Get to know our Corporate & Public Affairs Manager
Lara Sibbing is going to add the exclamation mark to Questionmark.
Tell us, what made you want to join Questionmark?
I think one of Questionmark’s strengths is in-depth data research. In the discussion about agriculture and food, emotion often gets the upper hand. This makes sense, because food ís identity and emotion. But an organisation like Questionmark, committed to making the food system better while sticking to the facts, is crucial. And quite unique. Especially since Questionmark focuses on the most important lever in the food chain: the middle. The supermarkets, in other words. That's where most impact can be made!
What are we going to see from you at Questionmark?
Questionmark is doing great work, but I also see that it is not yet cashing in on all the opportunities. This week, for example, I told my neighbour about Questionmark. Her response? ‘Doesn't tell me anything, but 80% of the ads are unhealthy and only 20% are healthy!’ That sums it up well if you ask me. The research is well known, but how it can improve the Netherlands needs to be made clearer. So placing the ‘questionmarks’ is going great, but the work could use more exclamation marks so that it will lead to even more real change in the supermarket aisles. So what Questionmark needs is a bit more of an exclamation mark! I'm going to work on that. Because something really needs to change about the food environment and companies need to take responsibility. I want to be constructive and critical at the same time. We have to work hard together.
What experience do you bring?
My background is Wageningen. Animals, plants, and people. I started with animal husbandry, and switched to sustainable agriculture. Then I focused mainly on the political and governance side of the food system. That's where you can do the most. For me, one question is: what steps should we take to make the system better? But an even more important question that arises from that is: how do you then convince people that we really need to take those steps? That’s the question we often forget to ask ourselves. Even though that is where the most potential lies. After all, determining those steps is not the problem, we largely agree on what needs to happen. The crux is in how to get people in motion. That's a whole different ballgame. Then it is less about content, and much more about form. Words, images, frames, feelings, psychology, leadership, norms, values, habits, that's what it's all about. An example: a lot of farmers would love to produce more cleanly and improve the welfare of their pigs or chickens. But it very much matters with what story and in which tone they are approached. Does a woolly report make them feel like half-criminals, or does someone join them at the kitchen table to talk about how things can be done differently? So yes, the content should be rock solid, but form plays a crucial role that we underestimate entirely. That's what I love about my new role at Questionmark, it's exactly about this combination of content and form.
Where might we know you from?
I was allowed to take part in the European elections last year. That taught me how important it is to have a clear constructive message. And to look closely at the other person's needs. You have to see how your story can align, without throwing your own principles out the window. I got to know that force field there and I want to contribute with this knowledge at Questionmark.
What do you hope to see at Questionmark in a year's time? What does the supermarket of the future look like?
I dream of the carefree supermarket. Where you no longer have to worry about whether you've been unintentionally tempted with guilty pleasures in your basket again, whether children have harvested the cocoa beans in your chocolate, and whether the pig in your schnitzel has had a bad life. But let me start small. Multi-buys. Two bags of crisps for the price of one, when you don't want that second bag at all. And you know, the second bag will be finished as well. If only we could get rid of that. With an industry agreement, legislation or by supermarkets’ own initiatives. I think that would be a great step.
If you are tempted by multi-buys after a long day's work, which multi-buy offer do you go home with?
Secretly, I love sweets. Especially those soft pink piglets. I often try to eat plant-based myself, but I really can't resist those piglets. Luckily, there are no real pigs in them!
By the way, I am really looking forward to forging creative coalitions and working with both floor managers, farmers, CEOs, and artists. So if you're thinking, ‘I'm eager to discuss opportunities over a cup of coffee’, I'd love to hear from you!