The Courageous Entrepreneur; BAM in Turbulent Times
De Hoop, Provincialeweg 70, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
More info will follow
Samuel Wells (UK)
Sam is Vicar of St-Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. He is an influential theologian and leads an organisation whose 200 staff run a church, two restaurants, a shop and events business and host 300 concerts a year, in addition to running two homeless charities. He describes entrepreneurship as part of the future of in the church in his book ‘A Future that’s Bigger than the Past’. Sam is also Visiting Professor at King’s College London and author of 40 books.
Jo Plummer (BAM Global)
For the last two decades Jo was involved in the international BAM movement: she developed a mission strategy and resources, is the co-chair of the BAM Global network and editor of the Business as Mission website and the BAM Review blog. With her husband Mark Plummer and three children, she lived in Thailand for eleven years and recently moved back to the UK.
Bill Job (US/China)
Bill worked as a BAM-entrepreneur in China for 30 years, he led several companies and worked with hundreds of employees. He experienced special things: within six months time 80% out of 200 employees came to follow God and they saw miracles happen in the workplace. Their company won the government award for ‘the company with the most love’ for seven years in a row, a competition in which 10.000 companies took part. Bill likes to pass on lessons learned, things he had to unlearn and what it meant to follow God.
Gary Ginter (US)
Gary was invited and planned to come as a speaker, but had to cancel and recommended for Bill Job to come instead.
VAST Power Systems aims to build efficient combustion systems whose exhaust gases are so clean that you can inhale them. This quest has kept Gary busy for the last 20 years and senses God is calling him for this. He therefore declined an offer to become a partner at Goldman Sachs (Hull Trading Company was bought by them when he was a partner there). In addition, this 70-year-old BAM’er was involved in the start-up, growth and sale of dozens of companies, often in disadvantaged areas in the US and internationally.
Jasper Bringsken (NL)
Jasper Bringsken has been an entrepeneur since he was 19 years old, with various companies which he sold. Over the years his passion for building God’s Kingdom through an honest supply chain has continued to grow. Through his company Stricters the aim is to produce sustainable and fair clothing for companies and foundations. He listens to God’s direction in running his business and helps others to do the same.
Tim Vreugdenhil (NL)
Tim started a search for a new type of church, suitable for the city center of Amsterdam, which has since grown into CityKerk. He studied theology in Kampen, Leiden and Berlin and fulfills the role of city chaplain at the Protestant Church of Amsterdam. His book ‘Opener than ever - New opportunities for churches’ was published in 2021, in which he uses insights from the business community for the design of the church.
Thomas Mathews
Thomas (pseudonym) is a mentor and coach to BAM companies worldwide, as well as co-founder of a social enterprise that helps individuals and organisations reach their full potential. With different organisations, they facilitate the opportunity to help everyone learn their unique value, how they can work together and how the individual goal is aligned with the goal of the organization. For individuals, they have a free 2-day workshop (translated into 15 languages; conducted in 30 countries) where people discover their personal strengths & life purpose and what that means for their dreams & goals in life.
Henk Schouten (NL, Europe, India)
Thirty years ago Henk already saw the need for meat substitutes. From the Schoutenfood family business in Giessen, they now export to more than 50 countries. Recently Henk has also been personally involved in India; where they integrate their protein rich products with holistic mission.
Harmen Niemeijer (NL)
In his role as director of Micha Nederland, Harmen wants to make people aware of injustice that is going on and provide practical tools to live more consciously, partly from the realization that God asks to stand up for the vulnerable in this world. Based on Micha 6:8, the Micha Nederland Foundation wants to inspire, activate and set Christians in motion to be active Christians in the world.
Diana van der Stelt (NL/Ghana)
In 2015 Diana exchanged her management position at the national government of the Netherlands for social entrepeneurship in West Africa. At the Trinity Software Center in Ghana (Kumasi) 25 people are now working for the Dutch and Ghanaian market. The company creates career oportunities and enables discipleship for young people from poor families while contributing to Africa’s digital transformation with innovative IT.
Hans Hamoen (NL & international)
Hans is the author of ‘Doing Business with God’ in which he shows what can be achieved through Business as Mission. In1995 Hans founded the World Partners Foundation of which Adama Farms in Ukraine is a part. They became an important partner in food distribution, where tens of thousands receive food, partly funded by donations through Giro 555 in collaboration with Church in Action (Kerk in Actie).
Margreet Noordhof (NL)
Searching for the God-given responsibility of business for society and the planet: based on the philosophy of Economics of Mutuality, Margreet guides companies and organisations so that they can give shape to this innovatively and from the core. She has many years of experience as Impact Manager at Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods and founded Nova Business Society Management in 2021.
Daan de Groot (NL/Romania)
Daan is co-initiator of BAM Romania & BAM Connect. He is a missionary entrepeneur in Romania and director of Coming Home Ministries, an aid organisation in Targu Mures. He is also a co-founder of the social enterprise RecycleArt and The Boost Company.
Adrian Buhai & Corneliu Niste (BAM Romania)
Adrian and Corneliu are initiators of BAM Romania and BAM Connect. Adrian is an IT entrepreneur and active as a BAM investor and coach in Romania and Sierra Leone. Corneliu is a consultant and BAM business developer, active in various global business networks.
Dick de Krijger (NL)
Dick started Deelcafé De Buurman, a 100% non-profit coffee house with a mission: to be a good neighbor to others, near and far away. Six years later, Deelcafés (Share Cafés) have been created in 6 municipalities via a soft franchise model. In addition Dick is co-founder of Voorwaarts (Forward), a consultancy for strategy & organizational development. Voorwaarts recently released a second book: Growth Pyramid.
Sander Wuister (NL/international)
Sander is author of ‘Woorden van Leven (Words of Life) and gives courses in prophecy. He prophesies regularly among entrepeneurs and in churches, because he feels a calling to encourage and equip leaders (in business, churches, politics). Sander has a PhD in chemistry and worked many years at ASML.
Gertjan van Laar (NL)
Gertjan is an entrepeneur and business consultant with a background in IT. He founded Itzinya Networks in the Netherlands, a Startup Incubator and Accelerator program for migrants who want to start a business. Gertjan has founded several companies himself, also in intercultural contexts.
Harmen van der Laan (NL)
Harmen started in his multicultural neighborhood in Delft with printshop Print Plezier, Kopie Koffie and FierFietskoerier. All three social enterprises where people who have difficulties finding and keeping a job can work; paid and unpaid. Harmen experiences that entrepeneurs within the Dutch culture can have a lot of possibilities to have a say in people’s lives and he sees lives change.
Address:
De Hoop
Provincialeweg 70
3329 KP – Dordrecht
The Netherlands