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Last May, the Nyenrode Alumni Talks kicked off in Amsterdam. A reoccurring event for alumni to start a dialogue on entrepreneurship and to exchange knowledge and experiences amongst each other.

A lot of people victimize themselves, but the truth is this. We will be faced with hardship. There will be good and bad days. But how we decide to see them and what we decide to do is what shapes our life.

Linsey van Oers completed her Master of Science in Financial Management at Nyenrode Business University five years ago. She is now an entrepreneur and has opened – within a short period of time – two locations of her Happiness restaurant concept: The Happiness Café and The Happiness Kitchen.

“I was captivated by the idea of claiming a chair. As an alumnus, you will be visibly connected to Nyenrode. I like giving back. A fun way of remaining connected,” alumnus Thomas Stassen said.

What are the foundations of a successful career? Nyenrodian Han Knooren has invested a lot in young leaders at his company. “I cannot help but share practical life lessons.”

Nyenrode Alumna Gayle included the Nyenrode Fund in her will. ‘When you have died, you cannot spend your money anymore anyway and this way, I can still make an impact.’

Marjolein Bakker, an alumna of the Full-time MSc in International Management, has recently embarked on a collaboration to publish her thesis as an article. Joining her in this effort are Prof André Nijhof and Dr Henk Kievit, both professors at Nyenrode Business University. Her Master’s thesis, “Exploring Encroachment: value propositions and the role of disruptive innovation in attracting new customers”, examines the type of innovation that drives new customers to buy a particular value proposition. The provocative title of Bakker’s forthcoming article reads: “Can the customer still be king in the era of sustainability?”

Executive MBA alumnus Sjoerd Wennekes (36) talks about his unique mix of educational qualifications. Wennekes began his student days at HKU University of the Arts in Utrecht and started his MBA at Nyenrode Business University a few years later. This combination has paid off. It has resulted in the success of his company Active Cues, which is responsible for the Tovertafel. The company now operates in 10 countries and has 45 employees (70 including all international partners). As far as Wennekes is concerned, there is no doubt they will keep expanding all over the world.