Trijntje Huisman
Senior Associate for Leadership in Sustainability, Public Engagement and Policy, Media Innovation Studio, University of Lancashire
Trijntje Huisman has over 30 years of experience in sustainability, communications, external engagement and issues management. She currently supports businesses and organisations in strategically embedding sustainability within their operations.
She was previously part of the IKEA Foundation’s Leadership Team as Chief Communications Officer, where she transformed the Foundation’s communications function to better amplify the work of its partners. Her work supported the Foundation’s mission to create a better everyday life for many people by tackling climate change and improving livelihoods in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Before joining the IKEA Foundation, Trijntje held several senior leadership roles at Unilever. She served as Director of the EU Affairs Office in Brussels, then as Vice President of Global Issues, Crisis Management and Media Relations in London, and later as Vice President of Sustainable Business and Communications within Unilever’s European Leadership Team in Rotterdam.
She has also held leadership roles in a number of professional organisations. As a consultant, she has provided external engagement and business sustainability services to companies including Coca-Cola and Rio Tinto.
Trijntje studied History and Management of International Organisations and later specialised in Sustainable Business at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, as well as Social Finance at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She was also a trainee with the US Congress and The European Institute in Washington, DC. She has contributed to a range of publications and articles on issues, crisis and stakeholder management.
In addition, Trijntje has been a lecturer at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication in Rotterdam for the past six years. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Advisory Board of First Move Productions, an organisation that promotes ethical, sustainable and positive change by sharing original stories and insights from individuals.
