The Next Phase of Sustainability Leadership
What’s actually working: actionable insights at the forefront of sustainability to elevate impact, engagement, and business value.
A boutique, invitation-only roundtable series.
8 October 2026 | Inaugural Cohort
Pulitzer Hotel | Prinsengracht Canal | Amsterdam
With tightening budgets and growing urgency to resolve our global challenges, how can sustainability leaders achieve more with less across the broader sustainability spectrum? This experience-based peer exchange provides thought-leading, actionable insights to elevate impact, strengthen engagement across the organisation, and tangible business value.
Participants
Participants include 12-16 CSOs and senior executives of leading organisations across different industries, carefully curated to ensure a high-quality and relevant peer exchange.
What you gain
Being part of this small, trusted network of sustainability leaders will deepen collective insight, synergies and collaboration. A concise insights brief is shared after the roundtable to support internal use, summarising best practices, lessons learned and emerging approaches to:
-
Drive strong impact outcomes across the broader spectrum including climate, nature, empowerment, inequality, poverty, and health and wellbeing.
-
Strengthen a purpose-driven culture, igniting engagement and front-line innovation across the organisation.
-
Turn efforts into stronger tangible business value, boosting growth, innovation, productivity, and brand value.
What makes it distinct
Carefully curated
A small group selected for mutual value, relevance, openness, and high-quality exchange in an inspirational setting.
Actionable outcomes
Clear takeaways, quick wins as well as bigger ideas, synergies and opportunities for collaboration.
Powerful design
Effective dialogue, guided by our research-backed framework based on global best practices, Forbes-praised tools, and Cambridge University-endorsed insights, unifying rising demands and designed to surface high-impact, high value approaches.
Global Sustainability Leadership Roundtable
Pulitzer Hotel | Amsterdam
8 October 2026
Participation
Participants are expected to contribute openly, sharing insights and lessons learned from what has worked well, and less well, in their experience, under the Chatham House Rule.
This inaugural roundtable marks the beginning of a series of dialogues designed to generate high-quality peer insight, strengthen collaboration, and accelerate meaningful impact and business value.
Participation fee £475 / €550.
Includes facilitated roundtable, drinks and dinner, and post-session insights brief.
To request an invitation or nominate a peer please email us at hi@BigTreeGlobal.net.
13:30-14:00 Arrival
14:00-16:30 Facilitated Dialogue
Focused dialogue on real-world experience, key insights, and emerging approaches.
16:30-18:30 Drinks & dinner
Build meaningful connections in a relaxed setting.
Post-session insights brief
A high-quality synthesis of key themes, strategic insights, and emerging approaches, designed to support internal reflection and decision-making.
Advisor
Iris Van der Veken
Iris Van der Veken is Executive Director & Secretary General of the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030 (co-founded by Kering and Cartier, delegated by Richemont) and Member of 100 Women @Davos' Inclusive Leadership Council. She has a background in law, public affairs and sustainability. Iris has over 25’ years experience on the ground in India, China, Africa, Thailand, Sri Lanka, working on the sustainability agenda as a driver for business resilience. She has worked across the supply chain on many topics including human rights due diligence, decent labour, nature, environmental standards implementation, and traceability. Iris has been an active ambassador on gender and women’s rights for the industry, which have resulted in shaping strong partnerships with UN Women on gender equality and gender responsive procurement. She was the first chairwoman under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of UN Global Compact Belgium. Iris is known as a strong coalition builder and now has been the Executive Director of WJI 2030 since 2022.
Advisor
Becky Gordon
Becky Gordon leads sustainability for EMEA at Interface, a globally recognised leader in sustainability. The documentary Beyond Zero tells the remarkable story of how the flooring company transformed its operations in over 100 countries from high-emitting to beyond zero. In recognition of Interface’s leadership, its Founder Ray Anderson served as Co-Chair on both President Clinton’s and President Obama’s climate committees.
A passionate advocate for Interface’s sustainability ambitions, Becky plays a pivotal role in fostering collaboration with customers, the wider industry, and employees on climate change, the circular economy, and regeneration. In 2026, Becky was listed in the Edie 100 list of the UK’s most impactful sustainability leaders.
Facilitated by
The Roundtable is convened by Dr Melanie van de Velde, Founder of Big Tree Global, TEDx speaker, and author of Lead Like a Genius, described by Forbes Books as “A Powerhouse for Sustainable Growth". Melanie is recognised for her research into what sets global best-impact strategies apart, awarded the Adam Smith Prize for PhD Excellence, nominated by the Social Innovation Director at Cambridge University.
Drawing on her research and two decades of experience across business leadership and sustainability strategy, Melanie works with global organisations to move beyond compliance and unlock higher-impact, value-creating sustainability initiatives.
Her journey from tech leadership to empowering women in a Nairobi slum, and research into global best practices, has reinforced that many solutions to tackling the biggest issues we face lie in the hands of business. And that impact thrives through collaborating and focusing on what matters most for strong impact returns and business value.
This Roundtable is designed to bring these forces together. It is an invitation to unite in amplifying impact, and help drive a truly brighter future.