Royal Cosun and Babbage: a sustainable partnership for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

Director Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Guido van Alphen on the partnership between Royal Cosun and Babbage.

“Ultimately, it is and remains a joint quest in which both parties must invest.”

As a leading agricultural cooperative, Royal Cosun stands for progress and sustainability. With a following of over 8100 members and over 4.600 employees, the cooperative gets the most out of crops (including sugar beet, potato, field bean and chicory root) and is constantly looking for innovative and sustainable solutions. All this to contribute to challenges in the field of sustainability and health. Guido van Alphen, Director Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, contributes to this journey to make a difference. He talks about his special collaboration with Babbage: from professional to client. 

Guido always wanted to work at the intersection of government and business, so he quickly found his Public Affairs study program. During his internship at Ahold, he first came into contact with the combination of public affairs, corporate communication and the agrifood sector. And Guido liked that. After valuable experiences at various organizations, such as Coca-Cola and DSM, Guido found his way to Royal Cosun with the help of Babbage.

“Hidden gem” offers opportunities

The position at Royal Cosun ticked all the boxes for Guido. 'I was looking for an international company in the agrifood sector. An organisation that really wants to be at the forefront in the field of sustainability and health, and therefore shows leadership. I was also looking for ultimate responsibility in the field of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs. All these aspects are united in my current position at Royal Cosun.'

Guido knew the name Cosun when Babbage introduced it to him as a possible new employer, but had to delve deeper into the company. 'I immediately saw it as a hidden gem. An organization with a very strong proposition, that relatively few people know about. For me, there was a huge opportunity to tell the story more strongly, both internally and externally. That made me look forward to the first introduction with enthusiasm, and then the ball started rolling quickly.'

From professional to client

'The contact with Babbage and consultant Rutger Severens was very pleasant. Rutger got to know me well and knew exactly the right questions to ask. He also gave me good insight into the organization and the challenges in the position. During the entire procedure he was really my sparring partner, so that I was well prepared during the job interviews.'

Immediately after starting at Cosun as Director Communications & Public Affairs, Guido switched from candidate/professional to client. 'Even before I actually started, I was involved in filling two positions in my team at Cosun. The advantage was that I knew Rutger well, so I knew exactly how he approaches the application procedures and what he pays attention to. This allowed me to work well with him in the search for two team members, a Public Affairs Manager and a Communications Advisor. That was nice, because I had just started and still had to get to know the organization itself, but I could still be involved in building my team'

Mutual success

And this collaboration is still growing. 'You know us and the company well by now. And you know what kind of professionals we are looking for, not only in terms of skills and competences, but also in terms of mindset and corporate culture. I think you have a good sense of that by now.' 

A successful collaboration for Cosun, but also for us at Babbage. Guido explains this: 'partly due to our experiences, Babbage now also works with other companies in the agrifood sector. That is also beneficial for us, because Babbage now has a good pool of people with affinity and work experience in this sector.'

Testimonial Guido van Alphen, Director Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Royal Cosun
'Characteristic of Babbage is the personal aspect. The collaboration is critically connecting in a constructive way. It is about really looking for the right match, not just on a superficial level, but from involvement with the whole.'