marian spier social entrepreneur FEM-START

Hello. I’m Marian,
a social impact & culture strategist.

My background includes several years working in communication, commercial operations and higher education. Today, my work focuses on projects that have social impact and create cultural change. I love seeing people excel and I’m driven to encourage and inspire others for the better. As an advocate for inclusion, my work often centers around giving back and creating opportunities for those less privileged. As the founder of TEDxAmsterdamWomen and FEM-START, I’ve been fortunate to create space for women, millennials and entrepreneurs worldwide to have their voices heard. Whether it’s speaking, coaching, consulting or in my role as a board member, my work brings me into contact with many people from different paths. As a social entrepreneur, impact is my biggest motivation.

I look forward to working with you.

CONSULTANCY

I consult for government organisations, and corporations on several topics such as communication strategy, people and culture curation, and leadership engagement.

I developed a long-term project in the global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion space for Media Monks. This enveloped a large-scale research into 26 agencies worldwide and provided recommendations on how to incorporate DEI in the global corporate strategy of S4 capital.

I did a feasibility study on diversity on behalf of BNNVARA for the six big broadcasting associations. The feasibility research assessed if a studio in Rotterdam would bring a cultural shift in the content of the programs and their workforce.

I developed a TEDx style event called BZ Talks and I coached the employees to speak about their experiences. The event allowed employees to meet each other and share positive stories with the aim of inspiring one another.

I directed and organized Hack4Humanity, a 24-hour hackathon co-created by several UN agencies to address the global refugee crisis. During the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, 30 multi-disciplinary teams worked together on unique solutions to address #RefugeesNow.

As part of the Seed Capital regulation, I advise the government on which innovative companies in the technological and creative field need support in obtaining risk capital.
The Seed Capital regulation makes it possible for investors to help start-ups turn their technical and innovative knowledge into applicable products or services. It improves the risk-return ratio for investors and increases the financing options for techno starters and innovative start-ups.

As a member of the Advisory Board, I provide essential social counsel to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).
I contribute to a joint mission of being actively connected with society, while also providing guidance to the IND.
I offer both solicited and unsolicited advice to the leadership team about the work, actions, and impact the IND has on society

COACHING

I coach entrepreneurs and professionals in order to better their public speaking and train them how to maximise their full potential.

I trained journalists, reporters, news anchors and radio show hosts on the importance of the media for democracy in Curaçao.

I ran and organised coaching classes, Coaching 101, for black women in the Netherlands as part of Black Female Achievers programme for the Gemeente Amsterdam. The classes teach black women how to become a professional coach by identifying their natural strengths and providing them a toolkit to help others increase their effectiveness.

SPEAKING

I give talks on tech and entrepreneurship, leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I was invited to the Rabobank talkshow ‘Open Deuren’, to discuss the importance of key figures in life and career, inequality of opportunities, and diversity and inclusion.

I was invited by PWC to give a workshop on strategy and branding as a female leader. I touched upon subjects such as different styles of leadership and real-life examples, which are also mentioned in my book Impact.

On International Women’s Day I was invited by ING and BEING as a public speaker. I spoke about my perspective as a black woman in the workforce, my book Impact and why I wrote it, as well as discussing topics that I’ve mentioned in my book.

I was invited as a public speaker at PayPal. I spoke about gender diversity within organisations and FEM-START.

I was part of a panel at the ICRC Unconference. I spoke about creating impact and social entrepreneurship within organisations.

I was invited as a public speaker, panel member and workshop leader at the Fashion in Moldova project, produced by ZIPhouse in collaboration with the USAID Moldova Competitiveness Project. The event aimed to develop skills and inspire fashion entrepreneurs in the fashion, through interaction with local entrepreneurs and international experts.

I was invited as a public speaker at Nike’s Black Employee Network event. I spoke about how to navigate the corporate world.

I moderated an event about the perception of women in media for the fashion brand Esprit in collaboration with UN Women.

IMPACT

Here are some of the organisations and projects I’ve founded to create social impact.

TEDxAmsterdamWomen is a platform for women to contribute to global change and reshaping our future. This was one of the first events of its kind in the world, and has since positioned women as thought leaders of change and innovation.

FEM-START is the EDtech solution to close the startup ecosystem’s funding gap for female entrepreneurs. FEM-START removes the obstacles for female entrepreneurs and ensures that their available potential flourishes. FEM-START is different from other training programs. In line with our time’s challenges, the focus is on the platform that delivers training that meets the female entrepreneur’s needs in order of intensity. Our mission is to demystify the world of funding for female entrepreneurs.

AWARDS

Here are the awards I’ve received for my work to date.

TEDxAmsterdam
We won this award for our creative campaign, Human Nature with our creative agency WE ARE Pi. The mission was to unite a nation of TEDxAmsterdam fans using one of TED’s key messages; ‘Ideas Worth Doing’. We recreated a human brain with 48 dancers from The Dutch National Ballet, this visual poetry was performed live at TEDxAmsterdam on Nov 23, 2011.

TEDxAmsterdam
We won this award for Ideas United with our creative agency MediaMonks. The mission was to unite a nation of TEDxAmsterdam fans using one of TED’s key messages ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. We created a dynamic, 3D digital brain, which could be seen reacting to social media discussions in real-time.

In 2018 I was awarded a EU Business Angel Award for my work with the TEDxAmsterdam Women StartUp Awards. The award is granted to a woman who has made a positive impact in the Early Stage Investment arena. It’s also awarded to women who are inspiring role models – who have pushed for inclusivity, female empowerment, innovation and diversity.

In 2013, 2017 and 2019 I was awarded the Inspiring Fifty Netherlands Women in Tech award. This award is given to the fifty most inspiring female role models for driving the tech industry in the Netherlands.