Anderson MacGyver establishes an advisory board

Anderson MacGyver has established an Advisory Board with the aim to bring in an outside-in perspective to its strategic direction and development. Inaugural members of the board are Mario der Weduwen and Gerrit Schipper.

Drawing on their decades of experience, the two veterans will serve as sounding boards and sparring partners for Anderson MacGyver’s board and partners. In doing so, they offer an external, independent view on the firm’s strategic decision-making. 

“In addition, the advisory board helps to reflect on one’s own leadership and the organization as a whole,” explains Benelux director David Jongste.

The idea for the council first came around a year ago, after Mario der Weduwen met the board of Anderson MacGyver. “A personal and substantive connection quickly emerged,” says Der Weduwen. “Gradually we came up with the idea of setting up an Advisory Board, with members who can critically reflect on Anderson MacGyver’s current and future activities leveraging their seniority, experience, competencies and network.”

Mario der Weduwen

Following that insights, Der Weduwen (65) himself was asked to join the yet-to-be-formed board. With four decades of experience, he has “experienced virtually all major trends and developments up close,” he reveals. “I wanted to use all my knowledge, experience and network as widely as possible.” 

Der Weduwen was CIO of Holland Casino for ten years. Earlier, he worked for ANWB, Air France-KLM and Ahold, among others. Last year, he and several peers founded CIO-nxt, an association of entrepreneurs with in-depth experience as Chief Information Officer and/or Chief Digital Officer at large (inter)national organizations.

“In addition to his widely recognized stature as a technology leader, Mario is a very versatile and colorful personality,” said Jongste: ”Flamboyant, open, extroverted, energetic and with a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience as a CIO.” 

“That critical outside perspective, based in part on his market knowledge and vast network, can help us think outside our own vision and frameworks when necessary,” Jongste points out. “In this way, we are even better able to empathize with our customers’ opportunities and challenges.”

Gerrit Schipper 

The other member of the new Advisory Board is Gerrit Schipper (66), who has a long track record as a director and entrepreneur in the technology domain. He started his career in 1981 and subsequently held top positions at financial and technology service providers such as ABZ, ADP, RDC and Geodan NEXT International.

Six years ago, Schipper felt it was “time for a new phase of life,” he says. “From learn and earn to return. I wanted to use my knowledge and experience to give something back to the field and society.”

As such, he is now affiliated with Erasmus University Rotterdam and a supervisor at NEMO Science Museum, among others, an advisor to Recharge Earth and chairman of the BDR Project Foundation, which works to educate especially girls and women in technical professions.

His added value to the Advisory Board, according to Schipper, lies mainly in the areas of governance and business. “I still have a large network and know that there is a growing need for hands-on support and a more learning than teaching consultancy – also abroad. I am mainly focused on the direction and development of Anderson MacGyver’s Benelux organization, but will also help translate those insights into learnings for other regions.”

Jongste praises Schipper’s international experience and perspective. “He knows how to set up and develop an organization in a global context. That fits well with our current position as an international scale-up. Gerrit also has great substantive knowledge of data, artificial intelligence and digitalization. He can also provide input and feedback from those competencies and experience.”

Productizing
One of the strategic initiatives that Schipper and Der Weduwen will contribute to in the coming period is the productization of Anderson MacGyver’s service offering. The goal of productization is to introduce a standardized online consultancy service that can be purchased ‘on the shelf’, operating alongside the firm’s customized advisory offering.

“Productization will, combined with generative AI, become an increasingly important part of Anderson MacGyver’s strategy,” concludes Jongste.