I meet Annette at cafe Dauphine in Amsterdam; she has made a little space in her busy agenda to talk with me about her work and her experience at Art&Inspiration Club.
She discovered A&I through Tjip de Jong and decided to join a year ago, intrigued by the different events and the possibilities that it offers to develop her creativity and network with other individuals who share the same interests.
1. Hello Annette, nice to meet you, can you tell us something about you and your work field?
Hi, well I’m Annette, and I’m responsible for Talent development in PwC Nederland. I work together closely with my global colleagues in the USA or Europe to share best practices, ideas, and new developments in Learning and Development.
2. I can imagine the job implies a very trained eye, how do you spot new talent and unique opportunities for the people in PwC?
I rely on my own experience, I’ve been working in management positions for a very long time, so I use common sense and feeling to decide which interventions fit to which needs. I also keep contact with external colleagues in the field of L&D to spot new opportunities and benchmark our L&D offering against criteria as innovation and effectiveness. As the L&D team, we need inspiration and creativity for developing new programs and ideas. It is necessary to keep an open mind and try out new things.
3. Your network connects more than 158 countries and around 236.000 people, what are the needs of this global environment, and do you think they are ready to welcome creativity and artistic training in it?
At PwC, we aim to have an inclusive and diverse culture. We want to remain open and creative ourselves to fit the diverse needs of our professionals with different backgrounds. Sometimes it is challenging to come up with innovative ideas. I did try out once a learning intervention through art, but unfortunately, not many people subscribed for this program, I think mainly because this was too far out of their comfort zone. However, it is good to experiment and try out new things.
4. So we have spoken about the role of art and creativity in your work, but what inspires you on a personal level?
I’m inspired very much by photography or film, so I often go to the FOAM in Amsterdam and the movies. The exposition of Erwin Olaf in the Gemeente Museum in the Hague inspired me very much. For me it’s part of how I like to spend my free time, going with friends or my husband to a museum and sharing why we like or dislike a piece of art.
5. Last question Annette, whom do you nominate next?
Pieter Foekens, I sat next to him in the last event in Arnhem, and we had an interesting conversation.
