Building System Change Through Partnership: A Conversation with Frederique, Grow Asia’s New Regional Lead for Programs
- Grow Asia Communications
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
As Grow Asia continues to strengthen collaboration across Southeast Asia’s food systems, we are pleased to welcome Frederique as our new Regional Lead, Programs. With experience spanning global retail, sustainability strategy and value chain transformation, she brings a systems-level perspective grounded in practical implementation.
Below is an excerpt from our conversation.
Frederique, can you share a brief overview of your professional journey leading up to Grow Asia?
Prior to joining Grow Asia, I worked at Albert Heijn, the largest food retailer in the Netherlands. There, I led social and environmental risk management strategies across global value chains, including soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and seafood. My role focused on translating complex sustainability challenges into practical, scalable action in partnership with suppliers, NGOs and industry initiatives.
I also played a key role in Albert Heijn becoming the world’s first major supermarket chain to achieve B Corp certification, embedding social and environmental performance into the company’s core strategy.
Earlier in my career, I worked briefly in sustainability consulting after completing my Master’s in Global Business & Sustainability at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
What excites you the most about joining Grow Asia?
What excites me most is working closely with the regional and country chapter teams. It’s a unique opportunity to collaborate across cultures while really understanding what is happening on the ground. Not just from reports, but from real people and lived experiences. Even in my first weeks, I’ve already learned a lot: from the complex challenges smallholder farmers face every day to the impact that’s possible when different sectors come together and work toward shared solutions.
What makes Grow Asia an inspiring place to work is how it connects those local realities to a broader, system-level perspective. It’s not just about individual projects, but about strengthening the wider food system through partnerships, shared learning, and collective action!
Can you highlight a particular success from your past roles that you are most proud of?
One achievement I’m especially proud of is working on a pilot to source deforestation- and conversion- free soy from South America to the Netherlands. The project helped to reduce the carbon footprint of animal feed and marked an important milestone on the path toward a 100% deforestation- and conversion- free soy supply chain.
What made this experience stand out was seeing how complex challenges like deforestation can only be addressed through collaboration across the entire value chain – from farmers and traders to manufacturers and retailers. That project strengthened my belief that system-level change is possible when companies are willing to move beyond individual commitments and work collectively towards shared goals. And I’m very happy to see the pilot is now being scaled!
What is a favorite memory that shaped how you see food today?
When I was studying in Italy, I took a food and cooking course. It was the first time I really fell in love with food beyond just eating it – I became fascinated by where ingredients come from, the stories behind dishes and the care that goes into preparing a meal. Being able to share that food with others showed me how powerfully food creates connection. It brings people together across cultures and backgrounds in a very natural way.
That experience shaped how I see food today. It’s something we all depend on, and it is also deeply social and cultural. At the same time, there is still so much to improve in how food is produced, how value is distributed, and how food is consumed. That realization is a big part of why I feel energized to build a career focused on helping solve some of the challenges within our food systems.
With Frederique joining our leadership team, Grow Asia continues its commitment to advancing sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems through partnership-driven solutions across the region.
