Born in The Hague to a Dutch mother and Surinamese/Indian father, I consider myself blessed and enriched with the colours of these inherited cultures. My interest for culture is understandably ingrained in my DNA. I can’t help it. Culture is fun. Culture is conflict. I believe – thanks to having lived in many ‘multicultural fish bowls’ -that if we care and take a moment to really listen to each other (rather than listening to what you think and find), we can at least seek to connect with and understand each other. At home and at work. This means hard work and at times ‘agree to disagree’. With openness, honesty and mutual respect, we can create inclusive cultures, perform beyond expectations and enjoy the richness and innovative power that cultural diversity brings.

Living and working in different cultures – the Netherlands, Suriname, Brazil, Kenya, Bhutan, Vietnam and the USA -have added so many colours to my palette of life. I have been fascinated by culture and how it affects communication and behaviour.  I have been lucky to translate this fascination and my experiences into an expertise. In the meantime, I have designed and facilitated hundreds of interactive workshops on communication, leadership and high-performing multicultural teams for a multitude of organisations, business, NGOs, and government organisations.

Educated in development and innovation studies, I am a certified trainer in the Culture-Active Model, the Intercultural Readiness Check, deepdemocracy level-1, MBTII and co-author of ‘The Eight Great Beacons of Cultural Awareness, Navigating the Cultural Landscape.’