It’s what you might call a match made in heaven. In Marissa van Dommelen (33), Salacia Solutions has found an employee who combines software knowledge and sales skills to fulfill her personal mission to help companies become more sustainable. The Dutch-born technical sales expert lives in Brussels and commutes between Brussels and Rotterdam once or twice a week. Marissa worked for Dassault Systemès, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) names in 3D software, for 10 years. “I had various roles there,” she explains. “I started as a developer and worked my way up to technical sales manager. Eventually, I was managing a team of technical sales staff and became responsible for sales support in Northern Europe. The focus was on Supply Chain Planning & Optimization.“
”I wanted to do more with sustainability”
In her work, Marissa discovered that companies struggle to act on sustainability because they lack the data and insights related to ESG. “I wanted to do more with sustainability and have a positive impact. It was time for a change. I came into contact with Lenny van Klink via LinkedIn, and we hit it off right away. That’s how I ended up at Salacia Solutions, with a great mission. I grew up with sustainability; my mother was active in various sustainability projects. Sustainability awareness was instilled in me from an early age.“
Through Salacia, Marissa brings her knowledge of optimization, KPIs and scenario planning to customers. She has a great love for IT and data. Marissa: ”I firmly believe that data empowers people to make better decisions. I want to help companies move forward in terms of ESG maturity and incorporate sustainability in business strategies. I am able to connect with different stakeholders within an organization and listen to their needs and concerns. I like to alleviate fears and convince naysayers to give it a try. ” Marissa started on March 15 and describes the start as “learning on the way.” She will first be working alongside Kees Kerstens and Lenny van Klink. “Right into the mud with my boots on,” she says with a laugh.
The pressure is off the CSRD, but it’s greater than ever
“Salacia Solutions was started based on the deep conviction of two visionary men. Well before the CSRD legislation came into force. It was logical that, given the obligations imposed on large companies, attention quickly turned to Salacia’s software solutions. However, that momentum was nipped in the bud when the European Commission introduced an omnibus bill that reduced the pressure to report. This measure was introduced because the business community increased pressure on the EU, under the pretext of maintaining or strengthening competitive positions. But the climate doesn’t care about that. The problem remains, measures are not being taken (85% of companies have given up), and if we’re not careful, everything will stay the same,” says Marissa.
The urgency to create sustainability insights is greater than ever, but the obligation has faded into the background. Marissa sees it as her personal mission to convince stakeholders in companies to implement sustainability measures and ESG tracking & reporting based on ‘want’ rather than ‘must’. “So we are going back to basics with Salacia, as we did when we started. We’re going to look at how we can motivate companies as there is more than enough value for businesses hidden in often unstructured and incomplete ESG data. We’re going to support companies , to recognize the value and demonstrate how to unlock the potential with Salacia’s platform. Even without CSRD obligations, ESG creates wonderful business opportunities for everyone.”
Attractive for workforce
Another good argument that Marissa wants to give companies is that if you lag behind in sustainability, your workforce will age. She explains: “If you stick to the old way of thinking, you will eventually have difficulties to attract and retain talents. People care about the role a company plays in society and if they take sustainability measures.
Marissa hopes to have made a significant contribution to making business more sustainable in five years’ time. “I hope my work will expand internationally,” she concludes. “I think it would be great to serve companies based in Belgium and France as well.”
