What people say about us.
Read what people are saying about the impact of our advice – both under the IMPACTIVATE banner and beyond.
“The advice and guidance provided by IMPACTIVATE made a significant contribution to the success of our company.”
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“I’ve known Ruud for many years as a highly competent professional. He was the first person I turned to for advice on setting up our business processes and culture. The guidance from IMPACTIVATE has played a major role in the success of our company. Through hands-on support and on-the-job coaching, we were able to implement an Agile culture and way of working. This has made us more responsive and effective in addressing the challenges of the high-tech and innovative industry in which we operate.
IMPACTIVATE also laid the foundation for the implementation of the OKR system in our company—a powerful methodology that brings clarity and direction, enabling team members at every level of the organization to contribute as effectively as possible to our business goals. We now have a more streamlined organization with engaged and motivated employees, as we’re able to offer them greater autonomy within clearly aligned frameworks to determine how they achieve their goals.
In addition to their professional and committed approach, IMPACTIVATE brings the capacity and flexibility to tailor their methods to the client’s unique context. In our case, that’s an innovative startup in the space industry. I look forward to working with IMPACTIVATE for many years to come!”
Mick Wijnen
Chief Technical Officer & Co-founder, IENAI Space
“The new way of working resulted in better execution of our strategy.”
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“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ruud over several years during his time at Unilever – first in my role as GM Benelux, then as GM Home Care in Southeast Asia, and later as CMO of our Home Care Business Group.
In the Benelux, he and his team implemented Agile ways of working at both the senior leadership and team levels, which helped improve focus and collaboration across teams. Later, he supported the multidisciplinary leadership team of Home Care in Southeast Asia, where he successfully introduced an OKR system with a consistent rhythm. This new way of working led to better execution of our strategy. Within the Global Marketing team for Home Care, Ruud also introduced the OKR framework, which significantly improved alignment across teams.
Ruud’s high level of personal commitment and positivity make him a strong partner in any transformation.”
Annemarieke de Haan
CMO Business Group Home Care
ex-GM Benelux, ex-GM HC South East Asia
“The advice directly contributed to brand growth – resulting in increased market share, revenue, and profit margins.”
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“As Senior Brand Manager at Unox, I had the pleasure of working with Ruud at Unilever. Within the team, he introduced an Agile way of working that enabled us to respond more quickly to market changes and accelerate our media and product launches. His approach also led to a significant improvement in team dynamics. He fostered trust, transparency, open communication, and collaboration, which resulted in a more cohesive team and a higher level of engagement. The advice contributed to brand growth in terms of market share, revenue, and margin.
The leadership coaching I received from Ruud helped me become a better leader. I learned the importance of stakeholder management, how to uncover the question behind the question, how to create focus, and how to confidently say ‘no’—with well-founded alternatives.
Ruud rolled out the new way of working at exactly the right pace—not too fast, not too slow. He did this by listening to our needs and developing a tailor-made approach within the Agile framework for me and my team.”
Liane Lens
Senior Brand Manager Unox
“We achieved significantly better business results because of the advice we received.”
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“As Channel Transformation Lead Foods in the Benelux at Unilever, I had the privilege of working with Ruud, who coached me and my team over the course of several months. Thanks to his guidance, we achieved significantly better business results. Ruud supported us intensively in setting priorities and establishing an Agile work structure, which enabled us to work with greater focus and rhythm.
In addition, he drove a highly positive cultural shift within the team—moving us from a traditional mindset to an Agile one. We learned to put the consumer at the center of everything we did, to test new ideas more frequently and rapidly, and to give each other honest feedback on what was going well and what could be improved.
Ruud is results-oriented. He always worked alongside us to find a way of working that suited our team. His high level of personal commitment, positive attitude, and sense of humor created a fun and inspiring work environment. I highly recommend working with Ruud.”
Alewijn Brouwer
Channel Transformation Lead Foods Benelux
“Collaborating (…) has been a game-changer (…).”
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“Collaborating with Ruud has been a game-changer for our Home Care and HR division across Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. His expertise in embedding an Agile mindset within our leadership team was both strategic and hands-on, equipping them to drive meaningful change.
Beyond leadership, Ruud played a key role in prioritizing deliverables using OKRs, ensuring alignment with broader business goals. His guidance in setting clear, measurable objectives and establishing a new business rhythm has significantly sharpened our focus and performance.
The impact is clear – enhanced productivity, stronger alignment, and a more agile, responsive organization. Ruud’s ability to lead transformation across diverse cultural contexts is exceptional. I highly recommend him to any organization seeking impactful change and a culture of continuous improvement.”
Ming Choo Ling
Head of HR Home Care Greater Asia & Thailand
“As a result of implementing this new way of working, our revenue grew by 33% in 2020. In addition, we reduced our time-to-market by 30%.”
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“At The Vegetarian Butcher, we faced the challenge of accelerating our growth, speeding up product innovation, and at the same time streamlining and standardizing our work processes. Ruud successfully supported us by introducing Agile principles, with a strong focus on creating consumer value and continuously improving our products and ways of working. Thanks to this new approach, our team was able to work faster and more efficiently. As a result of implementing this new way of working, our revenue grew by 33% in 2020. In addition, we reduced our time-to-market by 30%.
The transformation approach was all about making an impact as quickly as possible—starting fast and continuously improving. We began by defining our goals and strengthening our team culture as the foundation for change. From there, we immediately started applying proven methods, such as regular alignment sessions where we discussed what we had delivered, how we could improve our collaboration, and what we planned to do next. This had an immediate effect. Because Ruud works from a strong theoretical foundation—but doesn’t get stuck in theory—it allowed us to quickly gain practical experience and discover what worked best for us.
Ruud also helped me elevate my leadership skills during our coaching sessions. He introduced techniques that helped me get the best out of my team by leveraging their strengths and inspiring them to achieve our goals.
I wholeheartedly recommend Ruud to any company, team, or leader striving for better results. His ability to translate theory into practice has had a lasting impact on our team. Ruud’s guidance not only helped us achieve our business objectives but also had a positive influence on our team spirit. Thanks to Ruud’s positive approach and all the practical tips he shared at the time, I still work with my current team (the Lipton Ice Tea team) in an Agile way!”
Alexandra Knoef
Brand Manager De Vegatarische Slager
“The effects of the workshop, the insights and a-ha moments it triggered are long-lasting energy in my team.”
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“Ruud and his team facilitated an incredible workshop for our team —the Ball-Point Game— during our team away days in Port Sunlight. The session brought together 35 colleagues in a dynamic and engaging way.
Through the hands-on exercise, we experienced the power of Agile thinking, collaboration, and continuous improvement firsthand. The energy in the room was fantastic, and the structured approach helped us understand how small changes can lead to significant efficiency gains.
The workshop was truly great and created huge impact with my team. It strengthened our teamwork, sharpened our focus, and left us with valuable insights that we immediately applied in our daily work. The effects of the workshop, the insights and a-ha moments it triggered are long-lasting energy in my team.
I highly recommend Ruud for anyone looking to drive real change within their team!”
Marina Risi
Global Brand Vice President Home Care Fabric Enhancers & Fragrance
“Thanks to the guidance, we not only improved our business results but also created a work environment where everyone feels valued and supported.”
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“In my role as Senior Brand Manager for Knorr, Ruud guided the transformation of our way of working. At Knorr, we were facing several challenges in a rapidly changing market. We wanted to deliver more value to our consumers and the business, increase our team’s execution power, and improve the well-being of our people. Through the implementation of the new way of working, we achieved a strong improvement in our results.
Ruud was instrumental in helping us establish a new team culture and way of working. As a team, we began focusing on our top priorities, streamlined our work processes, and improved our collaboration. What stood out to me most was how our collaboration with other teams and departments improved, because we made our work and plans more transparent. This transparency and better communication significantly enhanced our execution power and allowed us to complete projects faster than we could with our previous way of working.
As a leader, Ruud coached me in developing my leadership skills, such as effectively communicating our vision and motivating the team. He helped me create a culture of trust and openness, which led to a more engaged and motivated team.
Thanks to the guidance, we not only improved our business results but also created a work environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
I wholeheartedly recommend Ruud to any company looking for someone who can drive real change and improvement.”
Vivian Hordijk
Senior Brand Manager Knorr
“Thanks to the guidance to the leadership team, the organization now functions with greater speed, flexibility, and strategic focus.”
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“Ruud has been a tremendous support to the Home Care Business Group in general—and to the Unilever Professional leadership team in particular—during the transformation we undertook. He ensured that we operated with accountability and agility, and that we remained focused on delivering our OKRs. Thanks to the guidance to the leadership team, the organization now functions with greater speed, flexibility, and strategic focus.
Ruud is empathetic, yet he will challenge you to step outside your comfort zone. He is an expert in Agile principles, so if you’re looking to transform your organization or team into more agile, self-steering units, he’s the right person for the job.”
Karen van Luttervelt
Global Channel Insight Lead Unilever Home Care
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