Leadership & Team Building
'Kees Matthijssen is the only military officer who has commanded during four missions at different levels over the past decades. He has come to understand the complexities and dilemmas in conflict areas in their entirety. Profound leadership experiences, but always with a focus on people.
Our consultants would be happy to advise you on how best to tailor the narrative to your specific target audience.
Lieutenant General (ret.) Kees Matthijssen served nearly 43 years in the Dutch armed forces before retiring in October 2023. He held many positions within the Army and Defense, at staff levels, but also many in the operational domain including four missions as commander. In his last position, he served as Force Commander of the UN mission MINUSMA in Mali (January 2022 – January 2023).
Previously, he was a company commander in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995), battalion commander in Iraq (2004), and Taskforce commander in Afghanistan (2008-2009). He was part of the Dutch Liaison team of US Central Command in early 2002, served as a military advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2014), was Deputy Commander of the Land Forces, and served in NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum as Deputy Chief of Staff Plans. He obtained a master’s degree in Strategic Studies (MSS) from the US Army War College in 2010.
He received the French ‘Legion d’Honneur’ and the German ‘Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold’ for his outstanding cooperation with both countries. For his exceptional service record, he received a royal distinction and was made Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau with swords.
After his retirement, he wrote about his experiences in the book ‘Commander in Four Missions’. Nowadays, he sits on the Peace & Security Committee of the Advisory Council on International Affairs, is an advisor at Principles for Peace and the Atlantic Commission, is still involved in several Defense training programs, gives guest lectures at universities, and delivers speeches.
Leadership is about enabling people to bring out the best in themselves. Leadership is who you are. Authenticity is an important foundation.
Kees Matthijssen shares from his experience how important leadership is, particularly highlighting the human aspect of it. He can excellently illustrate how his experiences can be applicable in other organisations, both in the corporate sector and non-profit.
Matthijssen has frequently had to lead in crisis situations. What does time pressure mean, how do you keep your people informed, how do you prevent a crisis after the crisis, and how do you handle external communication.
Throughout his career, Kees Matthijssen has always applied the principles of ‘mission command’. This concretely means being clear about what needs to be achieved and the reasons why, but then giving space and trust to let your people determine the how. How do you ensure your team can perform optimally? How do you fulfil your responsibility as a leader in this.
In an international environment, you encounter different cultures, working methods, and language differences. Matthijssen has frequently operated in such circumstances. He can extensively explain what this means for leadership and how you can effectively carry out your task with your people.
Kees Matthijssen is a strong advocate for diversity in your organisation. What is its importance and how do you, as a leader, optimise the conditions so that everyone feels like a full-fledged part of the team.
Matthijssen is one of the few who has gained operational experience at the United Nations at the political/military-strategic level in the Sahel region in Africa. Additionally, he has also worked at NATO and contributed to plan development in the European theatre. He can discuss the relationships and contemporary developments at the political-strategic level between Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world.
This content is available after accepting marketing cookies.
Request pricing and availability, without obligation. Our consultants will be happy to help you personally.
Our specialists are ready to match the right expertise to your goals.
Get the latest insights and trends from top experts delivered straight to your inbox every month.
