Make change happen by connecting your head with your heart | Perspectives with Daphne Laan
Daphne Laan
Co-Founder of The Board Whisperers
Managing Director of Down to Earth Collective
Freedom Firewoman. Two words were used by an indigenous elder to describe our newest guest Daphne Laan. Anyone familiar with her story will immediately agree that no other words capture her essence quite as perfectly.
Daphne is a business leader, tech executive, film producer and traveller, who’s been breaking glass ceilings in male-dominated industries for over two decades now. After working internationally in media and tech corporations including BBDO Indonesia and Telco, she made a name for herself as Head of Technology, Programmatic and Partnerships at Google while also being nominated as the National Lead for Women@Google.
“I like to see how you can connect worlds that are seemingly far apart. That’s why I fell in love with tech. I think we can use tech for good and it’s a story that isn’t told so much yet.”
Using her work for good is a constant theme throughout Daphne’s career. A few years ago, she became the Managing Director of The Down to Earth Collective and was catapulted from the walls of her corporate office into a life of public service and activism. She co-produced a documentary film that highlights conversations with indigenous communities and prompts audiences to discover the true meaning of humanity. The film premiered at the UN Climate Conference, was watched by over 300,000 viewers in cinemas, and is about to reach its 1 millionth viewer in total.
“People change because they feel something, not because they think something. When you tell your own story and you’re really honest about it, then sometimes you touch people in a way you didn’t expect.”
Daphne is also the co-founder of The Board Whisperers, an initiative promoting diversity and inclusion within the boardrooms of Dutch companies. The Board Whisperers help kickstart businesses and provide their management with expert insight and unmatched creative solutions to combat the urgent issue of inequality. This mission is rooted in a unique, human-centric approach - Daphne leads with the heart.
Through her outstanding techniques, she promotes courageous leadership, tuning into one’s inherent dreams and abilities while balancing out the feminine and masculine aspects of our beings.
“We make change happen by connecting your head with your heart. If your heart’s not in the things you do, I don’t think you can change something to the positive. If you talk about change and wanting to do something it all starts with - what do you feel?”
In this absorbing conversation, Daphne gives us a front-row seat into her adventures, career milestones, childhood tribulations and other fascinating moments which made her who she is today. Most importantly, however, she inspires us to reflect on one pivotal question:
What happens when you follow your heart?