Chief Value Officer: The rise of new leadership

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The far-reaching consequences are becoming increasingly tangible and the pressure on directors is building due to new regulations and climate lawsuits. To accordingly respond to these developments, directors need to use money, talent and innovative power to effectively put environmental and social impact at the center of decision making.

A director who does so is called a Chief Value Officer. During this session we will speak to directors who steer on environmental, social and financial value. Apply now and pose your questions to the speakers.

Managing for impact

Despite the growing pressure for change, the practice of managing for impact is still in its infancy. Impact areas such as climate, biodiversity, living wages and human rights are still far too insufficiently anchored in the decisions of companies. To achieve a fundamentally sustainable economy, it is essential that companies put impact at the heart of every investment, purchasing decision and strategic choice. Directors should not only focus on financial profit, but also measure, report and manage the impact their company has on society and the environment.

This means a more complex form of management. Next to financial parameters directors also have to think about how their company affects society. Are employees challenged and comfortable in the work environment? What is the organisation’s impact on biodiversity? Does the company take on diversity initiatives? These areas are hard to measure financially but are essential to the long-term success and future-proofing of the business.

Therefore, CFOs and other (financial) directors should grow into Chief Value Officers (CVOs). A CVO focuses on societal value creation, rather than solely the financial success of the business. And they integrate impact into the heart of finance and control to ensure integrated decision-making.

The speakers

Ferdinand Vaandrager is CFO of ABN AMRO since May 2023 and is amenable to the importance of non-financial information and KPI’s in the world that we are living in today.

Volkert Engelsman is a Dutch entrepreneur and pioneer in the organic farming sector. He founded Eosta in 1990. The company is Europe’s largest distributor of organic fruit. Volkert is a supporter of organic farming, sustainability and fair trade.

Werner Schouten is the director of Impact Economy Foundation where he works to enable the impact economy. Furthermore, he is presenter of ‘BNR Koplopers’ radio and former chair of ‘Jonge Klimaat Beweging’.

Sanne Vorstermans is managing consultant at SeederDeBoer. Her focus in work is on governance, business operations and management control. Sanne did research on the future role of the CFO in Dutch hospitals and completed an Executive Master of Finance and Control.