Alumnus testimonial
Louke Koopmans - Strategic Advisor EU Common Agricultural Policy, Dutch Ministry of Economics and Climate
Alumna Louke graduated from the MID-program in 2008 and has since worked in a diversity of jobs and sectors. Currently she works as a Strategic Advisor on the EU Common Agricultural Policy at the Dutch Ministry of Economics and Climate. From her master programme she has learned that to make a change in communities, it is important to understand what their difficulties are and how to work with them to improve the situation.
My role is to balance both reaching our goals regarding climate and rural development, as well to make it possible to provide support that complies with legislation.
You’ve worked in a diversity of organizations and places. Can you briefly take us through your most important career steps?
“I worked at MDF Training & Consultancy for over six years. After working at their head office in the Netherlands for three years, I moved to one of their regional offices in Indonesia. This was a valuable experience. I got more insight in cultural differences and challenges in project management. This job was very diverse. One week I was training people in personal management skills. Another week I flew to Bangkok to assist a UN institution in improving their knowledge management or work for the Government of Indonesia in Jakarta. Or I wrote proposals for the European Commission, NGOs, or the World Bank.”
After this job, you started a position at the multinational Mars. What did you do there?
“At Mars I worked in sustainable procurement, first as a manager, later as the global lead and vice-chair of the Sustainable Rice Platform. Here I was in charge to drive a change for our actors in the value chains. At Mars they go beyond certification and aim to make a change on greenhouse gas, water, land, human rights, and income. I was involved in mapping supply chains, doing impact assessments, developing a sustainable sourcing strategy, and managing improvement programmes. In addition, I took part in a number of international Sustainable Platforms.”
Currently, you work at the Ministry of Economics and Climate. What does your job as Strategic Advisor entail?
“For the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) I am focusing on the Rural Development Interventions. These are important subsidies to reach transition to sustainable agriculture. Examples are subsidies for investments, animal welfare, innovation projects and trainings. In my job I am assessing policies whether these comply with European Commission and national regulation and whether policies can be implemented. So this means I need to look at ICT systems available, steer for efficient implementation, but also make it possible that we can monitor data.”
What do you like most about this position?
“I really enjoy that I am working with many stakeholders: theEuropean Commission, Ministry of Agriculture, twelve provinces, water boards and other key stakeholders such as businesses, LTO (the Netherlands Agricultural and Horticultural Association) and DAW (Delta plan Agrarian Water management). They have different interests in how we reach the transition to sustainable agriculture. My role is to balance both reaching our goals regarding climate and rural development, as well to make it possible to provide support that complies with legislation.”
How did your master’s at Wageningen University & Research prepare you for your career?
"My master programme gave me insight in network theories and social development. I learned that change processes (especially behavior) need time and careful planning. If you want to make a change in communities or (local) governments, it is important to understand what they need, what their difficulties are and how they can contribute to make improvements. Once you understand the actual situation you are better able to plan your intervention.”