Portuguese Maria Montenegro has been chief strategy officer (CSO) at data supplier/tech company Wolters Kluwer ‘since Valentine’s Day 2022.’ Starting out with ten employees, she now leads a department of seventy people. ‘We are more than ever a tech company. I, together with others, work closely on fostering an innovative culture.’

The Ministry of Defense is facing an unprecedented scale-up. How is the organisation doing it, what are the challenges they face and what is the role of the business community? Sjoerd van der Smissen of Deloitte says: ‘The business community needs to take on its role.’ He is in conversation with Secretary General of Defense Maarten Schurink. ‘Businesses can be of help to both society and Defense.’

Bas Brouns has been working in various financial positions at KLM for almost 30 years. As CFO since April 2024, he is ultimately responsible for the finances of the Dutch airline. Brouns took his seat in the financial cockpit at a crucial moment. KLM needs to invest billions in fleet renewal, while profitability is lagging behind that of sister company Air France. But, ‘KLM seems not made for quick growth.’

More than ever, the CoSec has a pivotal role within contemporary organizations and involved in effective governance. Under the leadership of Gert van der Houwen and Romy Blankenspoor, VDH Bestuurszaken has developed into an expert in the field of ‘good governance and effective management.’ They recently began assisting companies to recruit and select the right CoSec. ‘It is up to the CoSec to bring two worlds together, to bring valuable ideas from one side of the table to the other.’

In 2025, hastening the energy transition is not only necessary to stop climate change. A green economy also strengthens Europe’s strategic autonomy. Under the leadership of Willemien Terpstra, Gasunie is building a future energy system. ‘We are at a tipping point, and we want to keep the industry on board.’

Right at the beginning of this interview we discuss an important question: ‘Two years ago, you clearly felt ready to take on the challenge of becoming the president-director of Shell Netherlands. Why?’ Despite Shell currently facing gale-force headwinds, Frans Everts has a clear answer: ‘I found it important to bring our story to the fore and engage in the debate.’ That extends beyond the concern itself: ‘I want to prevent us from, in five years' time, realizing that we no longer have a European industry. If we do not make a concerted effort now, that will be the outcome.’

‘The tour through nine countries accelerated my onboarding,’ says Alex Holt about her first hundred days as Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at Ahold Delhaize.

As President Europe of Royal FrieslandCampina, Dustin Woodward sees himself as the link between where the group is today and where it wants to go. Woodward wants to succeed commercially but also to contribute to the climate transition of dairy farms. ‘It is important to constantly return to the question of why we do the things we do. That gives meaning to our activities.’

In the report Life science and healthcare predictions 2030, Deloitte, based on ten trends, sets out what the Dutch healthcare system could look like in 2030. Reflecting on the Dutch healthcare sector, it proves to be confronted with challenges including, but not limited to, rising costs, staff shortages and increasing health differences between population groups. It has become crucial to organize and accelerate the transition to a future-proof and resilient healthcare system.

The world will, by 2070, have almost 10 billion people who will need to be fed, without placing an irresponsible burden on the environment. The technological and economic possibilities are available – but now is the time to translate them into concrete action. Deloitte's new report, ‘Turning point: Feeding the world sustainably’, offers a roadmap to this end.

Half of employees familiar with generative AI frequently use GenAI tools without the explicit employer approval. This is the conclusion of large-scale research by Deloitte, Trust in Generative AI. Currently, only a third of Dutch companies actively encourage the use of AI tools. Deloitte advises them to develop clear guidelines and policies around the use of GenAI in the workplace.

According to Mohamed Bouker, partner at Deloitte, the question every chief financial officer should be asking themselves is how, in a world filled with economic uncertainties, the smart use of artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to meet sustainability obligations and future-proof their organizations. The CFO who best connects the three lines of the CFO triangle will be tomorrow’s winner.

There seems to be consensus on remuneration policy in the boardrooms of the Netherlands' largest companies. From time to time, however, the remuneration of executive directors and supervisory directors does still provoke differences of opinion, as evidenced by the publicly expressed concerns of ABN AMRO's supervisory directors questioning whether the bank should increase CEO compensation to attract a better candidate. Roel van der Weele, director of executive compensation at Deloitte, writes that rewarding according to strict frameworks is everything but ideal.

In recent years, businesses have set bold sustainability goals, but optimism is now being tempered by a more realistic understanding of the complexities and costs involved in the transition to sustainable models, says Mohamed Bouker, partner at Deloitte. His advice: prioritize transparency and honesty with stakeholders, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Women operate in a fundamentally different context from men. When female leaders see other women facing similar challenges to what they themselves are facing, it becomes easier to distinguish between personal obstacles and obstacles which are systemic. This said, a program specifically for men could be a good idea too, according to Maartje Laterveer.

Navigating towards sustainability and innovation? It falls on the CFO to redirect the company's course. The financial leader faces a multitude of responsibilities: from CSRD reporting obligations and monitoring economic and geopolitical uncertainties to exploring sustainability and technology opportunities. Embracing this means letting go of some of the established ways of working. A leap into the unknown, was the theme at Deloitte's CFO Dinner in the Kerkzaal of H’ART Museum in Amsterdam. But, who dares wins.