“The quality of the applications was exceptional, making it difficult to narrow down the group,” shares Fellowship Director Jan-Willem van Putten. “But dedicating time to this process is crucial for the success of the program — these are the people who will drive the change we hope to see.”

How do you approach a task like that? Our fellowship team, consisting of Barend, Linne, Marit, and Jan-Willem, embarked on a rigorous four-round process over two months, involving multiple interviews and assessments. The aim was to ensure that the 22 fellows who would start on September 1st at De Waterkroon were truly ready for the journey ahead.

“This program is for people that are pretty hardcore,” said co-founder Rutger Bregman in a recent interview with Eva Jinek. “These people have impressive resumes and are steadily climbing the career ladder, but feel a nagging question: ‘Is this all there is? Shouldn’t I be using my talents for something bigger?’ The group we have were all willing to take action and address that question.”

Today, we introduce the remarkable individuals who have taken that leap. Over the next six months, they will embark on a career dedicated to addressing two of the world’s most urgent global challenges: accelerating the protein transition and tackling the tobacco industry.

Meet the first fellows of The School for Moral Ambition (and the partner organizations where they will start in October).
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Food Transition Fellowship

• Alexander Kok Euroconsumers‍
• Camille Sharara Cellular Agriculture Europe‍
• Gauri van Gulik Seas at Risk‍
• Hannes Geldof Good Food Institute Europe‍
• Johanneke Tummers PAN International‍
• Katrien Martens Madre Brava‍
• Marin Vandamme #SustainableFoundations‍
• Matthijs Germs BirdLife Europe & Central Asia‍
• Michele Galli European Policy Centre‍
• Olivia Hicks Mighty Earth
• ‍Tijn van Vugt IEEP
• ‍Yasmina Lembachar Agora Agriculture

Tobacco Control Fellowship

• Alex Nedeltchev ENSP
• ‍Amina Ahmad Global Alliance for Tobacco Control
• ‍Annika Günther Global Alliance for Tobacco Control‍
• Eline Goethals Institute for Global Tobacco Control
• ‍Erin Roman Smoke Free Partnership
• ‍Carra Santos World Health Organisation
• ‍Gertjan Verkerk The School for Moral Ambition
• ‍Joachim Verheyen Vital Strategies
• ‍Steven Baylis European Respiratory Society
• ‍Vaibhav Jain Tobacconomics

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Not just lifelong idealists

The fellowships offer a unique opportunity for those questioning the societal value of their work to transition into roles with greater impact. That meant the team intentionally also selected individuals who hadn’t been idealists all their careers.

“There are a lot of talented people stuck in prestigious jobs that are challenging but don’t contribute much to the world,” explains Jan-Willem. “We offer them the chance to work alongside motivated, ambitious individuals on urgent problems where they can make a real difference.”

‍Eline Goethals, an advertising professional, perfectly embodied this dilemma. “Who truly benefits from my work?” she wondered. “In essence I was helping companies sell more – more fast fashion, more fastfood, more alcohol, and on one occasion even more tobacco. Sometimes I would work for reputable brands with ethical goals, but other times I was just promoting products for corporations that prioritized shareholder profit over all else.”

Now, Eline will be applying her skills at the Institute for Global Tobacco Control, fighting an industry that uses advertising professionals such as herself to fuel addiction and increase profits.

“I’ve joined a great team of fellows, addressing a well-researched global problem where we can make a meaningful impact,” says Eline. “There’s salary, training, other benefits – a perfect cushion for jumping out of the golden cage of advertising.”
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Bringing experience to the cause

The fellowships are not aimed at early-career individuals, but rather at experienced professionals ready to contribute to the protein transition and the fight against the tobacco industry. As Rutger noted, these are individuals with impressive résumés, capable of immediately making a difference within the organizations they join.

“We focus on experienced professionals because they already bring valuable skills and knowledge,” explains Jan-Willem. “This way we’re creating a program where the fellows, our partner organizations, and the world benefit right from the start.”

Take Gauri van Gulik, for instance, who has over two decades of experience in human rights and previously served as Director of Amnesty International Europe. Gauri is an example of someone already on the path of moral ambition, who saw the fellowships as an opportunity to further amplify her impact.

“How we treat each other as humans, how we treat our planet and how we treat other animals are all closely and deeply connected”, Gauri writes. “Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised by this – I have been exploring for years on how to connect these dots.”

Impact first

This is the common drive the group shares: they are prepared to make impact the central focus of their career decisions.

“That’s ultimately why we’re all here,” says Olivia Hicks, an Australian solicitor with extensive experience in the public sector. “Can we actually achieve something? Can we get results? As cricket players back home say: ‘Can we get some runs on the board?’”

For the fellows, this means consciously choosing impact, even when it requires personal sacrifices.

‍Johanneke Tummers, a former consultant, recently appeared on Eva Jinek’s talkshow with Rutger, and shared how she gave up about half her salary to join the fellowships. Despite this, she has no regrets: “What I earn now is a modal income, so an amount a lot of people make do with. That’s enough for me to pay my bills.”

More importantly, Johanneke values that her work now positively affects the world: “I have a daughter, just a year and a half old. It feels good to know that I’m contributing to her future in a meaningful way.”
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On to Brussels

This month, the fellows are fully focused on learning. After an intensive week of workshops at De Waterkroon, they are now engaged in two weeks of self-study. At the end of September, they will travel to Brussels to immerse themselves in the dynamics of European politics.

“It’s a fascinating strategic puzzle to make policy in Europe,” says Jan-Willem. “Once you understand how it works, the potential for impact is huge, which is incredibly motivating. We want to help the fellows experience this and navigate that world.”

In October, the fellows will start at one of our various partner organizations. For six months, they will gain valuable experience and apply their talents to make the world a better place.

Curious to see how their adventure unfolds? We will continue to follow their journey and share their successes. Now, it's time to make a real difference in the world. Or, as the Australians say: it’s time to get some runs on the board.

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