Can you briefly introduce yourself?
“I’m Judith van den Berg (46), and next year will be my 25th anniversary at Cosun. I enjoy creating and learning new things, both at work and at home. This is evident in my hobbies, which include photography, attending fashion school and taking a goldsmithing course. At work, this means being open to new things and taking up challenges. This is why, in addition to my work as innovation manager RD&I, I’m also project manager for 125 years of Cosun!”
So, you’ve been at Cosun for 25 of the 125 years. What makes working at Cosun so enjoyable?
“You’re given opportunities. I started originally as a chemical analyst. From there I progressed to department manager and later account manager, where I was allowed to liaise between the business groups and Cosun RD&I. I then went on to my current position. I remember being the youngest one here when I arrived. I’ve now been here for 25 years. This is partly because Cosun is a great employer. The organisation is always moving forward. Which really suits me. In a cooperative, you know exactly who it is that you’re working for.”
As project leader of ‘Cosun 125 years’, you organised the Cosun festival. How was it?
“Full of challenges, as there are lots of stakeholders, but everyone involved was also really enthusiastic. I would do it again in a flash. We thought of every detail, and everything went well, without a hitch. When we started out, Suzanne Jungjohann asked me what would make the festival a success for me. My reply was when people’s reaction is “when are we going to do this again?” There are almost too many highlights to mention. Together with a great team, we were able to put together a celebration where all the visitors said that they thought it was amazing!”
What other great things are coming up during this anniversary year?
“Earlier this year, we worked with ZoeteGroet to thank our growers for the wonderful cooperation, and we organised a roadshow for all the business groups. We’re currently working on an anniversary film to show the different aspects of Cosun: who we are, and what we and our growers are about. This is another new, but particularly exciting challenge for me. We’re filming the different growing seasons throughout the year, so it’s a long process. But we were already able to show the trailer at the festival.
