The power of the shopping cart

The power of the shopping cart

If everyone in the world lived as we do here in the Netherlands, three worlds would not be enough, according to recent figures from the WWF. Most people will be unsettled by that thought, but above all I can see opportunities for our sustainable agriculture.
Read more…

No opportunities without trust

No opportunities without trust

Enterprise and trust are inseparable for me. The confidence of the people around you, the trust of your employees, but also of your suppliers and, of course, especially of your customers. Doing business as I like to do it is nothing without trust.
Read more…

Dare to dream! (Women at the top)

Dare to dream! (Women at the top)

Over the past year I have been able, thanks to my title of Businesswoman of the Year 2009, to give many lectures and interviews and to attend symposia. In the beginning they quite often asked me during interviews about “how I had managed things at home, with a family and so on”.  This question is, I am afraid, still a model for the level of discussion in the Netherlands about women at the top.
Read more…

It begins and ends with a dress

It begins and ends with a dress

On the day after my selection as Businesswoman of the Year 2009, I was overwhelmed by questions from the media. After four phone calls I was a little tired of questions about how I organized everything with children and work ‘and so on’. And then an editor from Intermediair phoned me.
Read more…

To Italy

To Italy

It took a while, but I am in Rome, Italy, on a trade mission for Dutch businesswomen. The logo of the mission is a high heel and “of course there will be time for shopping too”, according to the program.
Read more…

Water

Water

March 2010. The WWF publishes its report “Water – a precious commodity”. After being awarded the Cleantech Star, we obviously look at the WWF’s publications with special attention.

In the report, the water footprint is calculated for a variety of everyday products. The report confirms my view on the future: a shortage of energy will not be the world’s greatest problem, but a lack of clean drinking water!
Read more…

Everything starts with food

Everything starts with food

My passion lies in innovation and sustainability, especially in the field of sustainable food production and supply. I once heard someone say that everything starts with food. Or maybe with water. Water is the basis of food. And food is the basis of knowledge. If you do not have food, you cannot learn.
Read more…