Author: Bryanne Van de Kant

From May 1^st, Gerrit Schipper (66) joined Anderson MacGyver’s Advisory Board. With the establishment of the Advisory Board, the consultancy firm aims to strengthen the outside-in perspective to continue operating in line with the spirit of times and client’s needs. “Moreover, the advisory board helps reflect on its own leadership and the organisation as a whole,” said Benelux managing director David Jongste.

As an executive and entrepreneur, Gerrit Schipper has gained treasures of experience in the international technology domain. His career started at Philips in 1981 and included top positions at ABZ, ADP, RDC and Geodan NEXT International, among others, until 2017. “At 60, I thought it was time for a new phase of life. From learn and earn to return. I wanted to give something back to the profession and society with my knowledge and experience.”

Pragmatic approach

Until this year, Gerrit Schipper was Executive Director of the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics (ECDA) before moving to the Advisory Board. Since 2020, he has also been involved on behalf of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) as part-time programme director in the Data, AI & Digitalization Convergence Alliance, in which EUR collaborates with ErasmusMC and TU Delft. Since 2017, Schipper has been 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.

“In my new roles, there is a strong focus on the public and civil society domain,” says the experienced former executive. “Anderson MacGyver is an interesting exception in several areas. The firm combines a strongly personal, substantive and pragmatic approach in consultancy projects. Just like the television hero MacGyver, who had an intelligent solution for everything.”

His added value is in the area of governance and business. “I still have a large network and know that there is a growing need for hands-on support and more learning than lecturing consultancy – also abroad. From the Advisory Board, I am mainly focused on the direction and development in the Benelux organisation, but I like to help translate that to the other regions.”

International experience

“We are very impressed by Gerrit Schipper’s international experience and perspective,” says Benelux managing director David Jongste of Anderson MacGyver. “He knows how to set up and develop an organisation in a global context. That fits well with our current position of international scale-up. Gerrit also has great substantive knowledge of data, artificial intelligence and digitalisation. He can also provide input and feedback from those competences and experience.”

The latter the Advisory Board member prefers to do by asking questions. To then let the other person make the right decisions themselves. “The advantage is that I also learn something from this myself, because I am still very eager to learn. Humour, fun and putting things into perspective are also very important to me.”

As advisor and ambassador, Gerrit Schipper, like Mario der Weduwen, who also joined the Advisory Board, will help think about the productisation of the range of services, which will include a standardised online consultancy process in addition to tailor-made advice. Jongste: “That, in combination with Generative AI, will become an increasingly important part of the strategy.”

Get to know our other Advisory Board member, Mario der Weduwen! Read it here.

From May 1st, Mario der Weduwen (65) joined the Advisory Board of Anderson MacGyver. With the establishment of the Advisory Board, the consultancy firm aims to strengthen its outside-in perspective to continue operating in line with the spirit of the times and clients’ needs. “Moreover, the advisory board helps reflect on its own leadership and the organisation as a whole,” said Benelux managing director David Jongste.

After a sabbatical, during which he travelled around Asia with his wife Farida, Mario der Weduwen decided to change tack in 2022. “In almost ten years as CIO of Holland Casino and in the 30 years before that at ANWB, Air France-KLM and Ahold, among others, I have experienced virtually all major trends and developments at close quarters,” he says. “I was keen to use all my knowledge, experience and network as widely as possible.”

In-depth experience

Mario der Weduwen founded CIO-nxt in July 2023 together with several peers: an association of entrepreneurs with in-depth experience as Chief Information Officer and/or Chief Digital Officer at large, nationally or internationally operating organisations. “Objectives are to boost the digital maturity of companies and society based on service and knowledge sharing. In addition, CIO-nxt keeps us as members relevant and substantively engaged.”

About a year ago, he came into contact with the management of Anderson MacGyver. Der Weduwen: “A personal and substantive click soon emerged. 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 from their seniority, experience, competences and network.”

According to the former CIO, the consulting industry is on the eve of a major upheaval due to changing client-side needs and requirements. “Technology is and will continue to be a driver of digital innovation and change. But instead of a push from vendors and consultancy, timing and directing this transformation is becoming increasingly important for companies and their leaders. This requires adaptation.”

Versatile and colourful

Benelux managing director David Jongste of Anderson MacGyver is impressed with the new Advisory Board member. “Besides his widely recognised stature as a technology leader, Mario der Weduwen is a very versatile and colourful personality: flamboyant, open, extroverted, energetic and with a huge amount of knowledge and experience as CIO. That critical outside view, partly based on his market knowledge and vast network, can help us think outside our own vision and frameworks when necessary. In this way, we as Anderson MacGyver are even better able to empathise with our clients’ opportunities and challenges.”

Besides being a supervisor at Roba Metals, Mario der Weduwen is a member of the advisory board of Network C. He is also active for EVG Start. This organisation selects, supervises and develops top digital talent.

“On the basis of a personal traineeship, we train promising young people together with partner companies. This allows them to develop at lightning speed to help companies with their digital transformation.” Besides Mario der Weduwen, Gerrit Schipper has also joined the newly established Advisory Board. Both will help think about the productisation of the service offering, in which a standardised online consultancy process can be purchased in addition to customised advice. Jongste: “That, in combination with Generative AI, will become an increasingly important part of the strategy.”

Get to know our other Advisory Board Member Gerrit Schipper! Read it here.