Changes across the pond


Posted
October 2020

Enact’s Anne Manschot will be taking the role of Market Director in Amsterdam, and we asked her a few questions about her new role and how she sees the Amsterdam office developing.

What are you most looking forward to with your change of role at Enact?

When the Enact office was opened in the Netherlands, the company really had to focus on building a client base and reputation from the ground up. We were known in the Nordics, but basically had to start from scratch in Dutch market. Annelien van Meer, who kickstarted this adventure, did such a great job at laying the ground work for us to build on. We wanted to have impactful projects and clients that are happy with our work – and for companies to reach out to us, instead of the other way around. I am so proud to see that a couple of years later, we have now managed to do just that! Enact is now a recognized brand for sustainable strategy development, and business and human rights in the Dutch market. I look forward to creating even more impact for our clients. We have such an amazing team and interesting clients – I just know we will achieve great things together.

Where do you think Enact can make the largest impact in the Human Rights and Business agenda in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, there are different Sector Agreements (in Dutch: convenanten) where governments, businesses and civil society organizations jointly agreed to hold each other accountable for the implementation of the OECD guidelines. In practice, the businesses that have to adhere to these guidelines often struggle with the implementation part: how do you get the theory to make (business) sense? That is exactly where the strength of Enact lies. We are experts at translating requirements on paper to the daily practice of our clients. From the board room to the blue-collar workers – we help businesses understand what is expected of them and show them how to act accordingly. As the Sector Agreements approach is being re-discussed, and pressure increases to create laws instead of guidelines, our added value is even more relevant.

How do you see the Amsterdam office developing in the coming three years?

I think we will further consolidate our position as leaders in the field of business and human rights. We will have an even stronger profile as the thought leaders we are – on topics like supply chain due diligence or strategy development. And we will further grow our team so we can have an even larger impact – and more fikas (coffee breaks) of course!