Henkjan Laats

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Henkjan is the director of Cross Cultural Bridges, an organization that transfers and exchanges practical and knowledge-based transitions contributing to “Good Living”: biocentric knowledge and practice based on the Andes-Amazon concept of “Sumaq Kausay.”

Professional Background

Henkjan holds a master’s degree in Tropical Cultural Engineering, specializing in philosophy, and a Ph.D. in conflict transformation. With 25 years of experience, he has collaborated with indigenous organizations in Nepal, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, and Bolivia. Henkjan also serves as an expert in holistic science at the UN organization Harmony with Nature, working on issues such as agro-ecology, conflict transformation, the commons, inclusive integration, land and water issues, and crisis management with youth, indigenous peoples, artists, producers, and immigrants.

Personal Motto

I am because We are, as part of Nature.

Geerte Rietveld

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Professional Background

I have a passion for capturing the human experience and love to show how diverse yet incredibly universal it is. I notice the little things that allow photographs and films to tell stories. I have worked for Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross, for whom I created and edited audiovisual content. I believe that visual communications are essential for humanitarian missions since they have the power to set issues straight, raise awareness as well as voices, provide funds and allow war- and disaster-affected populations to take control of their own stories and lives. In June 2021, I graduated from my MA in Cultural Anthropology with a documentary film and photography exhibition focusing on the Transport Nomad. I explored the clash between the nomadic existence of transport workers and the normalisation of a sedentary lifestyle in today’s capitalist societies. Photos as well as a film from that project are available on this website, here. In addition, I hold a MSc in International Humanitarian Action. I love travelling, walking and running. In 2023, I walked the Camino de Compostela to Santiago and learnt to scuba dive.

Personal Motto

“I have never done that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do it.” – Pippi Longstocking

Rosa van Driel

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Professional background

Rosa works as an advocacy officer at CARE Netherlands, focusing on ambitious and fair international climate policies. Before joining CARE, Rosa worked at the Max van der Stoel Foundation, the international think tank of the PvdA (Dutch Labour Party), where she advocated for a coherent Dutch approach to the Sustainable Development Goals. In this capacity, she was also involved in SDG Spotlight Netherlands. Rosa studied political science at Radboud University in Nijmegen and later pursued a master’s degree in Human Rights and international Politics at the University of Glasgow

Aniek Moonen

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Professional Background

Aniek Moonen has been the chairperson of the Young Climate Movement since October 2021. As the chairperson of the Young Climate Movement, Moonen represents over 100,000 Dutch young people in the climate debate.

Personal Motto

“I have never done it before, so I think I can do it.” – Pippi Longstocking

Jack Cox

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Professional Background

Jack is the director/owner of Forza Asset Management, an independent asset management firm with offices in Maastricht, Eindhoven, and Apeldoorn. In 2018, he founded Econsenso with the aim of bringing attention to the financial aspect of sustainability. His book, “Butterfly Economy: From Growth to Development,” was published in 2019, describing the development of an economy that, following the laws of nature, transforms from a caterpillar, always wanting more, into a beautiful butterfly.

Personal Motto

We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

Pieter Lossie

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Professional Background

Pieter is a political science student and works as a policy advisor at the VO-raad, where he is involved in shaping the future of education. Additionally, Pieter was one of the initiators of the large student strikes in 2019 advocating for more decisive climate policies. He served as the chairman of LAKS on behalf of secondary school students in the Netherlands for a year. He is part of Commission 2100, an initiative promoting the transition to broad prosperity. Lastly, Pieter is a social filmmaker.

Personal Motto

We zijn wel afgezonderd maar niet uitgezonderd.

Nicolette Loonen

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Professional background

Nicolette is one of the Founding partners of TOSCA, a consulting partnership that helps companies be a ‘force for good’. TOSCA believes in change agents who shape the transformation towards an inclusive and sustainable society. Nicolette specialises in sustainability reporting issues, taking the whole value chain into account, from strategy to embedding in culture and steering for real value. Nicolette is also a member of the Supervisory Board of ABP, the Rutgers Foundation and IPPF. In addition, she is a college member of the CvTA. Nicolette is the founder of WIFS, Women in Financial Services, and was the president of the association of more than 500 women in the financial sector from 2010 to 2016.

Personal Motto

Ieder steentje in de vijver kan een rimpeling veroorzaken.

Any pebble in the pond can cause a ripple.

Koen Eising

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Koen is the CSR Director at Alliander, one of the three major regional grid operators in the Netherlands, operating at the heart of the energy transition. Before joining Alliander, he worked for various consultancy firms at the intersection of organizational development and sustainability. Koen studied public administration and political science in Leiden and completed the post-academic program in Organization and Change Management at VU University. He recently finished the Comenius Philosophy Course. With this background, he is fascinated by how today’s large corporations dare to make significant decisions that are urgently needed. He is interested in understanding the leadership we should trust or distrust. Koen believes that public companies must play a leading role in the sustainable transition. He shapes this belief as the initiator of the Green Networks coalition, where 8 infrastructure companies collaborate intensively on climate, circular, biodiversity, and impact measurement. He is the chairman of the Infrastructure Value Theme Center of Next Generation Infra. Koen is also affiliated with the Impact Economy Foundation.

Personal motto

A sustainable world requires not money or technology but a different set of values.

Charlotte Heystek

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Professional background

Charlotte is a communications consultant and team leader at the Acceleration Plan for Education Innovation with ICT, a four-year programme of VH, VNSU and SURF. Prior to this, she lived in Christchurch, New Zealand for five years, where she worked as a communications consultant in the tech sector.

In addition to her work, in recent years Charlotte advised the Canterbury Development Corporation in Christchurch and the CEO of Nepal’s Kalpavriksha on communication and gender.

Previously, Charlotte was editor and later editor-in-chief of Indisch3.0, a platform for and by third-generation Indian youth, and did an internship at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok. Charlotte also participated in ASEF’s 2nd and 3rd Young Leader Summits.

Charlotte holds a master’s degree in Intercultural Communication from Utrecht University, and bachelors in Communication and Information Sciences and Comparative Women’s Studies in Culture and Politics.

In her spare time, Charlotte is a runner and triathlete, and is writing her first book.

Persoonlijk motto

When in doubt, choose change – Lily Leung