Next50: The first millennials are joining the ranks!
The Management Scope Next50 Supervisory Board Members ranking is slowly but surely getting younger. The boomers are handing over the reins to Generation X, and the first millennials are pushing their way to the front. Fortunately, the slightly older generations are not letting themselves be pushed aside just yet.
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Roelien Ritsema van Eck: ‘Public task, private context’
The chair of the board of housing association de Alliantie and her leadership team face numerous challenges. ‘The fact that The Hague has been absent from public housing for a long time has not done the sector any good, so the renewed attention is welcome.’
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Lotte Hart (SeederDeBoer): ‘The human side is crucial’
SeederDeBoer, the new knowledge partner of Management Scope, aims to become the leading organizational consultancy for complex change processes in large Dutch organizations. Partner Lotte Hart discusses her and her colleagues’ unconventional approach, with the common thread being the extent to which people embrace change.
A fundamental reorientation of investor relations
The Dutch capital market is facing a fundamental shift in the relationship between listed companies and their shareholders, write Daniele Vitale and Ivana Cvjetkovic from Georgeson. Turn shareholder engagement into a continuous, data-driven discipline.
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Wouter van Benten (DHL): ‘I am a tech optimist’
The CEO of DHL eCommerce, about his digital journey, about speed – ‘we were moving so fast that we had to fight quite a few battles with head office to get our way and keep going’ – about choices that differed from those of the competition, and about what will be needed for the next ten years.
Simone Huis in 't Veld on becoming a professional non-executive
Simone Huis in 't Veld felt she has fulfilled her role as an executive. After a sabbatical, she decided to become a professional non-executive.
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Kees van Kalveen: ‘Positive impact and intrinsic motivation’
We hear more and more often that the chief financial officer is increasingly becoming a strategist. Kees van Kalveen, CFO of Triodos Bank, has a down-to-earth view on this.
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‘I now have more compassion for supervisory board members’
Maarten Otto explains why a supervisory board role can be hugely beneficial for directors. ‘It is about experiencing what it is like to be on the other side of the table.’
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‘The humane economy is a matter of cooperation’
As chairman of the Goldschmeding Foundation, Bert Beun has big shoes to fill. His task is to ‘live’ the legacy of founder Frits Goldschmeding. He wants to do this by offering programs throughout the Netherlands and facilitating projects focused around three major themes: future-proof work, an inclusive labor market, and a humane economy. ‘We work from a theory of change: what steps are still needed for a humane economy and what role do directors and supervisory boards have to play?’
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Linde Jansen: ‘Finance is a frontrunner’
After a long career at brewer Heineken, Linde Jansen moved to postal company PostNL in the spring of 2025 for her very first role as CFO. She could immediately get involved with a new strategy. Jansen is not a CFO who only focuses on the numbers: ‘As finance, we are truly transformation leaders, not transformation supporters.’
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Roos Slegers: ‘Critical thinking in a world smoothed over by AI’
What must organizations do to survive in the digital age? This question is explored in a series of articles in Management Scope by Hilde van der Baan and Gijs Linse of A&O Shearman. This time, they interview Roos Slegers, philosopher, ethicist, organizational consultant, and assistant professor at Tilburg University. She foresees problems in the field of innovation. ‘GenAI does not offer anything surprising or niche. For that you need old-fashioned human virtues – such as courage and the willingness to ask critical questions.’
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‘A little more of that can-do mentality, and it will be possible’
The further development of (critical) infrastructure will determine the Netherlands’ position as a hub in the European economy. A question on what strategic choices the country therefore urgently needs to make for the near and distant future is discussed during a roundtable. Also, what the mainports themselves can do to remain strategically relevant. ‘We are simply going to invest ten billion. Period. Legal certainty or not.’
These are the corporate governance trends in 2026
According to directors and supervisory board members, geopolitical uncertainty, AI, new legislation and regulations, as well as cybersecurity, will play a major role in 2026. Due to the significant risks these trends imply, they want to anticipate them, while also not giving in to trepidation. This is the outcome of our first survey among directors, supervisory board members, and governance professionals, on the most important corporate governance trends for 2026.
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More attention to trade, more economic security
Trade is a crucial means of addressing the current geopolitical tensions. Unfortunately, however, trade is often neglected, writes Rem Korteweg of the Clingendael Institute. Trade agreements are hot potatoes that politicians like to pass around, and even the Wennink Report is silent on one of the most important sources of our future earning capacity.
‘NIS2 is an enabler, not a checkbox process’
The security requirements for network and information systems in essential sectors are becoming stricter. Where compliance previously felt like a technical or legal exercise, the responsibility now undeniably lies with management. What impact will the NIS2 directive have? And how can organizations ensure resilience and continuity? We ask three insiders who are familiar with the risks of cybercrime. According to them, NIS2 is not a checklist, but an opportunity to structurally embed resilience, responsibility, and strategic leadership in business operations. ‘Do not have the focus on compliance.’
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Karen de Lathouder: ‘I bring parallel thinking, a kind of sidetrack’
How do you get your first supervisory board position, why do you choose to become a supervisory board member, and how do you fulfill your role? Karen de Lathouder has been a supervisory board member at NS (Dutch Railways) since March and talks about her drive and approach. ‘I am always curious about the considerations. Or about the compromise. As a supervisory board, it is interesting to know what you miss out on as a result of that compromise. What did we not get?’
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How Wennink's vision can become a workable strategy
Tough choices and substantial investments are needed to prevent falling further behind economically; the urgency of the Wennink report is undeniable. To ensure the success of plans for future prosperity, it is now important to design a solid financing chain and involve investors, write Tjarda Molenaar and Juul Vaandrager of the Dutch Association of Private Equity Firms.
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Digital resilience is a matter for top management
Digitization forms the basis of the economy and is rapidly changing how organizations function. But dependence on digitization increases vulnerability. It is therefore critical for organizations to have their digital resilience in order. This is only possible if cybersecurity is not seen solely as a technical IT issue, but also as a strategic issue for which the top management of the organization is ultimately responsible. Chantal Vergouw of KPN identifies three strategic shifts that will be decisive in this regard.
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Hilde van der Baan and Gijs Linse: Technology should be open for discussion, not considered a fait accompli
Technology is designed for convenience, speed, and comfort. This makes it more difficult to consider whether we should actually want something. The challenge of the digital age is not so much a technical one as a moral one. It is precisely in the boardroom that we should look for friction, argue Hilde van der Baan and Gijs Linse of A&O Shearman.
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Henk Rottinghuis: ‘Curiosity is more important than knowledge’
He may have a wealth of experience as member of both management and supervisory boards, but Henk Rottinghuis does not like routine. On the contrary: ‘I am curious about tomorrow, about the things I do not know yet. If I leave a meeting with the same opinion as when I entered, it was not a good meeting.’
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Karl Guha: ‘Zero risk means zero reward’
Karl Guha, chairman of the supervisory board of ING, has over thirty years of experience in international banking. A conversation on risk-taking, (over)regulation, and the Dutch tendency to break ranks with Europe. ‘In the past, the CEO was the first to be held responsible if something went wrong at a financial institution. Now, the chairman of the supervisory board is held equally responsible.’
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Ready for the 2026 AGMs
Geopolitical risks, the rise of AI, and sustainability will dominate the agenda of the upcoming AGMs. What issues should company secretaries take into account? During the annual seminar AGM 2026 - What’s New?, company secretaries were updated for the coming season.
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‘Investor engagement is a year-round activity’
The AGM season – the time of year when the general meeting of shareholders is held – no longer exists. The relationship with shareholders requires attention throughout the year, according to investor relations specialists Kirsten van Rooijen and Ivana Cvjetkovic of Computershare and Georgeson. ‘Investor engagement is a year-round activity.’
Europe must defend its corporate governance values
Geopolitical tensions, crumbling alliances, and the politicization of international business are forcing management and supervisory board members to reconsider good corporate governance. Jeroen Veldman advocates for a Europe First strategy to provide the boardroom with a robust framework.
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Leadership in the digital age
Companies that stand still fall behind and lose market share to agile newcomers without baggage. Modern leaders know this and succeed in keeping their organizations agile.
‘A leader needs both reason and intuition’
Kaya de Lange is the winner of the Young Captain Award 2025. The jury praised her vision, authenticity, decisiveness, and ability to connect people.
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Jack de Kreij: ‘Optimize, evaluate, and re-adjust’
De Kreij sees the supervisory board as a perpetual motion machine in which colleagues are constantly working together to find the connections between current and complex issues.
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Maarten Camps (UWV): ‘A different mindset is needed’
Do more to prevent absenteeism and be open to employees who do not fit the ideal picture, says Maarten Camps.
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Invest in a people-centric digital work environment
Many organizations are actively working to optimize their digital work environment. However, it is often too narrowed on technology and processes, with too little attention paid to the needs of employees.
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‘A supervisory board can sometimes be a pain in the ass’
Last summer, Annette Ottolini officially retired as CEO of water company Evides. Now it is time for a new phase in her working life: as a supervisory director.
Ron Keller: ‘The geopolitical reset will take decades’
Former top diplomat Ron Keller sees a way out of the crisis the European continent is facing by making Europe more decisive, secure, and prosperous.
Rutger van der Leeuw (Enexis): ‘More copper in the ground is not the solution’
As CEO of Enexis he strives to achieve a balance between social impact and business results.
Daniele Tonella (ING): ‘Innovation is also about behavior and governance’
As cto of ING, Daniele Tonella is responsible for the bank's entire IT landscape: ‘everything that contains a chip or line of code’, as he puts it.
Millennial leaders are warming up – and here is what you can expect
With the millennial generation knocking on the door, boardrooms in the Netherlands are hearing a new voice.
Barbara Bier: ‘We need to correct this omission’
Professor Barbara Bier of Nyenrode Business University believes that more attention should be paid to the one-tier board in the corporate governance code.
Siete Hamminga and Guus Verhees on Robin Radar's scale-up journey
From birdwatcher to drone detector: Robin Radar has grown into a global company. We are in conversation with the founder and with the investor.
Vincent Tuk (Eneco): ‘Data is key in this new energy world’
Cto Vincent Tuk and his team play a crucial role in the organization’s tech-first ambitions. 'Our tech team and our business team are fully integrated.’
Petri Hofsté: ‘They conceive, we approve – that separation is too rigid’
Petri Hofsté learned to supervise without the extensive regulations, protocols, codes, and supervisory visions that are now inevitable.
Robbert van Rutten (Shell): ‘A more flexible and competitive IT organization’
Robbert van Rutten (cio): ‘The change in the reporting line recognizes that the impact of technology is undeniable.’
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Mark Rutten: ‘We can make bigger investments’
Mark Rutten (cfo) on his ambitions at Swinkels: Thinking more internationally and being a little bolder when it comes to investments.
Elections 2025: ‘A stable economic policy will help us move forward’
How can a new cabinet give the Dutch business and investment climate a boost and accelerate innovation? Three political specialists discuss this topic.
Board agenda 2035: ‘Contributing ideas instead of monitoring’
Nyenrode celebrated the seventy-fifth edition of the Nyenrode Board of Commissioners Program with a symposium on the management agenda of the future.
René van Vlerken (Euronext): ‘The end goal is a European capital market’
Euronext CEO René van Vlerken has concerns about the Dutch and European capital markets.
Corné Greyling: ‘The COSEC navigates an increasingly complex landscape’
Corné Greyling, company secretary of Ahold Delhaize, sees modern company secretaries as multifunctional governance experts.
André van der Linden: ‘Make cybersecurity as self-evident as fire safety’
The Royal FloraHolland CIO is tasked with successfully leading a traditional cooperative into the digital age.
How long-term investments can strengthen Europe
Chantal Schrijver, head of the Dutch office of the European Investment Bank, describes how the EIB is solving problems surrounding European competitiveness.
Dutch competitiveness: ‘We must innovate to win’
Marc Zegveld, managing director, and Thijmen van Bree, senior researcher at TNO, translated the Draghi Report findings into recommendations for the Dutch situation.
Florian van Rijn van Alkemade: ‘One unicorn does not mean a successful industry’
Eternal Sun, a specialist in solar simulation for testing solar panels, proved that Europe can indeed scale up technologically.
Sandra Phlippen: ‘A CO2 tax is not a punishment’
Sustainable transition is inevitable, says Sandra Phlippen (ABN AMRO), as countries will reach a point where the cost of inaction exceeds the cost of the transition.
Europe must chart its own course on China
Europe is still being carried along by America, with the result that European companies are being surprised by Chinese competitors they had underestimated.
Raymond van Eck (Fairphone): ‘We are done being the exception’
Fairphone-CEO Raymond van Eck wants to scale up as a producer of sustainable and fair smartphones without compromising on core values.
CFO, take control of the profit forecast
When companies adjust their profit forecasts, it can have an immense impact on the share price.
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