Purpose-Driven Leadership with Feike Sijbesma

This special episode of “Trade Wins” is the first in a series of interviews conducted as part of the World Trade Association’s General Assembly, held April 26-30, 2021. Today’s guest, Feike Sijbesma, Honorary Chairman of Royal DSM, explains purpose-driven leadership and its place in companies today and in the future as well as some of the challenges that he faced while transforming Royal DSM into a purpose-driven company.

Topics in this conversation include:

• Feike explains the origin and mindset behind trade and how, at its core, it exists for the good of all. 2:00
• Doing good as part of the core of business and not just a side will enable organizations to be future proof. 6:45
• Leaders must have guts, transparency, authenticity, and skill to step out and make the necessary changes within their organizations. 10:13
• Communication is key to getting people of influence on board with the necessary changes to make an organization purpose-driven. 14:49
• Feike discusses some of the challenges that Royal DSM encountered in making their transition and how he worked to overcome these. 16:15
• Feike describes the initiatives that Royal DSM has been involved in, specifically in Africa, to fight malnutrition. 21:40

For the full episode, visit: https://podcast.wtca.org/podcast/03-purpose-driven-leadership-in-a-time-of-economic-turbulence/

Trade Wins is a podcast designed specifically to be thought-provoking and to provide insights from leading experts to help us navigate today’s changing environment. We aim to contribute to the empowerment of our global membership and their business networks in the world of global trade and investment.