The Impact Economy Foundation is delighted to announce that Kevin Krijgsman has been appointed to our board as the Treasurer. Currently, Kevin Krijgsman serves as the ESG Reporting Specialist at Rabobank. He has previously worked as a senior associate at PwC Nederland. We are thrilled to have Kevin’s expertise and vision on board as we work towards an impact economy.
Why did you join the Impact Economy Foundation as a board member?
I have always found it very fulfilling to use my skills to make a difference. I started volunteering at my local scout’s club, where I have been a member nearly my whole life. Professionally, I have moved more towards a role in impact and sustainability reporting and wanted to build on that. IEF and its work on IWAF caught my attention. When the opportunity to join this movement arose, I thought it would be a good fit for me. The passion and ambition of the people at IEF really lives up to that expectation!
What is the role of impact in your daily activities?
Working in sustainability reporting at a financial institution puts me in a very interesting position. I see a lot of stakeholders, both internally and externally, looking for insight into our impact. Most of the impact we make is indirect, through the activities of our clients. Regulation, commitments and ambition are moving us forward in getting insight into that impact, for instance, when it comes to emissions. As an accountant, I never thought I would be discussing the emissions of cows as an important aspect of reporting, but that change is happening. I feel that this trend needs to continue and accelerate. The crises we face in climate and nature and addressing those in a just manner form some of the greatest challenges of this time. Dealing with those challenges requires a change in mindset, not just in governments and businesses but in everyone. I hope that the Impact Economy moves the needle towards that new mindset.
What are some of the most significant opportunities you see for the Impact Economy and impact accounting?
The CSRD regulation is a step in the right direction. Organizations will have to consider their impact more and more to be able to report transparently. That is a great building block, but there is room for more. The regulation, in my mind, provides the ‘what’, but the impact economy and impact accounting can help move organizations forward by guiding them (the ‘how’) and showing them that all this can be used to reshape and fulfil their mission or purpose looking not only at monetary gains but also at the common good (the ‘why’).