B Lab, the non-profit organization behind the B Corp movement that strives for economic system change, appoints Tessa van Soest as its new Executive Director of the Benelux team. The B Corp movement in the Benelux continued to grow strongly last year by 38% in 2021, and currently encompasses more than 180 B Corps (and over 4,800 worldwide). Tessa will focus on guiding this strategic growth, increasing B Corp awareness in the Netherlands, and driving the collective impact of all the different B Corps in the community.

Van Soest started out in consulting and then worked in sustainability roles in business and nonprofits in the Netherlands and for a few years in Italy. She recently worked for IKEA Foundation on the international partnership with Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. Before that, Van Soest led the program of the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition and the network of national SDG alliances at SDG Netherlands for a number of years. In these roles she has mainly focused on increasing the collective impact through more knowledge sharing and joint initiatives and advocacy on transcending themes such as circular business processes, CO2 reduction, sustainable energy purchasing and social inclusiveness.

Katie Hill, Executive Director B Lab Europe: ‘‘We have seen the Benelux B Corps double in a few years. But this rapid growth is far less important to us than what companies we welcome into our community, what their impact is, and how they collectively take action to change the economy. And with her broad experience, Tessa with her experience is perfectly suited to take the lead here.”

Tessa van Soest, Executive Director B Lab Benelux: “I am very much looking forward to steering the strong growth of the Benelux B Corp movement in to right direction. B Corp is now seen as the sustainability standard and we see the B Corp movement gradually shifting from the margins to mainstream, with increasing interest from well-known corporates. They have a bigger megaphone to spread the B Corp ideology. With nearly 5,000 B Corps and over 400,000 employees in 79 countries and 153 industries , we are well on our way!”