Perrine Marchant about the Paris meeting 2022: “This year the TAUW Leaders were able to come together in person again to discuss a number of important topics. Our ambition is to become the Leading European Environmental Consultancy by 2028. The balance of employees is currently skewed towards the Netherlands, that employs 860 of the 1284 staff. To become truly European, we need to grow in other TAUW countries. One way to do that is through a merger or acquisition. So we started the meeting with a light-hearted game, creating a ‘Tinder profile’ of the most suitable company type for TAUW.”

On the following day, the TAUW leaders had three breakout sessions to discuss the following topics:

1. Influence of cultural differences within TAUW;
   In several short sessions, participants from the six TAUW countries discussed perceptions and stereotypes. The objective was to gain an understanding of each other’s differences and similarities. The session showed that cultural differences within TAUW are a positive influence and examined how these can contribute to us growing as a European consultancy.
2. Sustainability programme
   With the global challenges facing us, the need for change is clear. In this session participants looked at how our sustainability programme can be redesigned. Questions discussed during this breakout session included ‘How do we become the most sustainable company?’ and ‘How can we work with our clients and help them take sustainability into account?’
3. TAUW Foundation
   The TAUW Foundation accelerates and (financially) supports sustainable non-profit dream projects. It focuses on initiatives that truly aim for a sustainable and valuable impact on the physical living environment. The assets come from the proceeds of the sale of TAUW shares. The idea is to put these assets to good use: to contribute to a better world. During the Paris meeting, the workshop was focused on inspiring cross-border project realisation.

Perrine Marchant says: “The TAUW leaders meeting is an event where information and feedback is shared directly and incorporated into later strategy. It is very inspiring to bring together 100 skilled participants, from different areas of expertise, and work towards a joint goal of creating a better world. We inspire each other to develop conceptual ideas into practical plans and even into direct action. It allows us to develop a clearer picture of the positive impact we want to have on our clients, on society, on the environment.

We chose a very fitting venue to hold the breakout sessions: a Social Bar. This is a French initiative to combat isolation by creating a place for people to work and meet other people. Ten percent of their turnover goes to social partnerships. A lovely location and a great match with TAUW’s core values care, connect and improve!