Rochdale

Imagine becoming the head of a company that once stood as a symbol for all that is wrong with Dutch company boards; a regional business embroiled in a national scandal. It definitely does not sound like an easy job. Nevertheless, Hester van Buren took on the challenge and became one of the three directors of the social housing corporation Rochdale. It was founded in 1903 to build good and sturdy houses for people with low incomes in the Amsterdam region, but a scandal ruined the company’s reputation for good – at least for a while. Today Rochdale has a new face, a new director who believes that trust is everything.