something she wants to change.

“I want to show the business community that sustainability does not have to be expensive or complicated, despite complex regulations.”

In her talks and workshops, Inge convinces companies the value of developing a sustainable business strategy. She is well prepared for the topics and challenges that concern the audience.

By telling her story, she wants to make it clear that everyone, every individual, can make a difference; by moving in a more sustainable direction or by making an impact in the workplace.

Read more about Inge Westerink >>

On a summer day in 2009, Merijn Everaarts is sitting on the sunny beach in Bloemendaal. At the end of the day, he notices how much plastic waste is left on the beach. Waste that is not cleaned up by people, but ends up in the sea. At that time, Merijn is still working in the events industry. He cannot deny that huge amounts of plastic are wasted there, too.

“We danced at festivals on carpets made of plastic.”

Surely that can be done differently? And it can, Merijn shows. In 2010, Dopper was “born. Since then, the colorful, three-piece bottle has become indispensable in our sports bags and backpacks. But according to Merijn, Dopper is not just ‘a fun brand that wants to improve the world’.

“We have become more combative and show our face where policy is made.”

Meanwhile, sustainability and serving Mother Earth has become Merijn’s life mission. Under the appropriate name, he is establishing plant-based restaurant ‘Mama Gaia’ as well as sustainable co-working space ‘Oceans’ in 2020, both located in the same building in Haarlem.

With his drive, experience and knowledge from founding several impact companies, he inspires as a speaker. He makes you aware of your potential impact. He speaks for a wide audience, from Greenpeace to Shell, because “to make the wave of change bigger we need everyone.” Merijn certainly does not shy away from this challenge.

Read more about Merijn Everaarts >>

In his career, Henk Jan Kamsteeg has interviewed numerous leadership visionaries, such as Ken Blanchard and Stephen Covey, and discusses a new book on leadership in a weekly blog.

Now an expert on leadership himself, he has eight books to his name, including ‘Servant Leadership’, ‘The Power of Compliment’ and ‘Pure Profit’. He also trains and coaches executives based on his vision: authentic, servant and inclusive leadership.

“Servant leadership is not a trick, it is a heart thing. People sense the difference
flawlessly.”

Henk Jan is also a storyteller for International Justice Mission (IJM), a foundation that fights against violence and slavery worldwide. Injustice that continues to touch him. He wrote the book ‘A plague of violence’ on this subject.

His lectures are about servant leadership, inclusive leadership and storytelling for leaders and organisations. All with the aim of making positive impact, or in Henk Jan’s own words:

“Instead of frustrating, we can create a world where we serve others and nature, instead of exploiting them to benefit ourselves. I believe we can do that.”

Read more about Henk Jan Kamsteeg >>

‘The sky is the limit’ is sometimes said, but as far as Ariane Roos is concerned, it could all be a bit less in our growth- and consumption-driven society.

“How bizarre is it that we find it normal to wear cheap jeans sewn together by Uighurs in ‘re-education camps’?”

Once a graduate in aerospace engineering, she founded a tech platform on the eve of the internet revolution and worked at a strategic level for major corporates such as KPN, Vodafone, Fokker, and Philips.

A tough time of chemo treatments only strengthened her vision. The vision that doing work that energizes you and gives meaning to your life not only strengthens your mindset but can also make the world a much more beautiful place.

Ariane speaks – full of powerful vulnerability – about ‘doing business for good’ and about how every company can become an impact organization.

Read more about Ariane Roos >>

As a speaker, Marnix walks with you into the world of change, leadership and sustainability. Resilience and hope are at the heart of his keynotes.

The audience will go home packed with inspiration and actions to start making a difference within the organization and in their daily life. Marnix believes that all of us, even if you are not a CEO or board member, can make a difference in the transition to a sustainable world.

‘It sometimes seems that people forget their sustainable ideas and views between nine and five. But we can change systems if we put our careers to work.’

If anyone knows how change works, both social change towards sustainability and profound changes in your personal life, it is Marnix. For Speakers for the World, he gives keynotes about giving meaning to your career, dignity as a solution to the climate crisis and realizing big change.

Read more about Marnix >>

Gert-Jan was an active member of the House of Representatives for the Christian Union for 10 years. Characteristic were his talent and drive to connect dissenters to the same mission – to eliminate injustice in any form. For example, he co-shaped the current climate policy and championed humane labor migration and bringing back the student basic grant.

In 2023, Gert-Jan left politics and continued his mission as an advisor for various NGOs and companies working from a social perspective. Among others, he works for the Salvation Army and International Justice Mission – an organization that seeks to eliminate modern-day slavery.

“All that injustice needs to win, is good people doing nothing.”

Gert-Jan Segers has also written several books, including his most recent, “Power and powerlessness: politician in a divided country. This is also one of his keynotes as a professional speaker.

Read more about Gert-Jan Segers >>

From a young age, Talita felt a strong connection to nature and all living things. Sustainability has always played a significant role in her life, but it reached a peak in 2013 due to an event that is still vividly etched in her memory: the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh.

The disaster not only made her reflect on her role as a consumer but also as a human being. It sparked a search for sustainable fashion and brought her closer to her own identity. She delved into her own heritage and cultural background. She discovered not only what sustainability essentially means to her but also the power of honest, transparent stories.

“The victims could have been my brothers and sisters.”

She launched her own platform, Soul Stores, where she shares inspiration about conscious purchasing and sustainable living while providing a valuable platform for mission-driven stores, manufacturers, and brands.

Drawing from her knowledge, experiences, and insights into copywriting, journalism, and sustainability, she developed Sustainable Storytelling as a methodology . She wrote a book about it – Sustainable Storytelling: From Pure Intention to a Credible Story with Impact – and speaks about it.

“It’s about being human from pure intentions and a deep intrinsic desire to do good for yourself, for others, and for the world around you.”

Read more about Talita Kalloe >>

Mirjam from Brabant was also called ‘Mother Nature’ as a child. The fire to contribute to sustainability – especially the circular economy – was only kindled in her when she started working on circularity after studying mechanical engineering at Philips.

She now inspires and activates companies and organizations to sustainability and creates real impact together with their employees. She does this by planting seeds and helping companies with their sustainability strategy. She makes extra impact as a speaker herself!

“I bring a lot of energy, bad jokes and an honest story, even if it rubs someone the wrong way.”

Her directness creates instant action, partly due to her disarming cheerfulness, energy and unmistakable Brabant accent. This makes Mirjam the choice keynote speaker if you really want to get your organization moving. Her lectures and workshops are packed with interactive methods that will always keep you on the edge of your seat.

Read more about Mirjam van Laarhoven >>