Tom Maes
Founder nlmtd
Tom is an expert in developing and delivering strategies, with extensive experience as a consultant and program manager. He combines this with an entrepreneurial background, resulting in an approach built on connection, focus, and speed.
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State of Tomorrow, part of the consultancy group nlmtd, has been named one of the Netherlands’ leading digital agencies by the business platform Emerce.
In the 21st edition of the Emerce 100, more than 1,000 companies across various business services segments were rated by clients on their image and the quality of their services. The survey spans multiple domains, including digital agencies, digital services, media and advertising, and software.
Within the digital agency category, State of Tomorrow has been a fixture on the list for years. The agency made its debut in 2021 and has climbed steadily ever since, with this year marking a significant highlight. With a score of six stars on a seven star scale, the agency tops the category for very large full service agencies.
Across all digital agency categories, only a dozen agencies achieved a score of six stars or higher.
“We are thrilled with this news,” said Vanessa Flink, managing director of State of Tomorrow. “This shared number one position means a great deal to us, especially because it is not determined by a jury but by our clients. It is a direct reflection of how they experience working with us. It is also wonderful to see that we have moved up a step every year, and that our work and expertise are being increasingly recognized and appreciated.”
Strategic innovation
State of Tomorrow is a strategic innovation agency that helps organizations shape their products, brands, and services. It does so by applying future thinking, a method that systematically prepares organizations for multiple possible futures.
Since January 1, 2026, the company has been part of nlmtd. Together, the two organizations work on end to end innovation projects.
“Many of the challenges we work on begin not with a clear direction, but with an ambition. That is exactly where we add value, by making it tangible and concrete. We bring structure to complexity and clarify where the real choices lie. Clients appreciate the way we guide them through this process,” says Flink.
We see this recognition as a shared achievement with our clients, who are open to change and have the courage to lead the way.
It does not stop there. State of Tomorrow also helps translate a vision, whether a future scenario, a strategic direction, a digital flow, or a new brand direction, into something that is both boardroom proof and employee proof.
“We make sure it is not just right on paper, but that it energizes people and gets them moving,” Flink explains. “By making visions so concrete and imaginable that they do not remain abstract, but are actually approved, supported, and expressed. That combination of thinking and doing, of imagining and realizing, ultimately makes all the difference.”
A recent example is the global rebranding of Elsevier. State of Tomorrow helped shape the new brand direction, translate it across the different business units, and roll it out across digital channels. The rebrand has since been largely implemented.
State of Tomorrow has also contributed to Portbase’s digital port management platform and to the design of passenger travel at Schiphol Airport, among other projects.
The crucial role of the principal
Flink also uses the recognition to underscore the importance of clients. After all, success in business services is always achieved together. “The role of the client in the success of a transformation is often underestimated,” Flink says.
“While we are accustomed to working on innovative ideas and uncharted territory, this can be challenging for clients. Our collaboration often leads to an intense interplay of strategy, vision, technology, design, and human behavior. It is an environment where decisions must be made without having all the answers, and where conversations are not always comfortable.”
“Success therefore requires not only expertise, but also trust and courage. We see this recognition as a shared achievement with our clients, who are open to change and have the courage to lead the way.”
Continue to improve
Achieving the highest score in its category is no reason for State of Tomorrow to slow down. “For us, this is not an end point, but a confirmation that our way of working delivers results, especially in complex projects where direction, imagination, and execution come together.”
“It motivates us to keep moving forward and to continually challenge ourselves to deliver value at the highest level. Especially now that, together with the nlmtd team, we can create even greater impact on the change our clients want to achieve.”
The second part of the manual sets out what kind of organization is required to complete all the steps described: at what point do you need what expertise, what work arrangements do you make, what is the meeting structure?
Finally, nlmtd has prepared a roadmap, which lays out what Eindhoven Energie needs to pick up month by month and how the handbook can be used in the process. “Together, the handbook and the roadmap help us build the organization,” Ronald said.
