Lia Bouma is our Program Administration Coördinator. With her background as a Chemical Engineer and her specialisation in Material Sciences, she has built extensive knowledge on what is happening in the industrial sector. But what lays closer to her heart, is her drive for sustainability and to make the world a better place.
Lia: “The industry has a reputation for not being sustainable. Yet, I think it is a common misconception to think that the industry is not doing anything to become greener. It is easy to see the industry as a bunch of polluters. During my career, I have learned how innovation and collaboration are the key factors in transforming industry. There is no alternative to sustainable development. The urgency of the climate debate is growing and we need to take action now. I am proud of working at an organization that facilitates such development. We have created a platform that brings together industrial partners with governance, SME’s and universities. Together we are working on the most upfront solutions, technologies and innovations, while at the same time we shine a light on what the industry can do and is doing to become more sustainable.”
The best way to achieve sustainability is to create a movement from within society
Lia Bouma – Has extensive knowledge on what’s happening in the industrial sector
“I have lived in Denmark for quite some time and found it inspiring to see how different their culture was in terms of sustainability. I found Danish citizens see themselves much more as part of the environment, and not as leaders of. When we came back to the Netherlands, I wanted to bring this value with me. I started to teach classes on environmental and sciences at elementary schools and became active for the local government to preserve biodiversity in Amersfoort. I joined ISPT around 2016, where I started off as a Program Officer for the different programs.”
Lia’s core value is “working together for a more sustainable world.” She explains: “In my opinion the best way to achieve this is to create a movement from within society. It means we need to strengthen each other.”
Something that relates a lot to Lia’s work at ISPT, where she likes to create order out of chaos: “I like to solve things and create overviews. I make sure that everything in the organization runs smoothly. I connect people to knowledge areas, make sure questions are followed up and facilitate more collaboration.”