The incubator role of Lovinklaan
Who is Lovinklaan?
Many Arcadians who know of the Lovinklaan Foundation may be familiar with its role as the largest shareholder of Arcadis, led by Arcadians. But did you know that one of the most important roles of Lovinklaan is to act as an incubator for employee development programs that enable Arcadians to develop both personally and professionally? Let us explain…
The incubator role of Lovinklaan
This year we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary – an incredible milestone. Over the last four decades, we have been kick starting new programs for the benefit of Arcadians and to support the successful delivery of Arcadis’ strategy. By investing in programs with the dividend from our share in the company, we enable programs to develop and scale more quickly to accommodate the needs of Arcadians and Arcadis.
As such, our role in developing programs involves us acting as an incubator to initiate, fund and accelerate programs ahead of them becoming business as usual and run by Arcadis, independent of Lovinklaan. Our sole objective is to create and maintain the biggest impact through our programs. All our efforts and investments are directed on giving Arcadians the chance to gain the skills that will further their development for today and tomorrow and ensure the company’s future.
Continuous improvement to accelerate impact
After fulfilling Lovinklaan’s commitment to incubate a program, we assess whether the program has met its goals and, if it has, it can be handed over to Arcadis to run. As Lovinklaan, we advance a program, constantly assess its value, whether it has met its goals and how well it will fit into Arcadis’ overall strategy. In partnership with Arcadis, when a program has done its work, no longer meets the priority of the business, or would not be suitable for all Arcadians, the program is phased out.
In addition to our efforts to continuously improve our programs, we are also consciously adjusting to new priorities and needs. To further digitalization and promote sustainability, for example, we have been embracing virtual components within our programs, optimizing working digitally and making further progress towards reducing carbon emissions. This means that our priorities for our programs and how we fulfil them frequently change.
The future of Lovinklaan programs
We have some exciting announcements regarding a new roster of programs currently under way, but for now, we would like to acknowledge some of the excellent programs that have supported the development of thousands of Arcadians over the years:
- Quest
- Roots of Arcadis
- Imagine
- Expedition DNA
- Shelter
- Local Sparks
As we continue to focus on the growth and development of all Arcadians, we aim to deliver on Arcadis’ long term strategy and provide the best opportunities for Arcadians. When it comes to the future of Lovinklaan programs, the Board is always looking ahead on what new incubations will be needed and as always, they recognize the fact that Arcadians are their most important asset.