Round Table Forum ‘Thrive Together’
On June 29, 2025, the high-level round table forum ‘Thrive Together’ took place at the NIO House in Amsterdam. The event was jointly organised by VNC, MEEEI ( Make a Difference, Engage, Enable, Empower, Inspire), IPCF (Foundation for Intercultural Participation of Chinese Families) and the Chinese School Amsterdam. Professionals, academics and members of the Chinese community from all over the Netherlands came together for an inspiring exchange on cultural integration, diversity, education and digital transformation.
Dialogue
The forum consisted of eight discussion tables, each led by one of the eight leading guest speakers. They provided interactive sessions on themes such as educational innovation, digital innovation, gender equality, visibility of communities and intercultural entrepreneurship.
The speakers were:
- Frans Greidanus – Former CTO Asia and Head of Research at Philips, with decades of experience in international leadership within business and academia. Currently VNC board member;
- Mo Chen – Former Executive Officer at Tata Steel and Vice Chairman of PWN Netherlands, advocate for inclusive work environments and gender-equal leadership;
- Valérie Hoeks – Managing Partner at China Inroads and executive coach, with over twenty years of experience in Sino-European cooperation and cultural consulting;
- Bin Guo – Head of Automotive Chip Business Europe at one of the world’s top-three semiconductor manufacturers, with expertise in IC development and strategic business operations;
- Peter Gill – Cultural connector and author of West Meets East: Understanding Chinese-Speaking Societies, known for his stories that bring East and West closer together;
- Bei Wang – Researcher, consultant and lecturer in Creative Business, specialising in digital innovation and sociocultural change;
- Bo Chen – International educationalist, director of Chinese schools in The Hague and Amsterdam, PhD student and EU facility manager with a focus on Chinese young people in Dutch education;
- Lianne Baaij – Founder of China Access, cross-cultural trainer and translator with more than thirty years of experience in Sino-Dutch business, also VNC board member.
Lively exchange and lasting connection
The conversations at the table yielded valuable insights and lively discussions, in which participants shared their own experiences. The topics were closely related to current social issues, from diversity in education to the role of technology in community building.
Many participants indicated that the time was too short to discuss everything. That is why many conversations continued afterwards and contact details were exchanged. Plans for further cooperation also arose spontaneously.
Successful organization and looking ahead
Thanks to the careful organization and the efforts of an enthusiastic team of volunteers, the meeting went smoothly and the forum received a lot of praise from those present. Thrive Together not only provided an open and inclusive platform for intercultural dialogue, but also showed how digital technology can contribute to connection, understanding and innovation between communities.
The participants expressed their appreciation for the organizing partners and their desire to attend more events of this level and depth in the future.
