Antwerp, Belgium - Today marks the launch of We Are Impact Collective, the first impact boutique in which experts with different backgrounds work together to accelerate planetary, relational, and societal issues with businesses, NGOs, start-ups, and family offices.  

Who's in:

Experts involved (based in Belgium and The Netherlands): Astrid Leyssens (ESG and impact), Stefaan Vandist (planetary and societal innovation foresight), Bieke Van Gool (leadership), Don Ritzen (ventures), Jamy Goewie (impact funds), Anneleen De Bonte (impact health and real estate), Artemis Kubala (diversity), Tamara Lenaerts (inclusivity), Anneleen Michiels (professor family, finance and relational capital), Jan Leyssens (circularity and business design), Saskia Michielsen (project management and safari's), Nele Entbrouckx (scaling sustainable companies), Els de Ridder (purpose marketing),…  

Why:

According to the Global Risk Report, many issues are interconnected. Since they're not isolated, We Are Impact Collective focuses on a systemic approach to address these issues through collaboration with different actors and disciplines. Bringing together a group of experts, each with expertise, the company looks to tackle various challenges.  

"We want to do it professionally, decisively, and with joy and optimism," says Astrid Leyssens, founder of We Are Impact Collective. "We know that there are challenges, but adopting a can-do attitude is crucial."  

The group aims to bring impact into play. What we will work on:  

• Accelerating impact innovations  
• Bringing a growth mindset and business models within planetary limits  
• Improving communication about impact, goals, and results  
• Strengthening leadership teams so they can steer in a different direction  
• Forging better and new forms of collaboration between teams & family members  
• Helping teams and family offices navigate the transition toward a fairer world.  
• Implementing business models that are more distributive, inclusive, fair, and circular  
• Making diversity and inclusiveness the norm  
• Regenerating externalities  
• Making sustainability reporting easier  
• Facilitating impact investment and impact venture portfolios  
• Reflecting financial logic  
• Establishing a culture of trust, not distrust  
• Encouraging more donors to rethink their giving  
• Developing ESG- and impact-skilled boards
• Building sustainability knowledge and skills  
• Creating spaces and moments for people working in the change field to connect.  
• More collaborations
• Introducing a let's act mentality, celebrating impact, and embedding our world with belonging, proudness, and festive moments to celebrate the growth of the impact movement  

We simultaneously aspire for all of the above, and we prefer it all done today rather than tomorrow.  

"We see it all at once, and we want to achieve it all together," Astrid Leyssens says. "We'll guide you on making a positive impact through inspiration, advice, cheerleading, getting it done approach, mentoring, and knowledge sharing."  

We Are Impact Collective's wide range of services for individuals, family offices, and businesses will expedite positive change in 12 different areas.  

The team comprises experts from different backgrounds and experiences, including impact investors, sustainability professionals with deepdive knowledge on ecological and social topics, venture specialists, leadership advisors, finance and family professors, philanthropists, communications and business development experts, and experts in guiding impact-first companies.

The experts aim to inspire and support clients at every step of their impact project by sharing their knowledge and expertise. The group works trust-based, accepting, not knowing where it will land. Different experts combine this with other responsibilities, and it's good to be multiple engaged and not easy to fit into a box.  

In conclusion, the scarcity of experts with the proper knowledge, skills, and mindset to collaborate made it essential for We Are Impact Collective to bring together a group of like-minded people to learn from each other, strengthen each other's expertise, and inspire others to take action.  

We Are Impact Collective looks forward to attending change Now in Paris in May. As the company grows, it will inspire more family offices, teams, and other impact experts to participate in the upcoming Inspiration Safaris and expeditions as the belief is that showcasing positive examples will create more desire and eventually action.  

We Are Impact Collective is looking for a place to build an Impact Gallery in Belgium.  

For more information, contact We Are Impact Collective at astrid@weareimpactcollective.org or visit the website at www.weareimpactcollective.org

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