“I learned that to really understand talent and to really understand potential it is better to actually spend time with them and to go on a listening journey with them first.”
Alexandra van der Ploeg, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, SAP
Alexandra van der Ploeg is responsible for setting SAP’s strategic direction of Corporate Social Responsibility, including corporate giving, volunteerism and driving multi-stakeholder partnerships, to bring SAP’s vision & purpose to life as well as advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. She started her career at KLM in sales and joined SAP over two decades ago in HR. She is passionate about making corporate contributions to social impact and one of these is being a partner and host organization to Atlas Corps, hosting a number of Fellows over the years.
Alex shares a wonderful anecdote about a Kenyan social entrepreneur she met. She also has great advice for young people: “Trust yourself and your instincts, even at the beginning of your career. You have as much right to be in the room as anyone else!”
