Economist. Strategist. Expert in change management, leadership development and executive coaching. Founder and Owner of Lead the Change, helping to build purpose-driven organizations worldwide. Partner at Sum People and Leader’s Quest. 

Hendrik-Jan combines business logic with a drive to bring about lasting change in complex environments. He has three decades of international experience in business strategy, finance and banking, executive coaching, leadership and workshop facilitation and change management.

As founder and owner of Lead the Change, Hendrik-Jan and his team help ambitious leaders build powerful, purpose-driven organizations. The outreach is global, with clients in North America, Asia and across most of Europe. Recent clients include companies in a variety of business sectors (such as engineering, FMCG, finance, medical, investment boutiques) and several non-profit organizations (academic, multilateral, foundations).

Previously, Hendrik-Jan was principal advisor to the executive director of UNICEF in New York (2007-2010). He worked for ABN AMRO Bank (1992-2007) in Tokyo, Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Zurich, including roles as personal secretary to the CEO and as a member of the executive committee of ABN AMRO Switzerland.

He is a partner at Sum People, a leadership development boutique; and at Leaders’ Quest (London, Mumbai, New York), a social enterprise committed to improving the quality of leadership around the world through experiential programmes. 

With his team, he recently founded Initio, an initiative that aims to provide career advice and internships for students with migrant- and refugee backgrounds.

Hendrik-Jan serves on various boards, including Adessium Foundation (Rotterdam) and SustainAbility (London). Previous non-executive roles include being on the board at the Center for Public Integrity (Washington, DC).

Hendrik-Jan is dedicated to helping impact-driven leaders connect to their purpose, vision and approach. He is passionate about contributing to a balanced, just and integrative society where people are in harmony with their environment. 

He has lived in 10 countries across four continents, is fluent in Dutch, English, German, French and is learning Portuguese. Hendrik-Jan is an economist (Groningen, Rotterdam), holds an MBA from INSEAD, and is a guest lecturer at the business schools of HEC (Paris) and Católica (Lisbon).

Hendrik-Jan lives in Lisbon, with his wife and two children, and travels extensively to The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France, and the UK for his clients.