Speaker & moderator

Aren van Muijen

Aren van Muijen is an energetic speaker and moderator who puts sustainability and climate change at the heart of his work. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, journalist and writer, he shares his passion for the energy transition and sustainable business. With humor and a sharp perspective, Aren makes complex topics accessible and sparks lively, engaging conversations.

Rate indication: € 1,500 to € 2,499
Available for booking as: Speaker Panelist ConversationLeader Debate leader Interviewer Day chairman
Languages: Dutch

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About Aren van Muijen

“Later, when I grow up, I’ll buy the rainforest in Brazil and put a fence around it…” (Aren van Muijen, age 7). Aren’s interest in nature started at an early age. Seeing a bulldozer making its way through pristine forest is painful to both the eyes and the heart. The environment and climate have been the common thread throughout Aren’s career, and he brings his passion and energy for these topics to debates and storytelling. His first year of study was Tropical Forestry. That says it all.

Sustainable Entrepreneur

But Aren’s journey did not stop there. After completing degrees in Medicine and Journalism, Aren co-founded De Zonnefabriek with a friend. It was 2009, and the company was a pioneer in the industry. Making solar energy mainstream was one of their key driving forces. With projects such as Zon op School (installing solar panels while teaching children about climate change) and HuurdeZon – a leasing option for people who cannot afford to buy solar panels – they served all corners of the market. De Zonnefabriek has now been around for almost 15 years and has established itself as a solid company.

Journalistic Novel

De Zonnefabriek is a success, and solar panels have become mainstream, but for many people sustainability remains a cold calculation. And that bothers Aren. How can you motivate people to take action on climate change from within? With this dilemma in mind, Aren decided to write a book: De Lobbyist. It is an exciting yet informative story about the oil lobby and climate change. All relevant background information and sources are included on an accompanying website.

Accelerating the Energy Transition

Today, Aren supports young sustainable entrepreneurs with their hopefully groundbreaking plans. At the same time, he continues to think about how to accelerate the energy transition. Aren writes articles, provides advice, occasionally appears on television, closely follows politics and has a strong opinion on what the future of agriculture – and livestock farming in particular – should look like.

Aren: “Unfortunately, there is still no fence around the rainforest, but I’m always happy to discuss and think along about other solutions that could achieve the same effect.”

Themes

Sessions

Aren knows how to put interviewees at ease, creating the necessary conditions for a good conversation. Sharp yet fair, substantive yet always light-hearted and infused with humor. Aren is able to make interesting connections between different topics, keeping the conversation lively and dynamic. A great experience for everyone in the audience.

What is the secret to a successful sustainable business? How can I successfully bring my – at first glance, slightly more challenging – message, product or service to the market? Aren speaks enthusiastically and energetically about the do’s and don’ts of sustainable entrepreneurship. His own experiences and anecdotes naturally form an important starting point.

Aren does not shy away from asking critical questions and probing deeper. At the same time, he knows how to create a safe atmosphere in which every participant feels free to speak. This consistently leads to engaging sessions where topics are discussed in an open, substantive and honest way. He is an expert in sustainable entrepreneurship. In addition, he is a generalist who can lead conversations on climate, the energy transition, agriculture, politics and a wide range of other societal topics.