Iris Zwickel-Bakker
01.
I have started my professional journey for more than 20 years in Asia and have held senior positions in multinational corporations like the adidas Group and C&A Europe. I may say that: "I have traveled the world". But in the last couple of years, it is becoming clear to me that we must be prepared for a considerably more radical transformational business agenda than simply investing in new technologies while supporting constant economic growth.
02.
Having a background in quality, I strongly believe in transparency and reliability. My working methods are therefore based on clear measurables and verification processes, as the quote: 'what gets measured, gets managed' is true to my heart.
03.
Circular economy is not something new. It is based on schools of thought, dating back to 1970's. I see circular economy as a holistic framework, including key principles of sustainability. The release of the Circular Economy Action Plan from the European Union in March 2020 is an affirmation that circular economy is more actual then ever.
04.
How I see myself? 'A multi-cultural, achievement-oriented personality focused on bottom-line results achieved through a high degree of efficiency, strategic planning, and organizational skills.'
05.
And a quote from one of my favorite books: "We have an economy that tells us that it is cheaper to destroy Earth in real-time than to renew, restore, and sustain it. You can print money to bail out a bank, but you can't print life to bail out a planet."
Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce (Revised edition), 2010