photographer: carly wollaert © | make-up artist: violeta marinova from art of colors
wopke dost
director innovation & ecosystems at nlmtd
about
wopke dost is director innovation & ecosystems at nlmtd, the dutch consultancy with a transformative model of freelance innovators recognized as top 3 advisories of the netherlands by the mt1000. with her experience of building tnw programs to design open innovation models connecting ecosystems of corporates and startups, she is a specialist in open innovation and has led 100+ open innovation challenges. she now focusses on building complex ecosystem collaborations and navigating corporates through these ecosystems. she is also the program lead for boost, the ecosystem collaboration between airports to accelerate baggage automation and robotization, and for the tso innovation alliance in which 8 transmission system operators jointly tackle the most urgent challenges of our european energy system.
what advice would you give to your younger self?
make serendipity work for you and say yes to all new things that come along. opportunities don’t reveal themselves upfront, real chances are created in the interaction with other people. as such, try new things, be present, show genuine interest and build relationships – to emerge yourself in experiences that will help you grow naturally.
five years ago, what would have surprised you most about where you are today?
that working with people from all different backgrounds on such relevant issues would give me so much satisfaction. every day, we make an impact by drawing on each other’s expertise. getting the best out of the team is really wonderful to do.