March 31, 2026, Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast

Back to overview

Date: March 31, 2026
Time: 8.30 – 10.30
Venue: Vattenfall, Hoekenrode 8, 1102 BR Amsterdam

Mergers and acquisitions are not only about numbers and regulations. It is also about people and culture.

In this exclusive executive breakfast session, we focus on one of the most critical success factors. While financial and legal frameworks shape transactions, it is people, leadership behaviours, and cultural alignment that determine whether new organisational constellations truly thrive.

This high-level session is designed for CEOs, senior leaders, and experts in HR, legal strategy, and intercultural communication, and will explore how deeper insight into Swedish and Dutch business cultures can be transformed into a strategic advantage.

Through practical examples and executive dialogue, we will examine how organisations can:

Balance consensus-driven and fast-paced decision-making models to improve execution and engagement
Navigate differences in communication styles to reduce friction and increase leadership credibility
Align leadership expectations across flat and authority-based structures to build trust and accountability
Combine long-term sustainability with commercial agility in post-merger integration

Key-takeaways:

Learn how to enhance collaboration across borders, with specific insight into the working styles, communication norms, and decision-making patterns common in Swedish and Dutch business environments.
Understand how cultural variables shape leadership effectiveness, strategy execution, and operational alignment in multinational contexts with practical examples from recent M&A.
Apply structured analytical frameworks to diagnose cross-cultural friction points and convert them into practical leadership actions.
Strengthen alignment across diverse boards and leadership groups by bridging differences in consensus-driven versus direct communication styles.
Increase motivation and engagement within internationally distributed teams by adapting leadership approaches to varying expectations around hierarchy, autonomy, and feedback.
Improve negotiation outcomes by recognising cultural preferences for transparency, pragmatism, and relationship-building.
Gain immediately usable tools informed by both evidence-based analysis and real-world executive practice.

Our keynote speaker and host, the CEO of Vattenfall Cindy Kroon, shares her personal view on the merger with Nuon. Wanne Wiersinga, Partner at Itim International, gives hands on solutions to improve global cooperation and to optimise international teamwork.

Further details will follow shortly. We invite you to secure your place and join a select group of executives shaping the future of cross-cultural business integration.

Venue

Vattenfall, Amsterdam

Ask a question about this event

Cindy Kroon, CEO, Vattenfall Netherlands

View LinkedIn

Wanne Wiersinga, Partner at Itim International

Wanne Wiersinga is an intercultural management specialist with over twenty years of experience designing and delivering programmes that strengthen international cooperation. Since 2004, she has worked with executives, entrepreneurs and project managers to improve global collaboration and optimise international teamwork. Her expertise lies in translating the impact of cultural differences on strategy, leadership and operations into practical, actionable solutions. Using robust analytical frameworks combined with real-world business experience, she helps leaders address challenges such as aligning diverse boards, motivating international teams and negotiating across cultures. She has trained and coached over a thousand executives across six continents and is appreciated for her practical, analytical and engaging approach. Alongside her consultancy work, Wanne has held international roles in partnerships, business development, government representation and international sales. Having lived and worked in multiple countries, she brings first-hand insight into the challenges and best practices of doing business across cultures, helping organisations operate more effectively in an international context.

View LinkedIn