Around 180 CFO's and CEOs gathered in Amsterdam on 6 October 2026 for a conference reflecting on economic developments, business, governance and the future of work. The event marked the 15th anniversary of The New CFO, an executive programme founded by Bert de Groot, Professor of Econometrics at Erasmus School of Economics and former CFO of Randstad Holding.
Addressing the challenges facing today’s boardrooms
For 15 years, The New CFO has provided Chief Financial Officers with opportunities to deepen their knowledge of key financial and strategic issues. Professors and business thought leaders explore and debate current topics facing corporate boards.
Themes covered over the years include the relationship between CFOs and CEOs, financial market risk management, corporate value management, mergers and acquisitions, financial reporting dilemmas, the role of supervisory boards and audit committees, corporate strategy and governance.
Speakers explore sustainable capitalism and the changing world of work
The anniversary conference was held under the overarching theme ‘Steering by reality, curious about the future’. Following a welcome address by Randstad CFO Jorge Vazquez, a range of guest speakers shared their perspectives on the economic and societal challenges ahead.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende spoke in the context of his book “Capitalism Reconnected: Toward a Sustainable, Inclusive and Innovative Market Economy”. He argued that Europe could take a leading role in developing a sustainable, inclusive and innovative market economy, connected to the international community, its own societies, nature and future generations.
According to Balkenende, this requires a renewed articulation of European core values, emphasising human dignity, regenerative and circular thinking, inclusivity and co-creativity. These principles, he suggested, could help foster an economy of hope that remains sustainable for future generations.
Other speakers included Jeroen Tiel, CEO of Randstad Group Netherlands; Erwin Nijsse, Director-General for Business and Innovation at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy; and Marjolein ten Hoonte, Director of Labour Market and Society Impact at Randstad.
Tiel discussed the challenges facing Randstad, which operates in 39 countries across five continents. Nijsse addressed the resilience of the economy, while Ten Hoonte concluded the session by examining changing perspectives on work in its broadest sense.
Bert de Groot presents his economic forecasts
During the conference, programme founder Bert de Groot presented his forecasts for the Dutch economy. Based on his research, he argues that economic fluctuations, despite their unpredictable nature, display recognisable patterns. According to De Groot, the Golden Ratio provides the organising principle connecting these fluctuations in both the Netherlands and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
De Groot predicts that cumulative economic growth in the Netherlands will be 4% higher than projected in the multi-year forecasts of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) and De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). He refers to projected growth rates of 1.3%, 2.9%, 2.9% and 1.8% for the years 2027 to 2030, respectively.
Against this backdrop, De Groot hopes that the Dutch government will take a prudent approach to the 2027 national budget. Otherwise, he warns, the Netherlands risks constraining its own economic
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For questions, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media & Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, +316 53 641 846.
