Royal Honor for Mr. George Molenkamp

On Friday, March 12, Mayor Aptroot presented a royal decoration to Mr. George Molenkamp. Mr. Molenkamp was appointed an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Mr. Molenkamp is a visionary, pioneer, source of inspiration, and role model in the fields of the environment and sustainability, collaboration, and empowerment, both in the Netherlands and internationally.

He is a co-founder of environmental management and auditing in the Netherlands and internationally. His discovery of the Lekkerkerk toxic waste scandal in 1980 led him to recognize the need for effective environmental management and auditing by companies, as well as collaboration with the government. He used his positions as director/partner at Touch Ross and KPMG and as a professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) to raise awareness and improve government policy through speeches, publications, and articles in the media.

In addition, Mr. Molenkamp advocates for transparency among multinational corporations through environmental and sustainability reporting and data verification. As early as 1986, he wrote about the importance of environmental accounting. As a KPMG partner, he took a bold step in 1996 by undertaking the first verification of Shell’s health, safety, and environment (HSE) annual report, despite the lack of accepted methods: the importance of transparent data for society outweighed these challenges. This led to a global collaboration between accountants and HSE specialists, the development of corresponding international verification methods, and the triennial KPMG International Surveys of Sustainability Reporting, conducted since 1993 in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Dr. Molenkamp has accelerated public reporting and accountability by companies worldwide.

He is also a builder of international networks. As a Partner at KPMG, Dr. Molenkamp could have continued to focus on the Dutch market, where he was already a leader in the field of the environment and sustainability. However, he recognized that solutions could only be achieved through international collaboration. He established the KPMG Global Sustainability Network, which grew to include more than 350 specialists. He brought together the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and VU University Amsterdam, KPMG, the United Nations, and other organizations both in the Netherlands and abroad to support large-scale research, events, and publications, such as the Carrots and Sticks Report in collaboration with UN Environment in 2006, with updates in 2011 and 2016. This enhanced collaboration has led to more positive outcomes for the environment and sustainability.

He is a pioneer in integrating environmental and sustainability issues into civil society organizations. Today, it is standard practice for universities, churches, and employer organizations to incorporate environmental and sustainability considerations into their policies and activities. But in the 1990s, this was not yet the case. Mr. Molenkamp had the vision and brought about change through several (volunteer) positions he held on the side. He “greened” the curriculum and education at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and VU University Amsterdam. He brought environmental and sustainability issues to the attention of the Council of Churches and the broader society, for example during the Water Symposium in 2013 and at various European bishops’ conferences. He worked with VNO-NCW to increase the positive impact of businesses on society.

Mr. Molenkamp used his prominent positions—particularly at KPMG and the University of Amsterdam—and his extensive network to advise others and help them make connections, well beyond his retirement in 2007.

What stands out is his commitment to women, at a time when the “Me Too” movement and gender quotas were still a long way off—he did this out of conviction. Examples include coaching current and former employees in their job searches and in becoming partners; supporting new KPMG environmental practices in Australia and South Africa; and the George Molenkamp Sustainability Thesis Award for student dissertations, established in 2015. Thanks in part to him, an entire generation of employees and researchers has been inspired, many of whom are now conducting important research themselves or holding influential positions.