Pepijn van Dijk
Executive Leadership Program - Amsterdam Class 01
I am a strategist and entrepreneurial leader at the intersection of society and business, with broad international experience. I am currently the director of the startup LittleBitz. Our ambition is to empower refugees to build a sustainable economic future in their region. LittleBitz is a peer-to-peer platform that connects donors and refugees - based on their own needs and preferences, making (financial) support more direct, active, personal and above all easier.
Prior to LittleBitz, I served as director of VSO in the Netherlands. I led VSO in a turnaround effort from stagnation to a new positioning worldwide. Before, I worked as a manager and strategy adviser with multinationals and sustainability businesses, with a focus on Africa. Earlier in my career, I led a not for profit social innovator, in partnership with companies such as McKinsey and PwC. I spent my early professional years in politics, as assistant to MP’s and as public affairs and communications consultant.
Having had leading roles in different sectors made me at ease with complexity and has given me a keen sense of cultural diversity. I enjoy combining disciplines, ways of thinking and connecting people in co-creating new initiatives with impact, as The Fact Club and Fonterra.
I love books and spend many hours a day reading anything I can lay my hands on, with a strong interest in politics, international affairs, innovation, and leadership. Furthermore, I have edited a book on the need for more dynamism in society and had a weekly fact-checking item on Dutch national radio. Next, to being a proud founding participant of THNK, I hold an MSc in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. I have lived, studied and worked in Paris, Barcelona and Buenos Aires and speak four languages.