What if you’re the one who can make a difference?

Inspiration

Jeroen van Duijvenbode

Director of Sustainable Strategies

Jeroen is an experienced change architect focused on building sustainable organizations that strive for a future proof balance between People, Planet, and Profit. With his positive can do attitude, he inspires others to bring out the best in themselves and to work together toward sustainable results.

July 9, 2026

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How CFO Sandra Kaspers, together with Jeroen van Duijvenbode of nlmtd, expressed her personal commitment to sustainability at EDSN.

A Glacier as Motivation

Sandra Kaspers is CFO at EDSN, an organization that plays a vital behind‑the‑scenes role in the Dutch energy system. Among other things, the company manages data from smart meters and ensures that energy suppliers and grid operators receive the right insights. “We’re really under the hood,” she says. “Almost no one knows us, but everyone depends on us.”

Two years ago, during a trip to Canada, Sandra Kaspers witnessed something that has stayed with her ever since. It was her third visit to the same glacier. The first time, she was seventeen. Now, more than thirty years later, the landscape had visibly changed. “It was really shocking to see how far that glacier had retreated,” she says. “That same summer, we drove through areas where we were literally surrounded by brown smog from wildfires. That’s when you start to wonder: What are we all doing?”

More Than Just Report Writing

As CFO, Sandra is responsible for sustainability reporting. CSRD, ESG, dual materiality analyses were all on the agenda. But the longer she worked on it, the more uncomfortable it felt.

“Before you know it, it turns into some kind of reporting extravaganza. Or rather, a chore, even though that’s obviously not the point.” Because sustainability, she believes, should not be about ticking boxes. It should be about the role your organization plays and the impact it makes.

At the same time, she noticed something else. Young employees were joining EDSN precisely because of its contribution to the energy transition, yet they saw little evidence of that in practice. “That’s when I thought: something is going on here. There’s a strong need, both on my part and among our younger employees, but we are not doing enough with it yet.”

If you approach it purely from a strategic perspective, it remains abstract. We wanted it to originate from an emotional place and connect to business objectives from there. Geef uw feedback over BizChat

- Jeroen van Duijvenbode (nltmd)

The Barrier to Getting Started

Still, it took some time before she raised the topic with the rest of the management team. “I felt like I was the only one who saw its importance,” she says. “And there are always more urgent priorities. So you start to wonder: is this the right moment?”

She discussed it with Jeroen van Duijvenbode, a Sustainable Strategies consultant at nlmtd, who encouraged her to take that step.

Not KPIs, but Personal Motivations

Together with nlmtd, EDSN chose a different approach. Instead of starting with strategy, targets, or reports, they began with people.

What motivates you? What concerns you? What do you want to contribute

According to Jeroen from nlmtd, that is precisely where the strength lies. “If you approach it purely from a strategic perspective, it stays in your head. We wanted it to come from an emotional place and connect it to business objectives from there.”

The approach proved effective. During several sessions, it became clear that nearly everyone on the management team felt a personal connection to the topic; it was just that no one had spoken up before. “That was a real eye opener for me,” says Sandra. “I wasn’t the only one at all.”

Building on those personal motivations, the team then moved on to the Sustainable Development Goals and, ultimately, to the question: where can we, as an organization, truly make an impact?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals set by the United Nations to end poverty, inequality, and climate change by 2030. They serve as the international roadmap for a fair, sustainable, and inclusive world.

If You Don’t Appreciate the Little Things…

The result was not a grand, sweeping plan or an all-encompassing strategy, but something else: a set of concrete, achievable initiatives. And perhaps even more importantly, a different way of looking at things. “You don’t have to turn everything upside down right away,” says Sandra. “You can also ask: how can we integrate this into what we’re already doing?”

At EDSN, this led to a more active Green Team, a Green IT workshop for developers, increased focus on energy consumption and catering, and the decision to switch all company cars to electric. Work is also underway on a new CO₂ report to improve insight and awareness. As Sandra puts it, these are “lots of little things.” Yet ultimately, they do make a difference.

No Big Bang, but Forward Momentum

It still doesn’t feel like a classic success story to her. Implementation is proving difficult. Other priorities take over. Initiatives lose momentum. Some topics, such as the social side of sustainability, still need an extra push. “It really is a puzzle,” she says honestly. “And there’s no tailwind right now, so you have to do it because you truly want to.”

Perhaps that is exactly where the value lies. Because in the meantime, things are definitely happening. The Green Team is organizing its own initiatives. Employees are launching projects. Conversations emerge spontaneously, for example about the sustainability of coffee or energy consumption in IT systems.

“It’s alive,” says Sandra, “even if it’s not always visible.” Jeroen sees this often. “You set something in motion, and then much more happens than you anticipated. That’s not a KPI, but it is a result.”

The CFO as a Driver of Long Term Value

Sandra believes it is no coincidence that a CFO is leading this process. “As a CFO, you’re not only focused on the short term, but also on the long term.” In her view, sustainability is about value in the broadest sense of the word. And it is precisely the CFO who is used to making that value visible and open for discussion. “You make things tangible, and that helps. Sustainability often feels vast and abstract, but you need to make it concrete.”

That does not mean it is easy. There remains a tension between costs, priorities, and impact.

You’re Probably Not the Only One

If she could offer one piece of advice to others in similar situations, it would be simple:

“Start the conversation. You’re probably not the only one. But someone has to take the first step. Why shouldn’t it be you?”

This doesn’t apply only to management. Employees can also help drive change. The Green Team at EDSN began with a single call to action on the intranet. “There’s always someone in the organization who feels connected to this,” says Sandra.

“That’s how you gradually build something.” Change doesn’t have to start big. Sometimes it begins with a conversation. Sometimes with a small initiative. And sometimes with one person who decides: I have to do something about that melting glacier.