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"About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things." (John Appleseed)
Arnoud Brink
Arnoud Brink 
(1974)is founder and partner of Green April. Arnoud has 20 years of experience in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship, renewable energy and financing. Prior to founding Green April in 2011 he worked for investment bank NIBC and the strategic consultancy firm Boer & Croon, where he was responsible for the Cleantech sector within Corporate Finance.
Arnoud’s conviction that companies must embrace the transition to a sustainable society and his strong entrepreneurial spirit led him to founding Green April. He recognized early on that the transformation will change every aspect of how companies do business. Companies that quickly embrace sustainability, instead of fearing it, will be the winners of tomorrow.
Arnoud tirelessly helps organizations to identify opportunities and get green business ideas off the ground. His main strengths and expertise lie in Renewable Energy, Finance and Strategic Business Development: especially in successfully mixing these ingredients together.
Due to his background in Corporate Finance, Arnoud also has extensive transaction experience and has advised on numerous mergers and acquisitions and financing deals in the Cleantech & Renewable Energy sector.
Although he sees the transition to a sustainable society as a huge business opportunity, Arnoud knows success won’t come easy. The transition is infinitely complex and defies simple solutions or overblown optimism.
@ArnoudBrink volgen
(1974)is founder and partner of Green April. Arnoud has 20 years of experience in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship, renewable energy and financing. Prior to founding Green April in 2011 he worked for investment bank NIBC and the strategic consultancy firm Boer & Croon, where he was responsible for the Cleantech sector within Corporate Finance.Arnoud’s conviction that companies must embrace the transition to a sustainable society and his strong entrepreneurial spirit led him to founding Green April. He recognized early on that the transformation will change every aspect of how companies do business. Companies that quickly embrace sustainability, instead of fearing it, will be the winners of tomorrow.
Arnoud tirelessly helps organizations to identify opportunities and get green business ideas off the ground. His main strengths and expertise lie in Renewable Energy, Finance and Strategic Business Development: especially in successfully mixing these ingredients together.
Due to his background in Corporate Finance, Arnoud also has extensive transaction experience and has advised on numerous mergers and acquisitions and financing deals in the Cleantech & Renewable Energy sector.
Although he sees the transition to a sustainable society as a huge business opportunity, Arnoud knows success won’t come easy. The transition is infinitely complex and defies simple solutions or overblown optimism.
@ArnoudBrink volgen
Jacco Kroon
Jacco Kroon (1967) partner at Green April, has been active at the crossroads of strategic communication and green business development for 14 years. Apart from his work for Green April he is strategic communication advisor for solar company Sungevity International and smart ag investment fund Anterra Capital. He is also co-founder of Real Talk Pictures, a media production company that focuses on innovative ways to communicate about sustainability.
Before joining Green April Jacco was a partner at Green Wave, a sustainability consultancy firm he co-founded, and worked as a green business consultant at BP Alternative Energy. Prior to his switch to consultancy he was a print journalist, tv reporter and documentary maker for 15 years covering cleantech, climate and finance. Leading up to the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009 he co-authored the book “A Concise Guide through the Climate Maze.”
His blend of experiences taught him two things: a clear sustainable strategy leads to a better commercial strategy - from cost savings to breaking into new markets. And transparent two-way communication with stakeholders is an integral part of making that happen.
Companies who treat sustainability as an island apart from ‘normal’ business operations – and plenty still do - miss out on its commercial and innovative potential. Worse, it’s exactly this defensive approach that makes them vulnerable to accusations of “greenwashing.” Jacco is convinced a sustainable strategy only delivers if it’s commercially embedded as well.
partner at Green April, has been active at the crossroads of strategic communication and green business development for 14 years. Apart from his work for Green April he is strategic communication advisor for solar company Sungevity International and smart ag investment fund Anterra Capital. He is also co-founder of Real Talk Pictures, a media production company that focuses on innovative ways to communicate about sustainability.Before joining Green April Jacco was a partner at Green Wave, a sustainability consultancy firm he co-founded, and worked as a green business consultant at BP Alternative Energy. Prior to his switch to consultancy he was a print journalist, tv reporter and documentary maker for 15 years covering cleantech, climate and finance. Leading up to the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009 he co-authored the book “A Concise Guide through the Climate Maze.”
His blend of experiences taught him two things: a clear sustainable strategy leads to a better commercial strategy - from cost savings to breaking into new markets. And transparent two-way communication with stakeholders is an integral part of making that happen.
Companies who treat sustainability as an island apart from ‘normal’ business operations – and plenty still do - miss out on its commercial and innovative potential. Worse, it’s exactly this defensive approach that makes them vulnerable to accusations of “greenwashing.” Jacco is convinced a sustainable strategy only delivers if it’s commercially embedded as well.
Niels Penninx
Niels Penninx (1976) is a partner at Green April. Niels has more than 15 years of experience advising large companies and organizations on a range of thorny strategic issues and implementing practical solutions to address them.
Before joining Green April Niels was senior consultant at strategic consultancy firm Boer & Croon, where he worked for a host of large companies – like ASML, TATA Steel, Albert Heijn and Cosun – and large organizations – like Utrecht University and the Dutch Ministry of Public Health.
Niels’ strengths are identifying strategic opportunities and creating a successful path to realize them, unfazed by financial or regulatory hurdles or complex multiparty settings. His involvement with the creation of a large Dutch green gas biomass installation is a good example. He successfully guided a multiparty strategic decision process and consulted the owner group in their ‘make-or-break’ regulatory negotiations with the government.
Niels is convinced that sustainability has entered a new phase as part of business strategy. The days that shareholder value was the highest goal are behind us. An active CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy is now par for the course for any serious company. Also, absence of a CSR policy or “greenwashing” now gets harshly punished by financial markets.
According to Niels, companies should not see this as a threat, but as a unique opportunity to future-proof their profitability. Done the right way, value creation and sustainability go hand in hand. Helping clients find and execute on those opportunities, is what excites Niels every day.
(1976) is a partner at Green April. Niels has more than 15 years of experience advising large companies and organizations on a range of thorny strategic issues and implementing practical solutions to address them. Before joining Green April Niels was senior consultant at strategic consultancy firm Boer & Croon, where he worked for a host of large companies – like ASML, TATA Steel, Albert Heijn and Cosun – and large organizations – like Utrecht University and the Dutch Ministry of Public Health.
Niels’ strengths are identifying strategic opportunities and creating a successful path to realize them, unfazed by financial or regulatory hurdles or complex multiparty settings. His involvement with the creation of a large Dutch green gas biomass installation is a good example. He successfully guided a multiparty strategic decision process and consulted the owner group in their ‘make-or-break’ regulatory negotiations with the government.
Niels is convinced that sustainability has entered a new phase as part of business strategy. The days that shareholder value was the highest goal are behind us. An active CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy is now par for the course for any serious company. Also, absence of a CSR policy or “greenwashing” now gets harshly punished by financial markets.
According to Niels, companies should not see this as a threat, but as a unique opportunity to future-proof their profitability. Done the right way, value creation and sustainability go hand in hand. Helping clients find and execute on those opportunities, is what excites Niels every day.