Douwe Miedema

Former financial journalist, editor-in-chief and advisor to senior policy makers. Now helps businesses and institutions craft their stories and deliver them well to convince their audiences. Based in Luxembourg.

Were you troublesome or sweet as a child?

I always thought I was troublesome, but later people told me that wasn’t at all the case. So, I’ll take their outsider’s view on that. By the way – a great example of an interviewer putting words in your mouth!

What drives you?

I get unhappy when I’m not learning new things, and when I fail to achieve excellence. Also: I need to be around people and feel like I am part of a crew.

Is this an ideal profession?

Yes. I am a very curious person, so it’s probably no miracle that I worked in journalism for so long. But finding out things and then explaining them to a wide audience is something I also use as a consultant, when I start working with a new client. Often their field of expertise is complicated, and you have to quickly catch up. In training, I enjoy human interaction, and the fact that I can share the insights and knowledge I’ve gathered during my career in so many countries and settings.

Are you an idealist or an optimist?

I’m a believer in humanity. I think people are made to work together in freedom and achieve good things – for themselves and for society. I suppose you’d call that optimism. But I’m not so sure about idealism. It’s a concept that is often too close to fanaticism to my taste.

What do you add to a team?

Enthusiasm, experience, and a natural ability to connect to people. I have a good sense of humor. And I work in four languages.

Why are you a Friend of Stark?

As the saying goes, you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. I made a very deliberate choice for Stark Narrative because of their professionalism, their drive, and the quality of their work. And because of the incredible joy of working with the people in the team I already knew and the ones I recently got to know.