The traditional business model, in which shareholders own the company and determine on its direction, is under attack. Entrepreneurs are increasingly opting for alternative business models that go beyond short-term thinking. Is it possible to combine social entrepreneurship while maintaining a financially healthy business?
VPRO Tegenlicht Meet Up of May 2024: Steward-ownership
Date: Thursday May 23rd, 12.00 – 14.00 (lunch included)
Location: REC Impact – The Floor, JK Building Roeterseiland (1st floor), Valckenierstraat 65-67, 1018 XE Amsterdam.
During the meet-up we will dive into the Backlight ‘archive of the future’, by addressing a documentary made in 2020, named ‘Making good money’.
Check this link to watch the documentary.
This event will be held in English.
Steward-ownership is an alternative ownership model designed to prioritize the long-term well-being of a company and its stakeholders over short-term profit maximization. Steward-ownership separates ownership from control, ensuring that the company’s mission takes precedence. By entrusting decision-making to stewards committed to the mission, and reinvesting profits for sustainable growth, steward-owned companies prioritize social entrepreneurship and long-term sustainability. The core principles lie in the voting rights belonging to the people involved in carying out the company’s mission – the stewards – and cannot be sold or inherited. Profit serves the mission; they are reinvested in the company or are spent in line with the company’s mission.
During the meet-up, we will embed further on the topic of steward-ownership with a wonderful line-up of speakers:
- VPRO Tegenlicht director Martijn Kieft will tell us more about the research and outcome of the episode.
- Nena van der Horst, PhD candidate in Law at the University of Amsterdam, will explain more about steward-ownership in relation to social entrepreneurship.
Check more about her research here. - Esther Welles will outline the role of We Are Stewards, an organization that is putting steward-ownership on the map and guiding businesses that want to adapt this model. She will also talk about how this can be applied in education and how politics comes into play by acknowledging steward-ownership as a legal form.
- Merle Koomans van de Dries, Chairman of the Board at organic supermarket Odin, will discuss the history of Odin, the transfer to cooperation and the creation of the foundation Sleipnir.
- Maria Smits is coordinator at contractor M.J. Smits, a family business currently in the process of transitioning from a private company into steward-owned.
- Moderation: Bart Krull
It is time for a public debate!
There will be plenty of room for questions and sharing insights, do not hesitate to join us on the 23rd of May!
Register via: freddie@sustainalab.nl