Creating A Sustainable Future: Leadership and Technology
Your trainers
| Dr. Andre Dellevoet Director, Programme and Alumni Community |
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| Dr. Lalit Johri Director, Research and Curriculum Innovations |
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"Leading sustainability initiatives within organizations where opinions are sharply divided can be immensely challenging. This requires navigating a complex landscape, from securing shareholder mandates and convincing investors to implementing affordable, effective sustainability solutions, all while building resilient teams capable of executing complex strategies. Sustainability leaders must continuously navigate a shifting decision-making environment, fuelled by a compelling vision and unwavering commitment, while simultaneously testing the limits of their own capabilities and the organization's commitment to sustainability." - Prof. Dr. Lalit Johri |
| Mr. Prasad Ramakrishnan Director, Breakthrough Knowledge and Solutions |
 Prasad Ramakrishnan has held senior operations and general management positions leading regional and global teams at Ford, Triumph International, Alstom, GE and Motiv Electric Trucks while living and working in 4 continents. He has deep expertise in technology and leadership for sustainability. He was a faculty member at ETH Zurich and Babson College in Boston. He co-led creation of the emba-X Programme jointly with ETH and the University of St. Gallen.
Currently Prasad is a board member and senior consultant focused on sustainability, technology, innovation, and executive leadership. He is a consultant at Stanford Graduate Business School’s Seed Program. “Driving change toward sustainability has been deeply personal—whether ensuring living wages for employees or freeing fleets from fossil fuels. Transforming legacy systems into environmentally responsible models demands empathy, innovation, and purpose. Embedding sustainability into an organization’s DNA is about leading with values that uplift people, strengthening communities, and restoring our planet”. - Prasad Ramakrishnan |
| Mr. Patrick Maffeis Board member/Senior Advisor/ Senior Consultant |
 Patrick MAFFÉÏS has held various general management and operations positions in the defence, automotive, energy, and construction industries, working for major international corporations such as KNDS, Adiant, Forvia, Alstom, GE, and Orbia.
Since 2016, he has provided business angel support to start-ups during their early development stages and serves as a board member for several of them. Following his retirement in 2024, he commenced his own business as an advisor and senior consultant to private equity firms, consulting firms, and industrial companies. Patrick is a French native and an alumnus of the ENSTA engineering school. “Over four decades in industry, I’ve witnessed the evolution from reluctant compliance to genuine commitment. What began as regulation-driven has become a personal mission—to design responsibly, build efficiently, and give back more than we take. Sustainability is no longer a cost; it’s an investment in our shared future—and yes, it truly pays back”. - Patrick Maffeis |
| Mr. Hans Nijhoff Senior consultant |
 Hans Nijhoff, MSc, is Senior Consultant and lecturer at Maastricht School of Management (MSM), with over 20 years of international experience in water and agriculture. He has managed projects supporting local economies and agribusiness in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Hans specializes in business models for innovative agricultural cluster development. He builds quadruple helix partnerships, connecting academia, business, government, and civil society to accelerate technology adoption for farmers. Hans teaches and mentors future leaders dedicated to a sustainable future through transformative agriculture solutions. He is pursuing a PhD at Maastricht University on success factors for climate-smart agriculture technology uptake among farmers in Africa.
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| Mr. Oliver Olson Lecturer Marketing and Strategy |
 Oliver W. Olson MBA has been teaching Marketing and Strategy for 13 years in more than 15 countries, including Marketing, Strategy, Change Management and International Business Culture, both for Masters programs as well Executive Training programs.
He has previously been the Country Manager for CEU Business School, Romania, and has held various roles at CEU Business School in Budapest serving as the MBA Program Director and Director of Degree Programs Administration. Prior to joining the CEU Business School, Oliver started his professional career as an Export Product Manager for a German company and subsequently worked in the banking sector in the USA for a decade. Oliver earned his Undergraduate Degree in International Business and German from California State University, Fullerton and his MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas. |
| Mrs. Sonja Robinson Coach/Peer Coaching Facilitator |
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| Dr. Dietmar Röttger Head of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Hitachi Energy |
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“Throughout my career, I have seen sustainability evolve from a peripheral concern to a core value that shapes business strategy and drives innovation. Today, organizations recognize its role not only in safeguarding the planet but also in gaining competitive advantages. As a parent, I am truly motivated to contribute to a more sustainable world for my children. A world with inspiring sustainability leaders, with a clear vision, strategy and real, lasting impact”. - Dietmar Röttger |
| Mr. Ton Geurts Marketing & Supply Chain Management |
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“Leadership & sustainability in my experience means having a vision and aspiration for the organisation. To lead with the view it creates your licence to operate, new business value. It fuels value chain transformation together with suppliers and customers. But foremost it creates pride & belonging to the organisation, the branding and standing in society”. - Ton Geurts |
Confirmed guest speakers are: |
| R.J.M. (Ruud) Joosten, CEO Royal BAM Group |
 Mr Joosten earned a degree in Business Economics at VU Amsterdam in 1987 and an MBA from the University of Leuven in 1990. He started with AkzoNobel in 1996 as a marketing director, joining from Petrofina (currently PPG) where he began his career in 1988. At AkzoNobel he held management positions in sales and marketing and became managing director of Decorative Paints North and Eastern Europe in 2006. In 2013 he joined AkzoNobel’s Executive Committee and became responsible for the Decorative Paints business. In 2018, he became the Chief Operating Officer of AkzoNobel, responsible for business performance of the coatings and paints businesses. He currently functions as CEO of Royal BAM group, the biggest construction and property development company in the Netherlands. |
| Mr. Mark Spekreijse CEO Circular plastics |
 Mark is currently Managing Director of Circular Plastics NL. In this role, he is responsible for the development of the National Growth Fund program Circular Plastics NL. The program was launched in 2023 and focuses on making the plastics chain in the Netherlands circular. Mark studied Chemical Engineering at TU Twente, specializing in materials science and polymer technology. He began his career in R&D at AkzoNobel and subsequently held various leadership positions in engineering, innovation, marketing, sales, business, and general management, both in the Netherlands and abroad. He then served as CEO of several Würth companies active worldwide in coatings, adhesives, and specialty chemicals. More recently, he was CEO of a family-owned company in the European packaging industry. LinkedIn profile |
| Mr. Tarun Brahma, Head of Investments, Climate Fund Managers |
 Tarun Brahma is a Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, responsible for setting the strategic direction for the regional investment teams and oversees all investment activities at Climate Fund Managers (CFM) is a climate-focused blended finance investment manager operating in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With over USD 2.8 billion in assets under management, CFM’s private equity and private credit facilities address key areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, including renewable energy, green hydrogen, energy transmission, water, waste and sanitation, biodiversity and oceans infrastructure. Established in 2015, CFM is a joint venture between Dutch development bank FMO and Sanlam InfraWorks of the Sanlam Group of South Africa, with offices in The Hague, Cape Town, Singapore, and Bogotá.Tarun brings over 18 years of experience in leading high-performing, multi-disciplinary deal teams in emerging markets. Prior to joining CFM, he served as Senior Investment Officer at FMO's Private Equity Energy Department, where he spearheaded transactions and investments across Africa and Asia. Before that, Tarun was a Fund Manager at Frontier Markets Fund Managers, overseeing the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund and GuarantCo, driving growth and impact in the region. |
| Mrs. Lynn van Leerzem, Milieudefensie |
 Lynn van Leerzem graduated in England with a degree in social movements and in Wageningen with a degree in international cooperation. She is currently the campaign leader at Milieudefensie, where she has been working for 10 years. After winning the Climate Case against Shell in 2021, she and her team set up a campaign targeting the 29 most climate-relevant companies and financial institutions in the Netherlands. Milieudefensie is calling on companies not to wait until the courts force them to act, but to come up with their own climate plans that are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. They are doing this, for example, by making court rulings in climate cases relevant and transparent for other companies; by having the climate plans of the companies concerned independently assessed in a ranking; or through public campaigns. LinkedIn profile |
Mr Dellevoet holds an MSC in law from Maastricht University and a MSC in Political Science from Leiden University. Mr Dellevoet is an expert in private sector development, finance, CSR and good governance, having worked with over 600 companies across Europe, Africa and Asia. He has lived and worked in Africa for almost 20 years. Mr. Dellevoet has served as a Member of the Board of Pugwash, The Netherlands, the Dutch National Commission for Sustainable Development and the Netherlands-Africa Business Council. He is an alumnus of the Said Business School of Oxford University. In 2019, he joined the team of MSM
Professor Lalit Johri MSc MBA PhD is a well-known researcher, teacher, mentor and strategic advisor in the field of strategy and leadership. He has served as a tenured senior fellow and the Director of the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Prior to his stint at Oxford, Lalit served as a Professor of International Business at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) School of Management in Thailand, and the founding director of the Executive MBA programme. He was also a tenured Professor at the University of Delhi in India. During his long career, he has served on the boards of academic journals and professional bodies, corporations and has taught at leading business schools in the UK, Europe, India, South- East Asia, and China. 
Mrs. Sonja Robinson spent the last 25+ years in Commercial and Client Relationship roles as much as Thought Leader Coach and Peer Coaching Facilitator. Her focus is on inspiring personal and professional growth with clients across the globe through an established Peer Coaching concept (6-6-60) and Individual Leadership Coaching. She has managed and delivered multicultural project teams on global event projects with FIFA, McKinsey, Korn Ferry and Right Management, collaborating with team members and senior level stakeholders including CEOs, politicians, diplomats and members of Royalty and government. Her client base spans across industry, life science, pharma and telecommunications. Sonja is a Mentor with the University of Zurich and Thrive with Mentoring Community.
Dr. Dietmar Röttger has held prominent leadership roles in research and development, quality management, and operational excellence within the power industry. With over 20 years of experience at Siemens, ALSTOM, and General Electric, he has successfully driven global transformations, focusing on enhancing operational performance across the entire value chain—from sales to service. Having lived and worked in the United States, Europe, and China, he now serves as the Head of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Hitachi Energy in Zurich, Switzerland. Additionally, he is a lecturer about innovation and change management at ETH, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Ton Geurts built an international career with Royal DSM. In 2007, he joined AkzoNobel as Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), followed in 2014 by being the CPO and SVP Supply Chain Excellence for NV Bekaert SA. Since 2019, Ton has been pivotal in building the portfolio of The Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (BISCI), focusing on digital and sustainability innovation in supply chains. Ton is a highly experienced transformation leader, top executive across several industries and continents with expensive experience in process management, M&A, sustainability, circularity, supplier quality management and program management. He is a lecturer in MBA programs at Maastricht University, IÉSEG School of Management (Paris/Lille), ETH/Zürich, Vlerick Business School/Ghent and Erasmus University/Rotterdam.