Keynote Speakers

Wouter de Vries

Head of Manufacturing & Engineering at Tony's Chocolonely

Wouter is currently responsible for the capability and capacity development in existing or new manufacturing locations of Tony’s Chocolonely in Europe and the US. In addition, he is leading the Tony's global supply chain strategy and execution of the major supply chain projects to support Tony's strong growth. The operational responsibility for the production locations in the Netherlands and Belgium is within his scope. 

He has been working in supply chain roles over 12 years covering leadership roles across the entire supply chain within quality, factory supply planning, European logistics operations, and supply chain business partnering for the sales organisations. Within Tony’s he has been responsible for the planning supply chain from amount of cocoa bean all the wat to having the right bar in each sales market, led the take-over and factory transition of Tony’s first own factory as factory director and now covering the major supply chain transformational projects within Tony’s.

Arjan de Jong

Director of Global Procurement Solutions & Insights at Vattenfall

Arjan de Jong is a senior leader with 20+ years of experience in procurement, operations, business development, and data & analytics across insurance and energy. At Vattenfall, he drives digital transformation and innovation, delivering measurable improvements in performance, workflows, and culture. Known for bringing clarity to complexity and connecting people, data, and ideas, he focuses on building ecosystems that accelerate sustainable growth. Beyond his corporate role, he is President of the INSEAD Alumni Association Netherlands, served on supervisory boards tackling poverty and debt, mentors startups, and lectures on leadership and intrapreneurship. His goal: lasting clarity, wisdom, and impact.

Marten Poolman

Strategic Planning & Innovation Foods Director at Unilever

As a Strategic Planning & Innovation Foods Director, Marten Poolman is responsible for the team which brings to market innovations and for Unilever’s Foods EU long term capacity planning. As the supply chain business partner he is supporting projects like the disposal of Unox & Conimex and reconfiguring the supply chain to meet the (future) needs of the business. Marten joined Unilever in 2012 as a management trainee and has moved through various roles in Paris, London and Rotterdam. Navigating disruption successfully has been a key part of Marten’s work since supporting the UK business through Brexit and COVID. Marten has been a part of the global supply chain leadership since 2021, where activities include designing the sourcing strategy for Foods and looking after the external manufacturing network of Unilever Foods. In 2025 he moved to his current role.

Academic Speaker

Dr. Cheng-Yong Xiao

Associate Professor, University of Groningen

Cheng-Yong is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the University of Groningen. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Science from the University of Science and Technology of China (2010), and a PhD degree in Operations Management from the University of Groningen (2019). He is a researcher in the field of SCM, with a focus on the extension of sustainability standards along global supply chains, particularly on social and environmental sustainability of emerging-country suppliers. Cheng-Yong has conducted qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies, and his research has appeared in premier academic outlets, such as the Journal of Operations 
Management, the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Ecological Economics, Supply Chain Management, and more.

Chair of the day

Dr. Ir. Paul Buijs

Associate Professor, Program Coordinator and Program Director, University of Groningen

Paul Buijs is an Associate Professor and the program coordinator for the MSc Supply Chain Management at the University of Groningen. In addition, he is the program director for the MSc Supply Chain Management and the MSc Technology & Operations Management. His teaching covers a range of topics including supply chain sustainability, the complexity of supply networks, buyer-supplier relationships, supply chain coordination, and transportation and logistics. Paul’s research focuses on innovations that enhance sustainability in the logistics sector, with a particular emphasis on urban freight transport. He is actively involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of these solutions, striving to understand their potential and impact.