Meet… Marle! Our new sustainabilty strategist.

The demand for sustainability work is increasing, something we’re super excited about because this also means making more impact! For us it also means that the team is growing, so in the upcoming period, we’ll introduce our new colleagues. First one up, Marle!

Marle is the newest addition to our strategy team. All the way from Twente she brought some “Twentse nuchterheid” (common sense) to Amsterdam. With a background in communications and change management and experience in sustainability advisory and assurance at one of the big four, her job as a sustainability strategist at Rainbow Collection is the perfect next step.  

Why did you choose to work in sustainability?

Working on a better future has always been an ambition because it allows me to philosophize and keeps me sharp in challenging decisions. I think that, due to unconscious choices and external influences, people adapted to a polluting consumer society. Changing consumer attitudes and marketing can play a big role in making it more attractive and easy to choose for the sustainable option. Especially the combination between change management and communication inspires me, I like to brainstorm about how companies can make a profit ánd make the world a better place.

What was your road from communications to sustainability strategist?

During my studies, CSR was an isolated department at companies. At that time, good communication skills were a must to convince board members and whole companies to integrate sustainability holistically. Besides that, my interest in stakeholder management increasingly brought sustainability topics on my radar. Those topics have an impact on companies, but companies also have an impact on those topics. From that point of view, I wanted to do research at companies that have a major impact on society. And thus, I researched the role of organizational culture and how this does (or does not) contribute to their sustainability strategy and performance. That’s when I noticed that companies really look for guidance and starting points to work on sustainable transformation. So, I started my career at a big consultancy firm, and now…

Now you’re working at RC! What is your dream client or project?

That’s a hard one, haha. I have a lot of dreams when it comes to sustainability, but in a nutshell… I would love to develop a training program for CEOs that combines the basic knowledge about ESG with innovative leadership and the ethical course of action that is needed for actual system change. Besides that, I want to start an internal sustainability ambassador program for companies that want to become more sustainable and work with employees (at all levels) as drivers for change.