On Thursday 30 November, we held our annual NN Guilds Event at the Fokker Terminal in The Hague with over 250 colleagues. This year's theme was 'Together we are future ready'. NN Guilds, managers, and leadership representatives were all present for an exciting day of learning and co-creation.
The event brought together colleagues from different teams, departments, brands, and countries. David Knibbe, CEO NN Group, kicked off the event with a conversation about the future of our company. Dailah Nihot, Chief People, Tjeerd Bosklopper, CEO of Netherlands Non-life, Banking & Technology, and Leon van Riet, CEO Life and Pensions, and Rob Visser, CIO Group IT, were also present and participated on stage throughout the day with keynotes and Q&As.
Together we are future ready
The focus of the day was on preparing our business for the future. During the event, the guilds explored the skills and focus areas needed for the future and how they can contribute to NN's strategy. It highlighted the importance of working together to create an organisation that’s flexible, able to adapt to changes and has the necessary skills to do so.
The day was packed with workshops, keynotes, and opportunities to network with other guild members. Colleagues also had the chance to participate in masterclasses such as ‘the five stages of team development’, ‘product management tools’, ‘OKRs in theory’ and ‘unleashing the power of ChatGPT’. The masterclasses were designed to provide practical skills and knowledge to help colleagues grow and develop in their professions, as well as to contribute to the overall growth of NN.
Sonja Miljoen, Head of IT Customer & Commerce: ‘What the guilds contribute to - and what today is about - is that people are able to find each other much easier within NN’.
Empowering product teams
Tami Reiss delivered a keynote speech talking about ‘the only three questions you ever need as a product team’. Tami is a coach with 15+ years of experience in empowering product leaders. She founded The Product Leader Coach to help product leaders and teams realise their potential by focusing on their strengths.
It wasn't all business. Throughout the day, colleagues from all guilds were able to share ideas and connect over food and drinks. They also had a chance to unwind and enjoy themselves with various activities, including games, a silent disco, a photo booth, and a post-closing ceremony bar.
Mark van Straten, Lead of the Engineering Guild: ‘Today was a great day to celebrate having guilds within NN. It was amazing to see people connecting with each other and having so much fun sharing knowledge’.
The what and why of guilds
A guild is a group of colleagues who share the same profession within NN, such as Design, Research, Engineering, or Data Science. They work together to improve their skills, learn from one another, and shape the growth path for their profession. NN’s ambition is to be an industry leader, known for customer engagement, talented people, and contribution to society. This requires an environment that inspires colleagues to grow to their full potential. The guilds help NN to move faster towards an agile, efficient organisation.
If you want to accelerate your career and join one of the NN guilds, check out our open vacancies. Who knows, you may be our newest guild member! As Rob Visser, Chief Information Officer at NN, says, ‘It’s great people that deliver great results’.
