Resilience matters
Most organisations were designed for a world that no longer exists.
Geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, cyber threats, regulatory pressure and rising stakeholder expectations are reshaping the way organisations operate. Events that once seemed isolated now ripple rapidly across supply chains, operations and reputation.
In this environment, resilience is no longer about responding when disruption occurs. It is about designing organisations that can anticipate change, adapt with confidence and continue creating value under pressure.
Resilience requires organisations to look beyond crisis management alone. It demands stronger stakeholder ecosystems, better strategic decision-making and leaders who can navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence.
Because the organisations that will succeed tomorrow are not those that can predict the future. They are the ones designed to adapt with confidence.
On Thursday 21 January 2027, a select group of senior executives will gather at Van der Valk Mechelen for an exclusive Executive Seminar exploring one central question:
When uncertainty becomes permanent, what makes an organisation truly resilient?
Together with renowned speakers and fellow executives, participants will explore practical frameworks, real-world case studies and interactive scenarios designed to help strengthen resilience across their organisations.
The day will be moderated by Charles Groenhuijsen.
How geopolitical developments, technology, regulation and international security influence strategic decision-making.
Practical approaches to strengthening stakeholder ecosystems, crisis preparedness and strategic decision-making through executive case studies and interactive scenarios.
How leaders maintain perspective, build trust and help their teams in times of uncertainty.
What you will take away
The seminar is limited to 60 participants to ensure a high-level interactive exchange.
Register NowRegistration and informal introductions.
We open the day with a short conversation with Caroline Sapriel | CS&A International and Marion Kremer | Kremer & Company.
Pavlo Bilodid | Head of Communications | DTEK (Ukraine)
Sam Collot d’Escury | Managing Director | Energie Nederland
Jos Meester, Prof. Dr Daniel Fiott and Devin Hayes Ellis
A discussion about the geopolitical, societal and security environment in which organisations operate and the implications for leaders and strategic decision-making.
Current confirmed participants include:
André Manning
A senior-practitioner perspective on organisational resilience and real-world experience.
Facilitated by CS&A International & Kremer & Company
Participants work in small groups, applying the themes of the morning to their own organisational context.
The workshop addresses four areas:
Lina Kolesnikova
A session on the less tangible factors that influence recovery: trust, leadership, communication, organisational learning and collaboration.
When organisations think about resilience, they often focus on technology and physical protection. Yet the factors that most influence recovery are frequently less tangible. This session explores the hidden infrastructure that enables organisations to continue functioning under pressure.
Benjamin Sylvand
A session on the conditions organisations need to navigate turbulence and move towards a new normal.
A crisis changes the environment in which an organisation operates. Returning to the old normal is not always possible – or desirable.
This session examines shared purpose, organisational culture, trust and the quality of relationships built before a crisis occurs.
Central idea: Resilience is built before the crisis hits, not during it.
Dr. Arielle Warner
A perspective on personal resilience and leadership in an environment characterised by uncertainty and constant change.
Q&A with Benjamin Sylvand and Dr. Arielle Warner.
Key insights and closing remarks.
Managing Director, Energie-Nederland
Sam Collot d’Escury is Managing Director of Energie-Nederland, the trade association representing energy companies in the Netherlands. In this role, he represents the sector in dialogue with politics, government and other stakeholders and is committed to advancing a reliable, affordable and sustainable energy system.
Sam has many years of leadership experience across the energy, technology and services sectors and has extensive knowledge of the energy market and the challenges associated with the energy transition. Before joining Energie-Nederland in 2018, he held various senior leadership positions, including roles in the IT and energy industries.
In his current position, Sam is known as a unifying leader with a strong focus on collaboration, trust and a results-oriented approach. His experience in representing a broad sector and bringing together different interests provides a practical perspective on the role of collective action in building a more resilient energy system.
Senior Communications Manager, DTEK Group (Energy Company Ukraine)
Pavlo Bilodid is Senior Communications Manager at DTEK Group, the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector and the largest private investor since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. He is responsible for international communication and for ensuring that the company engages effectively with stakeholders and audiences around the world.
He has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications. In addition to his corporate communications work, he has developed and managed educational and cultural initiatives, including the Georgy Gongadze Prize, which recognises contributions to advancing independent media in Ukraine.
Pavlo is Chapter Lead for Ukraine at the European Association of Communication Directors. He holds an MBA from Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, is an alumnus of the Aspen Institute Kyiv and a fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Millennium Leadership Program.
Head of Communications, Gasunie
Andre Manning is Head of Communications at Gasunie, a European energy-infrastructure company that plays an active role in developing the energy infrastructure required for the energy transition. He is an experienced, data-driven communications leader with an international career spanning the Netherlands, the United States and Switzerland.
Andre began his career at Royal Philips Electronics, where he held several leadership positions, including Global Head of Communications. He subsequently led international communications functions at Booking.com, AkzoNobel, Amcor and Tata Steel Nederland, with a strong focus on multi-stakeholder engagement. Across these roles, he has worked at the intersection of corporate reputation, communications, stakeholder relations and organisational change.
Andre has more than two decades of senior international communications experience and has consistently advocated a more data-driven approach to the profession. In recognition of this commitment, he received an AMEC Lifetime Fellowship Award.
Director of European and International Affairs, ICPEM | Co-founder, Rossnova Solutions
Lina Kolesnikova is a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM, UK), where she serves as Director of European and International Affairs. She is also co-founder of Rossnova Solutions, a Belgium-based consultancy specialising in security, resilience, risk and crisis management.
Lina advises organisations on crisis preparedness, organisational resilience, critical infrastructure protection and the management of complex risks. Her work bridges strategic risk analysis with practical preparedness and response, helping organisations translate broad risk environments into capabilities, structures and actions.
She is the author of more than 150 publications on security, crisis management and resilience and regularly speaks and moderates at international conferences and professional events.
Executive Coach, Conflict Negotiator and Mediator
Benjamin Sylvand supports leaders and organisations in analysing conflict and complex situations, developing tailored response strategies, and conducting negotiation and mediation. He is an accomplished executive coach, conflict negotiator and mediator, and has led numerous crisis and exercise programmes for clients across industries.
His previous roles include Director of Digital Pedagogy at Sciences Po Paris, Learning & Training Director at Castorama France Kingfisher, and Senior Consultant with a Paris-based crisis management firm. This combination of education, leadership development and crisis advisory work gives him a multidisciplinary perspective on how individuals and organisations learn, adapt and respond to disruption.
Benjamin is the author of The Conflict Resolution Compass: Navigating Difficult Relationships and The Collective Conflict Resolution Compass: Navigating Teams Toward a Common Goal, both published by KDP in 2026. He is fluent in French and English and holds a PhD in Philosophy from Sorbonne University, completed post-doctoral work at Oxford University, and holds an MBA in Communication from Sorbonne University. He is also certified in complex negotiations (ADN, France).
Integrative Psycho-Spiritual Consultant, Psychotherapist, Educator and International Speaker
Dr. Arielle Warner is an integrative psycho-spiritual consultant, psychotherapist, educator and international speaker specialising in resilience, meaning-centred development, and the integration of body, mind and spirit during crisis and major life transitions. With more than 25 years of experience, she works with individuals, multidisciplinary healthcare teams and organisations.
She is trained in existential-humanistic and meaning-centred group facilitation and has extensive experience teaching in academia and in continuing education for healthcare professionals and leaders. Her work combines scientific research, psychology, contemplative practices and spirituality, with particular attention to stress, trauma, existential challenges, polarisation and cross-cultural perspective-taking.
Arielle holds a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology, an MA in Psychology and an MSc in Medical Sciences (Neurobiology). Her scientific research explored the impact of stress on the immune system and the bidirectional relationship between mind and body. Her doctoral research examined the effects of a yoga-based intervention on the psychological and spiritual well-being of women living with breast cancer.
Senior Research Fellow, Conflict Research Unit, Clingendael Institute
Jos Meester is a Senior Research Fellow at Clingendael’s Conflict Research Unit (CRU). He leads the unit’s work on the Horn of Africa and on business operations in developing countries. He also leads Clingendael’s work on Early Warning and Early Action using data analytics, and contributes to work on climate change adaptation, geopolitics vis-a-vis China and advisory services for corporate clients.
Jos frequently acts as a speaker, facilitator and trainer on investment in difficult contexts. Before joining Clingendael, he worked as a management consultant at KPMG in the Netherlands and Brazil, advising on strategic and operational issues including market-entry assessments, operational optimisation and procurement improvement. His projects were mainly in the oil and gas, construction, transport, healthcare and pharmaceuticals sectors.
Jos holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Leiden University in the Netherlands, where he specialised in the stability of formal and informal political institutions. His combination of corporate strategy experience and hands-on knowledge of political-economic development enables him to connect geopolitical analysis with the practical realities organisations face when operating under uncertainty.
Director of Strategic Development, NSI., Inc Team, Business and risk assessment
Devin Hayes Ellis is Director of Strategic Development at NSI, Inc., a boutique advisory firm specialising in geopolitical and security risk assessment for senior executive leaders in the public and private sectors. At NSI, Inc., he leads engagements with clients across government and industry and works closely with researchers to combine technical innovation with scientific rigour.
Prior to joining NSI, Inc., Devin was a Program Director at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, supporting the U.S. national security community, and spent sixteen years on the research faculty at the University of Maryland. He began his career focused on U.S.-China security issues and later broadened his work into crisis and escalation management. He has also spent many years in the simulation and gaming community, applying approaches ranging from complex modelling to tabletop exercises to support organisational planning and decision-making.
Throughout his career, Devin has supported government national security decision-makers, corporate crisis managers, international development organisations, non-profits and research institutions around the world. This combination of strategic research and practical advisory experience gives him a strong cross-sector perspective on how organisations can understand emerging threats, prepare for disruption and make decisions under pressure.
Assistent Professor, Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Prof. Dr Daniel Fiott is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he heads the Defence, Investment and Innovation programme. He is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Real Instituto Elcano in Madrid. His work focuses on European security and defence, with particular expertise in defence-industrial policy, military-technology strategy and EU security and defence cooperation.
Daniel previously served as a Senior Analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies from 2016 to 2022, where he contributed to key European defence policy debates, including the EU Global Strategy and the drafting of the EU’s Strategic Compass. He has also held positions at the University of Kent and the College of Europe. Across his career, he has advised EU institutions, NATO bodies, national governments and international organisations and has led or contributed to commissioned studies for the European Parliament, European Commission, NATO and defence ministries.
Daniel is the author of Defence Industrial Cooperation in the EU (Routledge) and has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals on European security, defence and sovereignty. He has published more than 250 papers and serves on scientific and selection committees for European institutions and national research councils. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, completed with support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), and an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.
Thursday, 21 January 2027
08:45 – Reception and coffee
09:15 – Start seminar programme
17:10 – Closing
17:10 – 18:00 – Networking drinks & bites
€ 595,-
€ 495,- for EACD members
Parking garage is nearby: Parking Keerdok
Guests can book directly via Van der Valk Mechelen
Resilience by Design is a joint executive seminar by Kremer & Company and CS&A International.
Kremer & Company helps organisations navigate complex stakeholder environments, strengthen strategic decision-making and build trusted relationships with the people and institutions that matter most.
CS&A International works with organisations on resilience, crisis preparedness, strategic communication and leadership in complex and high-pressure environments.
Building organisations that adapt with confidence
Join us on Thursday, 21 January 2027 at Van der Valk Mechelen for a day of strategic perspectives, real-world experience, practical application and discussion with peers.
The seminar is limited to 60 participants.
We very much hope to welcome you on 21 January 2027.
