Speakers - ELP Annual Leadership Conference 2024

Leadership For a Better World

Creating Perspectives For Change

Thursday 3 October 2024

Speakers

Veronique Swinkels

Co-Founder, The Undercover Activist

Veronique Swinkels is the co-founder of The Undercover Activist, a learning hub for positive workplace activism. After 30 years of experience in communications and campaigning and 25 years of CEO/owner of the agency BBK/Door Vriendschap Sterker (a certified B-Corp) Veronique changed to the role of social entrepreneur and systems changer, taking with her the talent for finding the right words, symbols and communication channels to strengthen organizations, and change people’s behavior for the better. She wants to bring the perspective of absent stakeholders to the boardroom and use the Sustainable Development Goals and Inner Development Goals to connect people, organizations and business to their purpose. Veronique holds advisory functions in foundations, among which Lab Toekomstige Generaties (which wants to include the righs of future generations into Dutch law), AAFB and Laboratoir Europeen d’Anticipation Politique (LEAP). She is also part of Earth Charter Netherlands.

“Long-term and future thinking starts with inviting the perspectives of absent stakeholders, non-humans and future-generations to the conversation and including their interests in decisions we take. My mission is to use creativity, activism and systems dialogue to change business.”

At the ELP Conference Veronique will be a panel member.

Jaap Winter

Chairman Royal Schiphol Group, et al.

Jaap Winter is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Royal Schiphol Group and of Erasmus University Rotterdam, a partner at Phyleon leadership & governance and a Professor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit. He was amongst others Chairman of the Executive Board of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Partner at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Chairman of the High Level Group Law Experts advising the European Commission on governance.

At the ELP Conference Jaap Winter will be a panel member.

Michelle van Tongerloo

Street Doctor

Michelle van Tongerloo is a general practitioner and street doctor in Rotterdam. As a street doctor provides care to the most vulnerable people – often homeless, addicted or undocumented. She writes about her experiences during her consultations on the back of prescription sheets and later develops them into articles for De Correspondent, linking major social issues to the raw reality of her consulting room. She believes that treatment starts with listening: not the disease, but the patient’s story should be the focus.

Van Tongerloo sees how vulnerable children become vulnerable parents who in turn produce vulnerable children – the consequences of living together under one unsafe roof. Many diseases are caused by poverty, stress and an unhealthy lifestyle. Early and effective intervention, circumventing long waiting lists, can make a world of difference.

“What I do is always from the interests of my patients. What they ask for is often simple: a decent income, a good education and a clean house. But support in acquiring this repeatedly proves to be too complicated for healthcare and welfare organizations. Because they are supply-oriented, they are unable to come up with a solution for something as simple as children who are forced to stay at home and not go to school due to a transport problem.”

See a tv-interview with Michelle (in Dutch) for Buitenhof.

Willem Swager

Director Finance and Operations, Patagonia, EMEA

Willem brings to his role a commitment to improving the devastating impacts of the apparel industry at a systemic level, through Patagonia programmes, cross-industry collaborations and mentoring a new generation of responsible entrepreneurs. With a focus on circularity and the rapid scaling of repair across Europe, Willem was pivotal in establishing the United Repair Centre network of repair facilities, along with Makers Unite and the Amsterdam Economic Board, bringing together social impact and environmental action, as well as changing customer behaviours around repair and conscious consumption. Willem has extensive experience in the apparel industry, having worked previously for Levi Strauss & Co.

Saskia Mureau

Director Customer Digital, Port of Rotterdam

Is Director Customer Digital at the Port of Rotterdam. She is passionate about using digital as an enabler to tackle the climate challenge. In her previous role as Chief Digital Officer at Shell, she drove the digital transformation for Shell’s Global 828 business spanning 150 countries and 8000 employees. Saskia is a board member at several start-ups and has a passion for advancing (gender) diversity. She currently lives in the Netherlands with her husband and daughter.

See Saskia speak about the transition of the port of Rotterdam.

Lidia Lopez Trabalon

Experienced Program Manager for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Development

Her previous experience is in Compliance for both the Energy and Financial Sector.
She is passionate about leadership, creating positive impact and promoting gender equality. She is a public speaker and loves hosting business events. Lidia has lived in four different countries and enjoys playing music.

Twan van de Kerkhof

Founder European Leadership Platform , author, editor

Twan van de Kerkhof founded the European Leadership Platform in 2003. He is passionate about leadership, loves asking penetrating questions and is an experienced moderator and facilitator. Before founding ELP, Twan was a journalist for 15 years, working for the Dutch Press Agency, as an independent journalist and as editor-in-chief of the magazine Management Scope. Twan has written eight books, the latest being ‘Misled. 11 Lies About Leadership’ (2023). He is also the editor of the books that were published in the ELP Leadership Series. Twan is an avid cook and a wine enthusiast. He is living in Landsmeer, near Amsterdam, with his wife Alexandra.