Working together on concrete goals: Are you in?

As a region, we’re facing major, complex challenges. These problems affect all of us. Think of the overload of the power grid, increased demand for health care, and scarcity of the right employees, resources and biodiversity. It is precisely in this region, with its broad economic base and attractiveness to businesses and talent, where these challenges converge. Challenges that are bigger than ourselves. When taking steps towards a future-proof economy with inclusive prosperity, new forms of cooperation and an integrated approach are now more needed than ever. Preventing ‘growth’ to come at the expense of liveability and prosperity. And we can still acquire sufficient income.

Collective leadership

Jessica Peters-Hondelink, executive director of Amsterdam Economic Board: “I am convinced that we can only solve our current social and environmental challenges if we look beyond our own organisational boundaries. Don’t just look at business model innovation from an internal perspective. Collective leadership is the key, linking our own goals to regional objectives, which can only be achieved together. The Amsterdam Economic Board is a unique network that helps our partners build cross-organisational coalitions to achieve the economy of the future in the Amsterdam region.”

Partners in the lead

“In the Amsterdam Economic Board’s new approach, partners are in the lead. Together they set the themes we’ll be focusing on. And they, in coalitions, will jointly provide the results for the short, medium and long term. In the short, medium and long term. Becoming a member of the Amsterdam Economic Board network is not without obligation,” Jessica emphasises. “The Amsterdam Economic Board team builds and supports the new coalitions that consist of businesses, governments, academia and social organisations.”

For a future-proof economy, with sustainable earning capacity and consideration for people and nature

Jessica continues: “We make sure the Amsterdam Economic Board provides a trusted place, where we bring all the relevant players together. We inspire and challenge by bringing in new perspectives and looking at issues systemically. We loosen what got stuck and connect what became unfastened.”

Main points of the new course

The new course is being developed incrementally, in co-creation with the network. The goal is to finalise the new course this summer. The Amsterdam Economic Board is working towards this approach:

• Clear-cut choices on three jointly chosen regional themes with concrete goals and solution objectives. Partners share a common vision of what a future-proof, regional economy looks like. And they commit to achieving the set goals.
• Partners work together in coalitions from collective ownership to achieve breakthroughs within jointly chosen themes. There will be more and more visible impact as successful results and lessons learned are widely communicated, secured and scaled up.
• Closer cooperation with regional development agencies, such as ROM InWest, and other relevant parties. And more consistency with our Amsterdam Smart City programme. We connect our networks and use each other’s tools and practices.

Jointly choosing three themes

Currently, the Amsterdam Economic Board is exploring five possible themes with network partners, which will collectively be reduced to three:

Achieving results in coalitions

In making choices for the themes, the Amsterdam Economic Board network considers, among other things, how essential a theme is to achieving a future-proof economy in this region. And whether the network is willing and able to make a difference from a collaborative perspective on this. Starting this fall, network partners will work in coalitions to successfully make an impact. They do this based on a common agenda and concrete objectives. Together they agree on ownership, commitment and implementation of actions. From a shared interest, partners connect their own tasks to those of others. Sharing knowledge and arriving at new insights and results. In this way, partners achieve their own goals, while contributing to each other’s goals as well as those of the region. In the coming months, we will actively engage our partners in exploring the themes.

Will you join us?

Jessica: “With the new course we achieve impact together and build a future-proof economy, with sustainable earning capacity and consideration for people and nature. Everyone who wants to can contribute to this. Governments, companies, knowledge and educational institutions and civil society organisations. Large and small. Everyone is welcome! From shared ambitions and connection we achieve more. Will you join us too?”

Would you like to know more, become a partner of the Amsterdam Economic Board or contribute to the creation of the new course and elaboration of the themes in coalitions? Please contact Marjan Schrama. We would be happy to tell you about your options.

In recent years, together with partners, we have initiated new movements in the areas of health, digitalisation, mobility, circular economy, energy and talent for the future. For example, we built a large ecosystem (100+ players) around circular textiles and organised a new chain cooperation from the LEAP initiative to accelerate the transition to a sustainable digital infrastructure. Since this year, three hospitals have been reusing each other’s medical data in Health Data Space Amsterdam to reduce health disparities in the region and keep health care accessible.

Read more about what we’ve accomplished recently, in our Impact Terugblik 2016-2023 (pdf in Dutch).