At the intersection of politics and entrepreneurship; Van Veelen on the board of MKB-Nederland

Piet van Veelen saw opportunities in the market around 2002 and founded Vedotec, a company that focuses on the sale of hardware for measurement & control technology and building automation. In 2011, the industry had grown to such an extent that Van Veelen, together with several colleagues, felt the time was right to establish the Dutch trade organization for Building Automation, part of FHI. He is also a member of the FHI federation board. Van Veelen has now joined the board of MKB-Nederland on behalf of the construction and industry sectors. We spoke to the entrepreneur and director about his role within MKB-Nederland, the themes that are currently on the consultation table and improving the interaction between politics and industry organizations such as FHI.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

“It has been a three-stage rocket,” says Van Veelen when he looks back on his career so far. Because although he has taken a step back in daily management at Vedotec, the entrepreneur is all the more active in his administrative positions at FHI and MKB-Nederland.

Van Veelen is short but sweet about his motivation for joining the board of MKB-Nederland: “I find the intersection between entrepreneurship and politics very interesting, all my life. I am very interested in politics and I am also an entrepreneur. Moreover, in a society you have to deal with each other.”

The request for representation on the board of the umbrella interest organization for small and medium-sized businesses, which also regularly negotiates and consults with the government, was put forward by the FHI federation board: “At a certain point it came to the attention of the board that we were not completely satisfied with how the contacts with The Hague were going, those ties could have been a bit warmer. So someone was wanted for this role and I think I raised my hand," says a modest Van Veelen.

The facades of the Malietoren

He has now completed the first consultation rounds at MKB-Nederland, although he did not know exactly what to expect: “You initially have a general idea of what they do,” says Van Veelen. “As an entrepreneur you read articles in the field of economics and the like with more than average interest. MKB Nederland is of course regularly included. In that sense you know what they do, but you don't know exactly what happens behind the facades of the Malietoren. I now gain insight into that, which is interesting.”

“There are a number of society-wide themes at play at the moment. These are not only interesting for the business community, but for all Dutch people. Such as the pension system. You can say that, what do I have to do with that? But we all have employees and we have to ensure that they still have a good living in their old age. That has nothing to do with technology, but with being an entrepreneur,” he says.

Sustainability

Another theme high on the agenda of the Dutch business community is making the economy more sustainable and the necessary energy transition: “That topic has everything to do with technology, but also with the question: how do I communicate to my children, citizens and the business community? that something really needs to be done. And that no one stands on the sidelines so that there is no gap between the elite and the man or woman affected by the transition. I think it is an entrepreneurial task to close that gap. How can we make it feasible and try to prevent casualties?”

The current Climate Agreement, in which employers consulted with dozens of other parties about sustainability, is now being hotly debated within and outside politics. Van Veelen advocates a realistic attitude: “There are always technological solutions, but they must also be feasible and affordable solutions. Entrepreneurs and technology companies must be careful not to end up on a pink cloud that is not feasible. Ultimately, that only means disappointment. You have to be realistic: we cannot give the Netherlands an energy transition in one year. There are people who think that everything has to be different tomorrow. I say: tomorrow we will start doing things differently, but it is not all different.”

Van Veelen also notes divisions in the 'Dutch polder' on other themes, both in society and among his traditional opponents, the trade unions: “It is a great responsibility if you walk away. With the Pension Agreement, as with the Climate Agreement, it is the same party that is walking away. I understand their frustrations very well, that you don't think it is ideal. But you won't get an ideal society, you have to assume that. And I understand that they want to achieve the best results for their supporters, that is also their job, but I think running away is a sign of weakness. That must be the extreme. And I wonder if it is the extreme in this case. In that judgment I not only sit in the entrepreneurial chair, but that is also how I view it as a citizen.”

Technical staff

Van Veelen regularly receives complaints from the technology sector, and especially through members in his trade association, about the chronic lack of trained technical personnel. Moreover, his own company also suffers from this. As the main cause, Van Veelen points to what he sees as neglected technical education: “Technology education is still neglected in the Netherlands. That is so unwise. We want an energy transition, we want to be at the forefront of ICT, we want as many data centers as possible in the Netherlands, we want to get the Amazons and Googles within our borders. And when I look at education: how do you want to serve those people?”

To tackle this urgent problem, the entrepreneur sees an important role in adapting education: “It is not just a financial issue, it is mainly an organizational issue. Of course it will cost money, technical courses are more expensive than other courses. But you just need them. It is a matter of good organization. In our country, for some reason or another, we have made a very sharp distinction between theoretical and practical training, whereby people who want to work practically at a slightly higher level, MBO/HBO level, must first go through a pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) process. That offers them too little challenge. There is nothing for that group now.”

Technology in modules

He continues: “We need to organize what schools in the US and Canada do: offer technology modules. Why can't you learn what a lathe is at a HAVO or VWO? Or how to program a robot or what Ohm's law not only does in theory, but also means in practice. Let those boys and girls show with their hands, this is technology.”

Other solutions that the entrepreneur sees are short-term partnerships with regional training centers and other education providers, and offering training programs to asylum seekers with residence status. Van Veelen: “It is of course crazy that we let people who have a good technical education sit at home for years. Someone who studied electrical engineering in Damascus must explain to you that Ohm's law is the same in both countries, but that the practice here is somewhat different.”

And there are even more pain points that the entrepreneur wants to raise with his colleagues and politicians. He mentions the quality standards in healthcare, but also power blocs in this sector. And not to be forgotten in this era: Brexit. And because politics in London is still divided, clear political choices are not being made, to the despair of Dutch entrepreneurs: “Let's hope they reverse Brexit. It's an unfortunate thing, but everyone on this side of the water agrees. On the other hand, I don't think our economy is coming to a standstill. You read a lot of horror stories, but I take that with a grain of salt.” He expects that most Dutch entrepreneurs will have prepared themselves for the Brexit: “That is also good entrepreneurship,” he says.

As a final action point for 2019, Van Veelen wants to make a stand for social entrepreneurship. In concrete terms, the entrepreneur states that it is too difficult in our country to set up social enterprises or obtain tenders. He hopes to be able to convince politicians of the importance of this form of entrepreneurship: “Social entrepreneurship is very important for this country. We want as many people as possible to participate, including 'people at a distance from the labor market'. A beautiful name for people who can't keep up now. That's what social entrepreneurs are for.”