Kees van der Graaf

In a world of volatility and uncertainty, we need strong and effective leaders. Highly effective leaders know how to balance their lives within the spheres of their work, their families and in their contributions to society, as well as across them. Too often leaders give up control of their lives, become victims of their agendas and give in to immediate demands and short term pressures. Living a grounded and balanced life strengthens the contribution that a leader makes to each sphere of his/her live and is critical to his/her effectiveness as a leader. Kees van der Graaf will introduce the topic, based on his current research as an executive in residence at IMD, the business school in Lausanne. He is interviewing CEOs worldwide about the balance in their lives. Kees van der Graaf was President of Unilever Europe.

The Annual Leadership Conference provides a special opportunity once a year when we bring together all four Member Circles. Through a mix of keynotes from high-calibre speakers and in-depth Roundtables with your peers to share your personal experiences the conference offers a unique opportunity for inspiration and reflection. Speakers will include:

Kurt April, Professor University of Cape Town, on 'Global Leadership and Moral Courage'

Alexander Rinnooy Kan, Chairman of the Dutch Social-Economic Council, on the current political and economic climate in the Netherlands and Europe.

Ben Verwaayen, CEO Alcatel-Lucent, on the turnaround of his company.

Sylvester Eijffinger

European countries have suffered from the financial and economic crisis. They had to come up with an unprecedented rescue package after Greece came close to defaulting on its debts. The crisis nearly even wrecked the euro. What has all this done to the European project? What are the prospects of the EU and the eurozone? How does the future of Europe look, also in comparison with the USA and Asia? These questions, and more, will be addressed by Sylvester Eijffinger, Full Professor of Financial Economics and Jean Monnet Professor of European Financial and Monetary Integration at Tilburg University. Eijffinger is, among his many other positions, Member of the Panel of Economic and Monetary Experts of the European Parliament, Visiting Professor at Harvard University and he was a member of the Maas Committee which recently advised about the future of banking in the Netherlands. After his introduction, participants will engage in Roundtable dialogues about the future of Europe.

Robbert Verschuur

''Know thyself' was already inscribed at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Currently this suggestion also plays a prominent role in a growing number of leadership books: you have to be able to lead yourself before you can lead others. At this Leadership Dinner we will explore the process of looking inside yourself. We will also discuss the potential results if you practice this on a regular basis. The topic will be introduced by Robbert Verschuur, a practitioner of consciousness oriented psychotherapy. He was trained in Unitive Psychotherapy, Bio-Synthesis and he is a long-time student of the Ridhwan School of A.H. Almaas, a psycho-spiritual path known as the Diamond Approach.

This is a closed Peer Roundtable. For more information please contact our office.

Robert-Jan van de Kraats

In 2007 Randstad acquired Vedior for &euro 3.5 bln. The #3 and #4 in the world for staffing and HR services joined to become #2. What happens to a company after such a large acquisition? What are the consequences for its leadership team? How has the deal been implemented? How did the new combination manage itself through the downturn that occured right after the acquisition? Three years down the road, Robert-Jan van de Kraats, will share the lessons learned. What went well in the execution of this acquisition? What challenges occurred and how were they resolved?

Jan Willem Weck

The essence of leadership is the same everywhere, be it in the public arena, in entrepreneurial start-ups or in big corporates. Or isn't it? Speaker Jan Willem Weck will explain what the main characteristics are of leadership in the public sector. In the Roundtables, participants will compare their own experiences with leadership in the public and private sectors. Will there be a winner? Jan Willem Weck is Director-General Senior Public Service and in that capacity responsible for the leadership of the highest-ranking civil servants in the Netherlands.

Hein Knaapen

Jan Kars

Relations between organizations and their employees have changed dramatically over the past few years. Lifetime employment has disappeared, but organizations still need the commitment and loyalty of employees in the middle of changes of unprecedented speed.
Jan Kars of Hewitt Associates will introduce the future of work. How will the growth in unemployment along with lower levels of social welfare affect organisations? To what extent will employers be expected to fill this welfare gap? He will also point out how demographic developments are leading to a structural lack of qualified workers in Europe in an amazingly short time. Global sourcing and a higher retirement age will be necessary, but will these be adequate solutions? Subsequently, Hein Knaapen will explain how macro-developments like these affect a large company like KPN and how the company deals with these challenges. After their introductions, participants will engage in Roundtable dialogues to discuss their own employment challenges.

Piet Moerland

Co-operative banks have been hit less hard than other banks by the financial crisis and they did not need large-scale government support. Obviously they were not immune; they also suffered losses and incurred write-downs. In this Leadership Dinner Piet Moerland, Chairman of Rabobank Group Executive Board, will analyse the crisis and its consequences. As a former professor of corporate governance, he will also explain why the cooperative model of the Rabobank is a robust alternative to other banking models.