Gijs van Engelen

Sustainability is at an inflection point: show commercial value or risk being sidelined to compliance. Het Financieele Dagblad just ran a feature on how we’re building the future of sustainability work at beSirius for the most critical industry for the energy transition and defense, right here from the Netherlands. Thanks to Jasper Houtman for turning my brain-dump into a story worth reading. 😁 https://lnkd.in/eD7cYX2s

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Happy to share my conversation with Ankie Van Wersch (MVO Nederland) on accelerating the circular economy.   Three moves leaders can make today: ▪️ Integrate circular into the P&L, do not see it as side projects. ▪️ Build whole-chain partnerships (design → collection → sorting → demand). ▪️ Backed by long-term, consistent policies and recycled-content targets.   The bottom line: waste becomes a resource when leaders collaborate and rules are consistent, giving us the confidence to invest for the next 20-30 years .   More in the interview: 👉  https://bit.ly/48jIfW2 #CircularEconomy #Policy #Collaboration #Renewi

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Long before AI was on everyone’s lips, we took a position on its early, concrete applications. Cognigy is a clear embodiment of that strategy. We’re thrilled to announce the sale of our stake in Cognigy, a European leader in conversational and agentic AI, to NiCE — in a transaction that values the company at approximately $955 million. In June 2024, Eurazeo led Cognigy’s $100 million Series C round as a minority investor, through its Eurazeo Growth Fund IV (EGF IV). Since then, our Growth team has actively supported the company’s expansion — from US go-to-market to product strategy and global commercial introductions. Just one week after announcing the first closing of EGF IV at €650 million, this exit is a strong signal of our ability to identify breakthrough technologies, support high-potential entrepreneurs, and execute with precision. This transaction also underscores the strategic clarity and execution capabilities of our Growth team — helping scale European AI champions globally. By 2030, AI will have profoundly reshaped our economies. Europe’s ability to foster leading technologies in this space will determine its place in global competition. Backing companies like Cognigy means helping European innovation scale globally.

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"We've been doing this for 140 years, but we're already thinking about the next 100 years." This quote from Mart Kruidenier at Koninklijke Dekker perfectly encapsulates why I'm passionate about our growth strategy - partnering with established companies ready to embrace AI transformation. Our recent visit to Dekker's warehouse showcased exactly the kind of impact that drives our growth initiatives. The Challenge: Dekker's team was overwhelmed by hundreds of weekly purchase orders in multiple formats - PDFs, Excel files, emails. Their order intake team was buried in manual data extraction, product matching, and ERP entry work. The Solution: Through Lleverage's AI automation platform, we eliminated the entire manual workflow - from document processing to seamless Business Central integration. The Growth Story: What excites me most isn't just the operational efficiency we delivered. It's watching Dekker's team redirect their expertise toward high-value customer service instead of repetitive tasks. This is exactly the growth trajectory we're building - helping traditional companies like Koninklijke Dekker future-proof their operations through intelligent automation. We're not replacing teams, we're amplifying their potential to focus on what drives real business value. These partnerships fuel our mission and validate why the AI transformation market represents such tremendous opportunity for sustainable growth.

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When I meet Dutch business leaders, I often hear: “We’re piloting AI, but not scaling yet.” That hesitation holds us back. If the Netherlands wants to stay competitive, AI must move from pilot to scale and become a driver of reinvention.   That was my message in Saturday’s NRC feature with Nicole van Det. It highlights how Unilever is using AI to double productivity in Vietnam and cut water and energy use in Poland, and how Randstad is reinventing recruitment with AI-driven job matching and advertising.   What convinces me most are these tangible outcomes: lower costs, higher productivity, more sustainable factories, and better matches between people and jobs. This is where AI shows its true impact and where the Netherlands urgently needs to step up. Accenture the Netherlands Roy Ikink Sytze-Johan Bakker Monique Vierdag Manish Gupta Sjoerd van Gendt Vudaya Bhaskar D

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🍻 BERO: More than a drink, a movement Tom Holland’s BERO isn’t just another celebrity product launch. It’s a cultural shift in how we socialize—and proof that brand-building in 2025 is about much more than the product itself. Here’s why BERO is working: 🎯 Field marketing done right BERO didn’t just show up on shelves—it showed up in the right places. Wimbledon, music festivals, golf courses, summer socials. They knew that to succeed, the drink had to get into as many hands as possible, in environments where people were already reaching for a beer. 📱 Social as community, not billboard Every day, BERO is amplifying customer stories—turning buyers into brand advocates. Tom may boost visibility, but the real engine is how the brand interacts with its consumers. 🌍 Solving a cultural problem Not drinking at a picnic, concert, or post-round hangout can feel isolating. BERO removes that tension by creating an option that adds to social moments rather than replacing or diminishing them. It’s not about “missing out”—it’s about belonging. ✨ Celebrity-backed, but not celebrity-dependent Plenty of stars launch products as side hustles. Tom and his team built BERO differently. His presence feels personal, but the brand doesn’t rely on him alone—it stands as a well-crafted, intentional business with staying power. 📊 Proven by numbers - Avg engagement rate: 3.15% (vs. 1.4% for Coors Light and 0.27% for Heineken) - 15.4M+ total views across content - Posts with Tom perform only ~2% higher engagement — proof that the brand itself (not just the celebrity face) drives success What excites me most about BERO is that it isn’t trying to be the main character. Instead, it enhances culture—sliding naturally into experiences we already love. As someone who doesn’t drink, I find their approach not only refreshing (literally) but culturally important. It proves that when field marketing, social storytelling, and authentic brand building collide, you don’t just sell a product—you create a movement. And honestly? I haven’t even tried the drinks yet, but I already want their branded golf tees. That’s when you know the brand building is next-level. 💡 What celebrity/athlete brand should I tackle next?

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"I like things to be easy... so I let AI think along." - Kees van Middendorp Kees joined our Zoom call late, wifi issues. But within minutes, it became clear: this isn't a coach experimenting with AI. He's a very early adopter in the coaching world. Executive coach. Start-up mentor. Three days a week, 90% online. Kees is also an associate at Global Coach Group, a global network of 3,500 carefully selected independent coaches. His AI toolkit? A Zoom notetaker, Reanotes for ICF competency analysis, and You.com, access to over 30 AIs for €200 per year. What stuck with me wasn’t just his tech stack. It was his clarity: "I get my work through coaching networks and platforms. But if I want to keep making a real impact, I need to build something of my own." Kees is planning to launch a training program for new coaches and a start-up mentor growth journey. AI-augmented learning paths where you don’t just train your skills, you learn how to work with your own AI Twin. He’s ready to get his AI twin with CoachNova. If AI could take 50% off your plate, what would you do? #CoachingBusiness #AIinCoaching #CoachingInnovation #coachnova

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