A PERSONAL INTRODUCTION

FROM ELISABETH HOUTMAN

 

 

Since the start of my career, some odd 25 years ago, I’ve worked for myself as an entrepreneur and in professional services organisations. Throughout this time, my main goal has been consistent and, on the face of it, quite simple – to connect people with each other. I passionately believe that anything is possible once the right connections are made.

It’s not always been easy to facilitate this; how could it be when people vary so enormously? Technology has certainly made it simpler, but personally, professionally, culturally; we’re all distinct human beings and the product of very different environments.

That said, I continue to believe that what unites us is more important than what separates us. As long as people are open to reaching out to find the value in each other, there’s a benefit to be had in every single connection we make, every single day, regardless of where you are in the world. These advantages might be obvious in the short-term. Or they might take years to become apparent.

Either way, I’m more passionate about this than ever and my faith has been confirmed by the success of ‘Global Corporate Ladies’, a global programme of events organized by Houthoff.

We have already connected more than 300 successful corporate women over the course of a series of one day sessions held in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.

Wherever we went, we enjoyed lively and inspiring discussions. And I was fascinated to see how much our diverse range of panelists had in common, whatever their backgrounds, and how they’d all found their own ways to not just connect with others, but to uncover and develop the mutual benefits of doing so.

In this magazine you can find out more about our Global Corporate Ladies and how they’ve approached maximising the value of the connections they’ve made over their careers, both personally and professionally.

Through these events and subsequent conversations, I’ve been delighted to connect personally with a diverse but enthusiastic group of people, both in and outside of Houthoff.

It’s been an amazing and empowering experience and I hope you enjoy reading about it and it inspires you, too, to connect more with others. I’d be delighted if you start with me.

Kind regards,

Elisabeth Houtman
International Relations Manager

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