Emma Callow (Institute of Imagination, London)

Karien Stroucken has been working with The Institute of Imagination as a freelancer programme manager, building great short term and long-term strategic partnerships with the iOi. The best thing about Karien is, to give her a question, headline or a starting idea and she will run away to create something fun, exuberant and exciting.

 

Karien is able to bring her own creative ideas together with others and create well-balanced programmes and events that excite everyone in the room without fail. Karien has a multifaceted ability to approach any type of programme; from festivals, in-depth research projects, schools programmes, camp's or large scale ticketed events. 

 

Karien has a knack to be able pick up anything quickly, and professionally and create a relaxed and creative atmosphere that puts people in the zone of learning and experimenting - generally, people don't want to go home! Karien is an invaluable part of the experience & learning team at the Institute of Imagination, eg. the development of content, creating new ideas and developing the future long-term scope for the iOi.

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Bas van Abel (CEO Fairphone, Amsterdam)​

I have worked with Karien in her role as Strategy Advisor for Fairphone. Karien is an intelligent, versatile and caring individual. Her originality, creativity and solid academic foundation in a number of subjects make Karien a great sparring partner. Whether you need long-term strategic advice, a person getting events produced on the double, or access to a network of global changemakers, Karien is your woman.

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Jelmer Lesterhuis (Head of Project Managment, Waag Society, Amsterdam)​

I got to know Karien at Waag Society, a multi-disciplinary project organisation with complex partner structures, where project managers can work to their full potential. Thanks to her strong communication skills and vigour she is capable of running projects successfully from start to finish. At each step she keeps a close eye on the end goal. Her capacity to keep an overview of quality, budget and timing means that, projects are safe in her hands - especially when the bar is set high. She is a real team player, quick to understand, a pleasure to work with.

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Henk van Zeijts (Director Creative Learning Lab, Amsterdam)

​I worked with Karien when she was general manager of the Creative Learning Lab. I found her to be very dedicated, creative and pleasant to work with. Karien gets things done. She's a very enthusiastic and humorous person with highly developed social skills. Never a dull moment with Karien.

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Jonathan May (CEO Hubbub, London)

Karien joined Hubbub to help us project manage the launch of a number of brand new clients at a critical growth phase of our business. Working under time pressure and in a new team and highly dynamic environment, she was able to rapidly absorb a complex new area and developed compelling launch strategies with our clients. Karien was both efficient and creative, and she was a pleasure to work with personally and professionally. I would have no hesitation recommending her to others

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dr. Bas Raijmakers (creative director STBY, London)​
I found Karien to be very committed, flexible and professional as a manager of the research projects she was responsible for. She is very good at making everyone feel part of her projects, whether they are participants in a research, freelancers hired on a project basis or clients visiting a workshop. Karien always brings a positive attitude to the things she does, which makes working with her a joy.

 

​Mike Parons (COO Factory, California)​
I worked with Karien Stroucken for over two years. During this time she played the key role of Project Manager at MRM Partners, Amsterdam. Karien has a great track record of making things happen, with a strong ability to plan a project and then ensures all the steps happen at the right time. What impressed me most about Karien was her combination of professionalism, her ability to learn and her optimism. She approached her work with a tremendous energy and that meant she could grow significantly during the time we worked together. Karien made a strong contribution to both the clients and the culture of MRM Partners. I recommend Karien to any company.

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