Hi, I’m Annette

I spent my first 18 years in the Netherlands, with the exception of 3 years when my parents, my sisters, our dog, and our guinea pig lived in Virginia, USA. These 3 years had a major impact on my life. 

I adapted quickly to life in the United States, and Virginia soon felt like home. It wasn’t until we moved back to the Netherlands that I was struck by and became interested in the vast differences between the way Americans and Dutch think, communicate and behave. Fascinated by cultural differences, I have lived, studied, and worked in France, Sweden, and now, the New York metropolitan area. With each move, my fascination with different ways of life grew and I found that I enjoyed navigating these differences, first for myself and eventually for others.  Today, in my private life, I am still surrounded by cultural differences: my Swedish husband Björn and I raise 3 Dutch / Swedish/ American children in New Jersey, USA. I regularly travel back to the Netherlands, and keep up with Dutch news, politics, and pop culture. In fact, I recently won the trivia quiz during a get-away with my Dutch friends!

My goal is to help the foreign feel familiar for Dutch businesses expanding to the United States. I connect Dutch and American companies by inspiring them to explore their own – often unconscious – way of doing business and comparing this to the host country’s way of doing business. Capitalizing on these differences can lead to a defining competitive advantage! 

Where is home?

That is a good question! Home is both in New Jersey, just outside of New York City, as well as the Netherlands. It is a privilege to do business with both of my home countries.