Wouter is co-owner and senior advisor at Rebel Strong Society in the Netherlands. Rebel is an innovative consultancy firm with over 275 advisors working on a number of topics, including local social policy. The focus on social impact is the central theme in the project portfolio of Wouter. With more than 18 years in the field, he combines calculating on social interventions with a more process-oriented and organisational side of change processes and policy issues. Wouter is the project manager of numerous projects focused on social return, innovative funds and funding models, social entrepreneurship, and social impact. Most projects are focused on people with a distance to the job market. "Removing stress and being able to participate fully in society are indispensable for any form of personal development. Having a job is an essential part of this."
Wouter is the founder and director of the RIKX foundation, a digital platform where social entrepreneurs can offer and sell the impact of their projects aimed at labour market participation to third parties. Earlier this year, RIKX was declared the winner of the international innovation prize of Bloomberg philanthropies from New York. Wouter is also platform manager of the Platform Jongeren & Werk (platform youth & work) at the Goldschmeding Foundation. Next, Wouter is the fund manager of a credit remediation fund, to remove debts.
In short, Wouter has a heart for the social growth of vulnerable groups and uses his knowledge, skills, and experience to give this group a worthy place in society. Having a job gives certainty of existence, purpose, and direction to life. It is therefore not surprising that many of Wouter’s projects in one way or another are linked to labour market issues. From a social and economic perspective, Wouter always tries to find opportunities for win-win situations to give meaningful projects and programmes a sustainable place in our society.