INTERVIEW - WTC Amsterdam · a tremendous boost if we could all make that one of our resolutions for the New Year and really work to change the way we use our cars. On that note,

EVERYTHING WTC AMSTERDAM - WINTER 2016 - 2017

INTERVIEW‘Charity profits from a

business-driven approach,’ says JOKE LE POOLE

NEWS ROUND UPSkating in central hall, the

world of Rwandan orphans and Business Club trend-spotting

CAUGHT ON CAMERANetworking on the golf links,

learning about Artificial Intelligence and how to iron a shirt

EXPANSION PLANSWTC Amsterdam is about to get

bigger with the addition of a 10th tower

N E W F A C E S I N W T C A M S T E R D A M

DENSO EUROPEDENSO Europe BV is the European regional headquarters for the Japanese multinational DENSO Corporation, one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of original car parts and automotive systems. DENSO Europe has production plants and sales offices in 14 European countries and Morocco.

Tower D, level 11www.denso-europe.com

GLOBAL UNICHIP CORP EUROPEGlobal Unichip Corp Europe is the European arm of Taiwan’s Global Unichip Corporation and is principally engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of integrated circuits and wafers for the semi-conductor industry. GUC is publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Tower H, level 6www.guc-asic.com

NEW TO THE WTC?There are currently 350 companies based in the WTC but

new faces are moving in all the time. If your company has just leased space or if you have expanded your office and would like to let the rest of the complex know, please get in touch.

Send an email to [email protected].

RL FINANCE BVRL Finance BV is a subsidiary of Ralph Lauren Corporation. It is the international treasury centre for Ralph Lauren’s global treasury activities.

Tower B, level 14www.ralphlauren.com

KREDIETER QBIC HOTELS

The Kredieter has been active as an independent intermediary in financing homes and real estate

since 1995. Initial appointments are without cost or obligations.

www.kredieter.nl

Need to be up and about for an early-morning meeting or are you

staying late at the office? The 82-room Qbic Hotel in World Trade

Center Amsterdam is the comfortable, chic and smart overnight option.

qbichotels.com/nl/amsterdam-wtc

LOBBY H/I

CORRIDOR

FACILITY SQUARE

CENTRAL HALL

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W T C B U S I N E S S E S

2 WTC TODAY - WINTER 2016 - 2017

ALL CHANGE

There will be a lot of changes within WTC Amsterdam

in 2017. For a start, we will hopefully come a step closer

to expanding the current premises with a new tower,

which will add 32,000 square metres in offices and

amenities to the complex. The work will be coupled with

the renovation of D tower. Most of D tower’s tenants

will be affected and will have to move to another tower

while the work is carried out. You can find out more

about the plans for the new tower on page 10.

But the new tower and renovations of D and I tower

are not the only changes. The big glass walled office

(F2) where the Expatcenter used to located is being

transformed into a breakout space for tenants. We

are also planning to overhaul central hall and hope to

finalise those plans by March. You have probably noticed

that the WTC Servicepoint has already moved from the

ground floor to the central hall but more changes are on

their way. The central hall will include a new reception

and service desk area, but will be more functional for

WTC NEWSChristmas and ebikes

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONSWhat’s yours?

ZUIDAS NEWSSparkles for Emma

OUT AND ABOUTWTC networking

DIARY DATESWhat’s on this winter

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12 15

A NEW TOWERExpansion plans

10

W I N T E R

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users, with places to meet people and catch up on work.

You’ll be able to see artist’s impressions of the new look

central hall in the breakout area. More on this and the

plans for F2 in the next issue.

Change of course continues outside the WTC as well.

The roadworks are ongoing and we are well aware that

the WTC will become harder to get to in the coming

months and years. As well as the ebike rental scheme

(see page 5) another new initiative, the Zuidaspas,

will hopefully help reduce the problems. A number of

WTC tenants who have a lot of car park places have

been asked to take part in a Zuidas-wide pilot scheme

to encourage the use of other forms of transport and to

get people to come to the office at different times. The

pilot will run for around three months and will enable

us to find out a lot about what works and does not work

when it comes to getting people out of their cars. You

can read more about the Zuidaspas project on page 4.

It’s going to require a lot of effort from all of us to

keep WTC Amsterdam accessible by reducing rush-

hour car journeys as much as possible. It would be

a tremendous boost if we could all make that one of

our resolutions for the New Year and really work to

change the way we use our cars. On that note, I wish

all our tenants, suppliers and partners the best for the

festive season and for 2017.

INTERVIEWJoke Le Poole of the Max Foundation is helping save lives

Christiaan Huijg, Managing DirectorWorld Trade Center Amsterdam

WTC TODAY - WINTER 2016 - 2017 3

C O N T E N T S

WATCH THIS SPACEThe keynote speaker at WTC Business Club Am-sterdam’s New Year drinks event is Adjiedj Bakas, regarded as one of the most astute trendwatchers in the country. Bakas will outline his views on how the world is going to change in the coming years and how these trends will transform busi-ness life and earnings models. The event takes place on January 10 and all members are warmly invited to attend. Just don’t expect Bakas to leave

you in your ‘comfort zone’. Business Club manager Godfried Schölvinck is currently working on a great line-up of networking opportunities for the rest of 2017 and if

you have ideas of your own, please get in touch via [email protected]

The new art exhibition in central hall is a multi-media installation entitled ‘In my dreams I want to become a tourist’. The Rwandan government is currently closing all its orphanages because they do not fit in with the economic status the country aspires to. Photographer Anaïs López, journalist Paulien Bakker and filmmaker An-

GOOD SAXDecember’s Christmas concert takes place in central hall on December 16, featuring the four talented musicians of the Berlage Saxophone Quartet. The group will play a selection of music to get you in the mood for the holiday season. The performance brings to an end the current series of lunchtime concerts, which has seen a hugely diverse selection of performers and music entertain WTC tenants in central hall. What comes next? We’d like to hear your ideas. Please contact: [email protected]

isleidy Martínez followed brothers Hirwa (13) and Jean-Cloude (11) as they went back to their mother Fareeda who is too poor to care for them. The resulting 24-minute film is the heart of the exhibition and will be screened in central hall on a daily basis. Find out more about the project: WWW.COUNTRYWITHOUTORPHANS.NL

In my dreams


W T C N E W S

There’s a new addition to the festive atmosphere in the WTC this year. The traditional Christmas market will

include a mini ‘ice rink’ where tenants and visitors can test our their skills while enjoying a mug of hot chocolate or

mulled wine. The stalls will be manned by WTC tenants, charities and other companies selling clothes, art, jewellery, flowers and wine. So get into the seasonal spirit, stock up on

some Christmas goodies and test out your skating skills inCENTRAL HALL ON DECEMBER 15.

Get your skates on

@the Christmas market

WTC tenants can now make use of an e-bike rather than the car or public transport during short journeys around town, thanks to mo-bility start-up Urbee. Urbee is developing a network of 1,500 electric bikes around Amsterdam and 20 of them are being stationed at the WTC – 10 at the Beethovenstraat entrance and 10 at Zuidplein. You can reserve a bike in advance as a private individual or via your em-ployer using the Urbee app. Company subscription schemes are also available. WWW.URBEE.NL or contact [email protected]

E-bike alert

SATISFIED TENANTSThe latest tenants’ satisfaction survey shows the WTC is continuing to improve its services and facilities in most areas and the average score has gone up from 7.9 to 8. ‘Our target is to reach a satisfac-tion rating of eight or higher, and we are delighted to have reached it,’ says assis-tant facilities manager Sander Borggreve. ‘There is still some room for improve-ment of course and the WTC team and all its service providers will be working hard to do even better in 2017.’

Test out the ZuidpasOne of the biggest issues facing Zuidas at the moment is how to keep the district accessible when so much work is being carried out on the infrastucture. City officials have now come up with the Zuidpas, a pilot project to encourage the use of alternative forms of transport by of-fering free use of public transport, out-of-town car parks, bikes, shared cars and shuttle services for a three-month period. WTC tenants who rent a large number of spaces in the car park are being invited to take part in the trials. For more information, contact [email protected].

No smoke without fireIf giving up smoking is not top of your New Year resolution list for 2017, we’d like to remind tenants that although the WTC is a smoke-free zone, you can still light up in the courtyard off central hall. And if you do go outside to Zuidplein to smoke, could we ask you to please stand well clear of the revolving door, so as not to get in the way of visitors, and to use the ashtrays provided.


W T C N E W S

Out with old, in with the newWe asked WTC workers what they

hope 2017 will bring: for themselves, their careers and the world at large.

JEROEN ROSKAM J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENTA good question. Let’s say: more unity. In spite of all the populist things you see going on, I’m hoping that people unite again. That’s my wish.

FRANS HOEK H.C. (HOEK CONSULTANTS)I’m busy with a big project in Indonesia to reduce carbon emissions. So, that’s what I’d like to see in terms of social change. We hope to get all the agreements we need in place in 2017 so the rainforest can be saved and we can combat carbon emissions.

TOM BEX ASSET CAREI hope that it will be a very good year for business, that we can reach more people. We’re going to a new location in B tower. We’ll have more space, so more people can work at our firm and I hope that will go really well.

JIWAN JUN HYUNDAI GLOVISI’m Korean and everything is messy and

unclear in the Korean economy and politics. So, I want to see the news serve facts again

and not be manipulated by politics and such.

LOUDMILA ENCHEBA TEMENOSWell, it might seem a little bit weird to say world peace, but considering what’s going on these days, that might be just what we need.


V O X P O P U L I

YVONNE THOOLEN AND FRANK MAARTENSE MUFG BANK (EUROPE) N.V.

FRANK That all WTC workers can get to know

each other better, in a pleasant way.

YVONNE That new innovations may be for the benefit of the world

as a whole.

ELLEKE JONKER AND NIKKI BOTT MICHAEL PAGE

ELLEKE I hope that I continue to see improvements in the work I started

three months ago. I work for compli-ance at Michael Page, and I’d like to

get into contact with more companies in compliance, outside the financial

sector. And I hope that I stay healthy and work keeps going well.

NIKKI I’ve just started building a new team, so hopefully I can make a real

success of that digital and e-commerce function. And then personally, I need to learn Dutch! I’m hoping that might be an easier journey than I’m thinking it will be. I moved here in August and

speak very ‘supermarket Dutch’ I’d say!

MARNIX MOL CLSAIt’s too early in the year to have

resolutions, I only do it at the last minute! I do think it’s been quite a stressful year. In terms of politics, confrontation between people has been increasing, so I hope we start

getting closer again.

BRITT VRIJBURG DENSO EUROPE B.V.

My hopes for 2017? Well, my career starts in 2017.

I’m in the process of graduating right now so I hope I’ll have a good start

to my career, here.


PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNE LAKEMAN


I N T E R V I E W

Joke Le PooleIS SAVING CHILDREN’S LIVES IN BANGLADESHA charity at the heart of WTC Amsterdam? Business principles guide everything we do, says Max Foundation founder Joke Le Poole

The office is pro bono support from WTC Am-sterdam owner CBRE Global Investors, the carpet comes from WTC interior design group Leon and some of the tables and chairs come from Accen-ture. Joke Le Poole gestures round the A tower offices of Max Foundation. ‘This is a great place to be but it would not have been possible without so much generous support,’ she says. Max Foundation has been located in the WTC since August. The charity was founded 11 years ago by Joke and her husband Steven after their son died suddenly of a rare viral infection at the age of just eight months. The charity focuses on saving children’s lives and giving them a healthy start in life by improving water, sanitation and hygiene in Bangladesh. Since it was launched, Max Founda-tion has reached over a million people, brought safe water to over 300,000 households and im-proved sanitation for 440,000 families.

CORPORATE LIFEJoke had a solid career in marketing and logistics at Heineken before turning to good causes and her experiences in corporate life have shaped the way she has tackled Max Foundation. ‘We want to prevent child mortality in the most effective and sustainable way possible and we believe that charity profits from a business-driven approach,’ says Joke. ‘We’ve always run the charity as a busi-ness. We look at how we can maximise our im-pact. We deliberately went out to look for a field in which we could realise the biggest impact for our money. In Bangladesh we are looking at easily

preventable diseases. We did not know anything about the country or sanitation when we started. But we wanted to do the most we possibly could with every euro we had.’Dirty water and poor sanitation are the second biggest killers of children under the age of five. That is why Max Foundation chose WASH (wa-ter, sanitation and hygiene) and health as its focus in the poorest communities in one region: South Asia. The charity strives to achieve impact maxi-misation and a change of habits in the long run. As the organisation says on its website: We are only satisfied when a maximum of children’s lives are saved with a minimum of resources. Or: when we get MAX value for our money.Everything Max Foundation does stems from that principle. It is a business-like approach, which makes the foundation’s presence in the WTC even more appropriate. ‘It is so good to have the opportunity to be here,’ says Joke. ‘It underlines our business way of thinking.’

Until five years ago, the charity was run along volunteer lines. ‘Then we realised that we either needed to find a major source of funding or stop growing,’ says Joke. ‘We approached the Dutch embassy in Bangladesh about setting up a new project based on water, sanitation and hygiene. They liked our business way of thinking but the first four-year programme was largely based on trust. Now we have shown we can do it, we are working on a follow-up programme for the next four years, together with the embassy, to reach a further 1.3 million people in Bangladesh.’

SUSTAINABLE CHANGE‘It is amazing what we all have and take for grant-ed,’ Joke says, gesturing round the office. ‘We of-ten don’t value what we have. For example, we have drinking water everywhere. In Bangladesh, some people have to walk five kilometres to find a supply of clean, safe water.’The charity’s local staff do not travel around rural areas giving away latrines. ‘I don’t believe in giving things away for free,’ says Joke. ‘We help people take steps to improve themselves. At the end of the day, you want to ensure sustainable change and get-ting people to make a personal investment helps.’In addition, the team works with local entrepre-neurs to encourage them to meet the demand for latrines and other hygiene aids. Marketing and communications are a key part of this. ‘We’ve helped them to produce different types of latrine, so that people who are a little better off can have a different version. They have a choice,’ Joke says.

How can WTC firms help Max Foundation?

Provide sponsorship

Raise funds

Spread the word

Give pro bono support

Encourage staff to volunteer


‘And we’ve set up links with micro-finance organ-isations so that people can pay for their toilet over a number of months or years. It is about involving the whole community.’Joke visits Bangladesh regularly to keep in touch with those on the ground. Two new programmes are currently being launched. One focuses on stunted children – some 45% of children are smaller than they should be and this has a major effect on their future lives. A second programme deals with sanitation in urban slum areas. Until now, most of the foundation’s work has been fo-cused on hard-to-reach rural areas. Back home, the Max Foundations corporate sup-porters are really involved in its work, says Joke. ‘We learn from each other and we believe that charity profits from a rational approach. We feel inspired by the philosophy of effective altruism, which is about answering one simple question. How can you use your resources to help others the most? Rather than just doing what feels right, use evidence and careful analysis to find the very best causes to work on and have the best social impact with your resources.’ There is, says Joke, too much cynicism about the combination of the corporate world and good causes. ‘Our supporters believe working with us not only adds value to the world but also adds to the value of the company and its employees. And if you use it in a sales pitch, is there really a problem? If having a good reputation as a socially responsi-ble company boosts your sales, then it is a win-win situation. There is nothing bad about that.’

‘WE ARE ONLY SATISFIED WHEN A MAXIMUM NUMBER

OF CHILDREN’S LIVES ARE SAVED WITH MINIMUM

RESOURCES’

The new tower, the 10th in the complex, will be built on the corner of the Strawinskylaan and the Beethovenstraat and will add 32,000 square metres of offices and amenities to WTC Amsterdam. The project, agreed in principle with the city of Amsterdam in September, will coincide with the renovation of 17,000 square metres of offices in D tower. The design has not yet been made public but will be the work of PLP Architecture, a re-nowned London architectural office.The WTC currently covers some 125,000 square

meters over nine buildings, making it the biggest office complex in the Netherlands. The first tow-ers were completed in 1985 and given a major overhaul between 2001 and 2004. In 2004, the first expansion took place and in two years time, WTC will grow yet again. The new tower is scheduled for completion in 2020. ‘We see opportunities to give WTC Amsterdam an additional quality boost,’ says Jean-Pierre Spierts, asset manager at CBRE Global Investors. ‘This expansion is in response to the needs and

trends within the office market, enabling us to continuously improve the service to our tenants and office users.’WTC Amsterdam is the flagship asset of the CBRE Dutch Office Fund and its expansion is a key part of company policy, following the acquisition of NoMA House and the start of the realisation of WTC Utrecht. ‘The expansion of WTC Amster-dam fits perfectly with the CBRE Dutch Office Fund strategy, investing in the best office locations in multifunctional buildings, for which there is


W T C A M S T E R D A M T O G E T

Tower #10The renovation of I tower is almost completed but the ongoing development of the WTC is not over yet. In 2018, work will start on a new tower, adding 32,000

square metres of offices to the complex.

sustainable demand,’ says Ronald van der Waals, portfolio director DOF at CBRE Global Investors.

VACANCY RATES‘I am extremely pleased that we now have clarity about the plans and the rumours have been put to rest,’ says WTC Amsterdam managing direc-tor Christiaan Huijg. The green light from WTC owner CBRE Global Investors DOF shows just how popular the WTC is, with vacancy rates at around 2%. Even at the height of the crisis, the

vacancy rate did not creep above 4%. And although several other new office blocks are currently under construction in Zuidas, these are mostly designed for larger tenants. The WTC, by contrast, focuses on smaller companies and shared spaces and they are always looking for high-quality accommoda-tion. ‘There is considerable demand for space in the WTC,’ says Huijg. ‘The new tower offers new options for tenants. For example, it will have sin-gle level units of up to 3,500 square meters in size.’The plans for the new tower are now being

worked out in detail and a preliminary design should be ready by March. After that, it is question of going through the various licence and planning procedures before building work can start.‘We are already talking to D tower tenants about their wishes so that we can find them alternative accommodation while the work is carried out,’ says Huijg. ‘Some of the space in I tower following the departure of Nauta Dutilh is being reserved for D tower companies. It is a bit of a puzzle to work it all out, but our aim is to keep everyone happy.’

An artist’s impression of what the new

tower will look like


E X P A N S I O N W T C A M S T E R D A M

SARTORIAL ELEGANCEDozens of hopefuls took part in September’s ironing competition organised by Distinctly Different to find the WTC tenants with the best ironing skills. Is beer as essential as a good blast of steam to ensure perfect results?

YOUR COLLEAGUE, THE ROBOTNovember’s WTC Business Club lunchtime lecture about the impact of artificial

intelligence and robots on the workplace by Gerard Smit (CTO IBM Benelux) attracted a big crowd. His message? Nerds have become sexy, by 2035 we

could be connecting to the Cloud with our brains and while robots might be taking over our jobs, we should not be scared of them.

E V E N T S


THE 19TH HOLEThe honour of WTC Amsterdam Business Club was

restored at the end of September with its victory over WTC Schiphol at the annual ‘Ryder Cup’ golf

competition. After play ended, the wind died down and the sun came out, so there was plenty of time for

networking on the terrace at the Houtrak golf club.


E V E N T S

Z U I D A S N E W S

From the Expatcenter to ZuidasDavid van Traa, who has headed up the Amsterdam Expatcenter in the WTC since 2011, has been appointed the new director of the Zuidas organisation, succeeding Klaas de Boer, who is retiring. ‘I’ve got to know the Zuidas well both as a user and as a resident,’ says Van Traa, 39, of his appointment. ‘I am very enthusiastic about helping this exciting and important district develop into an international, ambitious and inclusive part of the city.’ Van Traa, a Rotterdammer by birth, has worked for the city for the past 15 years.

Hello BikeThe WTC has its own shared bike scheme for tenants but a Zuidas-wide initiative known as Hello Bike is also being launched next year. In total, 500 bikes will be located at the Gustav Mahlerplein side of Station Zuid, near the RAI exhibition centre, Gelderlandplein shop-ping centre and the VU University. The scheme is an initiative of the Hello Zuidas organisation and The Bikevertising Company, which was one of 11 companies to tender for the deal. Renting a bike will cost €1 an hour or €4 a day. The bright red bikes can be reserved by app and will be fitted with both GPS and an alarm to make them unat-tractive to thieves.

SPARKLES FOR EMMAThe Zuidas will feature in this year’s Amsterdam Light Festival with the stunning interactive light artwork Social Sparkles on the Gustav Mahlerplein from December 6 to 24. Created by studio Toer, Social Sparkles is helping to raise awareness and money for the Emma children’s hospital. To donate, visit the website: WWW.HELLOZUIDAS.COM/NEWS/SOCIAL-SPARKLES

FOOD FOR THOUGHTThis year’s Zuidas food drive for the Amsterdam Zuid food bank generated 211 packed crates and over €3,600 in donations, so a big thank you to every-one who contributed. This year, the people living in five of Zuidas’ residen-tial complexes joined the big and small firms in making the food drive such a success. Food bank spokesman Mike Paschenegger says that while people may think Zuid is wealthy, one in five of the district’s households – and one in three children - actually live below the poverty level.


D A T E S F O R Y O U R D I A R YW T C E V E N T S

WTC TODAY is published quarterly by World Trade Center Amsterdam. You can also download WTC Today from the website www.wtcamsterdam.com. WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO WTC TODAY? Please email [email protected].

TEXT Zuidas Text and Translations PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY Anne Lakeman, Wendy Hereijgers DESIGN Vindustries, Ouderkerk a/d Amstel

PRINT Drukkerij Aeroprint, Ouderkerk a/d Amstel. WTC Today is produced in a CO2 neutral production process and printed on 100% FSC certified paper.

CREDITS


THURSDAY DECEMBER 15

CHRISTMAS MARKETStock up on festive gifts and other goodies in central hall

and test out your skating skills

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2

CENTRAL HALL ARTYour last chance to watch the

moving documentary about young Rwandan brothers returning

to live with their mother

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14

GREEN BUSINESS CHALLENGE

2016 teams The Circle and Taste the Waste present their results, followed by networking drinks

TUESDAY JANUARY 10

WTC BUSINESS CLUBFind out about the future during the

traditional New Year drinks party with trendwatcher Adjiedj Bakas

FRIDAY DECEMBER 16

WTC LUNCHTIME CONCERT

The Berlage Saxophone Quartet get you into the mood for Christmas with some suitably festive arrangements

MONDAY FEBRUARY 6

CENTRAL HALL ARTThe new exhibition features intriguing and whimsical rusty creatures created

by sculptor Jan Verschueren

MARCH/APRIL

WTC BUSINESS CLUBThe club’s 2017 programme is

still being finalised, so keep an eye on www.wtcamsterdambusinessclub.com

for details.

JUMP INTO SPRINGNEXT ISSUE: A facelift for central hall, catch up on essential diary dates and get on your bike

WTC TODAY IS OFFERED TO YOU BY

Documents

INTERVIEW - WTC Amsterdam · a tremendous boost if we could all make that one of our resolutions for the New Year and really work to change the way we use our cars. On that note,