On March 11, 2021, the first fully virtual Expedition DNA session kicked-off with 58 explorers from all over the world. We are thrilled to have successfully established this 10-week program in a completely online environment, garnering an incredible response from Arcadians.
The participants from Expedition DNA 6 were placed into cross regional guilds to enable networking with people outside of their usual sphere of influence, whilst working in multiple time-zones. The participants also undertook a business course simulation in teams and each guild selected a team to present at a final round of pitches to senior stakeholders at the Salamander’s Den. In this years’ edition our Salamanders were: Alan Brookes, Global Chief Operating Officer, Mary Ann Hopkins, Global Chief Growth Officer and Alexis Haas, Global Chief Sustainability Officer. The winning team was comprised of the following Arcadians: Natalia Junca (Arcadis Germany), Liwei Pi (Arcadis Germany), Laura Alwood (Arcadis UK) and Padraig O’Brien (Arcadis UK).
Holly Herner, one of Expedition DNA’s participants and Lovinklaan board member, tells us more about her experience:
‘The program was intense as quite a bit of content was covered for all participants over the 10 weeks. . As participants, we gained further insight from Arcadis experts into key areas such as digital and sustainability. This really helped me understand where my professional digital and sustainability interests may align with Arcadis’ strategy.
What impressed me the most was the dedication to the program, especially when taking into account our daily job responsibilities. Participants truly dedicated themselves to this program, investing time in the early mornings, evenings, and weekends. I am still truly amazed at how all teams overcame the time zone barriers and managed to meet all deadlines perfectly.
Reflecting on this experience from a Lovinklaan perspective, this virtual expedition exceeded my expectations! While there was unfortunately no face-to-face aspect, all teams met on a very regular basis over the 10 weeks, gained and shared knowledge to invest in their own personal development, and networked with other Arcadians from all over the world – something that every single one of us should be proud of!”
