Impact Interview: Anneke Hendriks

Name: Anneke Hendriks

Role/Function: Senior Project Manager Education & Impact Investment, Dopper

What She’s Currently Working On: 

I work for Dopper, which has the mission of empowering people to choose reusable over single-use water bottles, to protect our world’s water sources. From our headquarters in Haarlem, we work with a team of 50 changemakers to make a worldwide impact. Each of our bottles fuels our projects: we raise awareness (for example, through campaigns that spread the message to stop plastic pollution and drink from the tap), we educate others and we make a change directly (for example, by kick-starting clean drinking water projects in Nepal).

My job has two areas of focus — the first is that I am responsible for our international education programs. We want to empower children to contribute solutions to the issue of single-use plastics through our Changemaker Challenge Junior (launching in January). This challenge is a design thinking program that empowers children to contribute to the plastic problem. The result of the challenge is that the best idea is implemented in every participating country (the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Belgium, Nepal). 

Last year we held a Dutch edition and 15,000 children joined. The winner was a group of three students who developed a drone bird. This was a machine in the shape of a normal bird — but this bird is powered by solar panels, taking in the sun during the day and flying at night to pick up litter on the street, preventing it from entering water sources. It was a really, really good solution, and it shows us what kids are capable of. They know a lot, they just need to learn the skills to develop a solution and to take action.

Next to our Junior Challenge, we have one for Bachelor's and Masters's students: The Changemaker Challenge. 

We are also working to bring access to clean drinking water where people need it most. We work with an NGO called Simavi and we are also funding a Nepalese startup called Smart Paani with both equity and in-kind investments. Both organizations share our clean water mission. 

1. What was the “aha” moment that sparked your interest in social impact? 

I’ve always had a personal interest in nature, being born and raised in a small village in the east of the Netherlands. Now I live in Amsterdam and I am often near the sea. Seeing the plastic litter everywhere hurts my eyes. The plastic problem is so big that individuals can feel very overwhelmed and powerless. But what I like about social enterprises is that a lot of them are focused on the solution instead of the problem, in a positive way. For example, Dopper frames the problem very seriously but offers a simple solution. I like working for a company that empowers people to take the first step. Because when you take the first step, it’s more likely that you will take a second. It’s joining a movement that which a single small step matters — which is why I decided to join this company and dedicate my career to it.

I also like the entrepreneurial spirit of this work. There’s such great energy when we can activate groups. Now that I’m in the middle of it, I see that every generation is willing to contribute, we just need to empower and enable and serve them in the right way.

2. How did you break into the social impact space? 

Companies like Dopper select people who are super motivated about the impact they want to make. I didn’t study biology or environmental studies; I studied psychology. After my studies, I started working for a consultancy firm that served social enterprises. During my career, I decided I wanted to work for a company that had an impact at its core, rather than a company where sustainability was a side project. I realized that I would belong when I could care about the entire company, which is how I feel at Dopper. 

My advice to people earlier in their careers is to stay close to your values, as it is in the end your motivation. The topic you want to make an impact on is what matters. For me, it’s plastic. And you can make an impact in a lot of ways, whether you are a marketeer, a biologist, or an economist. Every single discipline is needed to work toward the Sustainable Development Goals. I wouldn’t advise a specific route, just to follow what’s close to your heart and apply your skills to the issues you care about. 

3. What most excites you about the social impact space right now?

It excites me to work in a field where change is happening and the problem is getting out of its green bubble. I see 15-year-old Greta posting. I see children writing to Dopper and asking, “What can I do to contribute?” This makes me feel confident that change is happening. It’s what motivates me to get up in the morning and go to work. When you work for a cause that excites you, you know you’re at the right place. It brings inspiration and a sense of belonging. Working for a company that creates the change I want to see, keeps me going.

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