The event came about from Stefanie’s desire to complement the regular social meet-ups in New York with meaningful content. Stephanie said: "Paul [Bernaert] works at Rabobank, and, at one of our alumni socials, I shared my event idea with him. He was excited about it and told me that employee well-being is an important topic at Rabobank. Their events team regularly organises initiatives related to workplace culture and employee engagement.”
The RSM Alumni Relations team back in Rotterdam was also excited about the collaboration and provided administrative support.
Rabobank hosted the event at their Times Square office and provided Cinco de Mayo-themed food and drinks for the networking reception, offering attendees the opportunity to continue conversations and strengthen professional connections across the alumni network.
Memorable speakers
Dr Hendra Wijaya was one of the event’s two keynote speakers. Drawing on both academic research and real-world experience, Dr Wijaya discussed burnout and disengagement as systemic workplace challenges, and shared practical strategies for strengthening resilience in modern work environments. He offered his SHIT technique – a simple but powerful (and easy to remember!) way to respond when encountering work stress: Stop, Honour, Investigate, Take action.
The event’s other speaker, Rachel E. Patterson, explored the business case for corporate wellness and discussed how workplace structures, organisational culture, and mental fitness influence long-term performance and resilience.
The power of corporate partnership with alumni chapters
With 40 people from a variety of professional backgrounds attending, the event demonstrated the great things that corporate partners and RSM’s alumni chapters can achieve when they work together.
Stephanie explained: "The collaboration felt like a natural fit, as we were able to bring in two expert speakers on mental well-being, burnout, leadership and workplace resilience, while also creating an open, professional community discussion around these themes."
RSM has alumni chapters around the world. Is your organisation interested in a partnership? Please contact alumni@rsm.nl to find ways we can work together.
