In the clock tower… Ellen Schindler
Blogs, General news
‘We are going to create again’ predicted HPP decision maker Ellen Schindler for the year 2021, last January in the clock tower of Capital C, ‘not everything has to be digital anymore’. So she hopes that by the end of April the blood will be flowing more and that De Zwarte Hond can contribute to this new energy in society.
De Zwarte Hond is a design firm for architecture, urbanisme and strategy. Social engagement is in their DNA and from a spatial discipline the firm contributes to social and economic issues. As CEO of this agency, it is up to Ellen to provide direction and create coherence.
‘April 2020 required focus and a transition to micro level. This year I want to zoom out again and set the spot on the horizon.’
So 2021 is all about optimizing ‘The New Now’. We at De Zwarte Hond do this in various ways. Many projects are or will be in progress, which means that we are still in the doing mode, literally making things. In addition, in the past year we have been able to show in many projects that we are an agency that can help make things possible. How do you get or keep a project going? We are good at that. Our next challenge is to look for a way to come back to the office, by experimenting in particular with hybrid working, and perhaps also in collaborating differently in projects. Then it’s about a new form of making things together.
Important in all this is the realization that not everything has to go back to the pre-Corona days. ‘Corona didn’t just produce bad things, interesting and exciting things were also created.’ Serendipity, she calls it. So she has invited her employees to make use of the space that has arisen, to organize private and work life. ‘Grab your own opportunities and be part of the changes!’
In order to shape a vision and to be able to set the spot on the horizon, it is important for Ellen to have continuous discussions with various people. Holland Property Plaza is of great value in this respect.
‘HPP brings me into contact with people I have always wanted to talk to, in a relaxed and informal way.’
Next month in the Clock Tower we will hear more about decision-maker Ralph Mamadeus (Change=) and his vision for the real estate sector in 2021. Did you miss the story of decision maker Harry van Zandwijk (Jan Snel)? Read his story here.