DEFIANTLY
DIFFERENT
The leadership program
for LGBTI+ top talent
The leadership program
for LGBTI+ top talent
Give your career a boost with the first-and-only leadership program in the Netherlands specifically aimed at LGBTI+ top talent! We will work with queer professionals who are ambitious and want to lead from authenticity, using the full potential of their identity.
Our goal with this program is to connect LGBTI+ people from all kinds of industries and disciplines, and to give them tools to create an inclusive culture at their own employer. We strive to boost the current underrepresentation of queer people in top positions (only 1%). Therefore, Corporate Queer develops the leaders of the future. Let’s add some queerness to the boardroom!
During the three-day masterclass you will discover the motivations of one another, complex workplace situations will be discussed, and together we will look for the ingredients for authentic leadership. Various inspiring leaders who are openly LGBTI+ themselves will provide workshops on converting vulnerability into strength.
“This is the program that I have always dreamed of. A class full of ambitious queer professionals who are taking the second or third step in their career and want to learn what role their sexual orientation or gender identity plays in the choices they make”, says Remco Boxelaar (founder CQ).
With Defiantly Different, we are building a network of alumni who encourage each other to come out and provide each other support on their way to the top.
1. Understand how your sexuality or gender identity influences your career and the life choices you make.
2. Learn more about authentic leadership and how you can create a safe workplace within your own company.
3. Think about your core values and how they overlap with the corporate values of your employer.
4. Discover through role-play what exemplary behavior means in conflict situations.
5. Meet inspiring role models from the field and share your experiences with like-minded people.
6. Become a CQ alumnus and join a valuable network.
This program is created for LGBTI+ top talent working in the corporate world or for the Dutch government, or at similar organizations where the norm may be expanded. We are looking for people with an open mind who have the drive and skills to create sustainable change. You are ambitious, eager to learn and willing to play an active role in making your own workplace more inclusive, but also more broadly in the context in which we live.
We do our best to represent as many letters of the alphabet as possible to maximize your learning curve. This means that we also look at intersections such as queers of color, non-binary people, people with disabilities and of different ages. To create a 'safe space', there are a limited number of places available.
It is preferable to have a minimum of 5 years of work experience so that you have sufficient organizational sensitivity.
You are socially involved, and that impact is also evident from your CV.
You do not avoid confrontation, you dare to ask questions. You like to mirror the people around you and regularly reflect on your own behavior and beliefs.
The program is a three-day masterclass (on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). The first English edition will be launched in July 2026. The dates are planned: Wednesday July 8, Thursday July 9, and Friday July 10.
The program costs €2,500 excl. VAT per participant. This amount includes training materials, lunch and drinks and an excellent selection of memorable guest speakers. Is your employer unable or unwilling to pay the bill? Please contact us for the possibilities.
The early birds receive a 10% discount and participate for €2,250! You must register before April 1st, after which the regular price applies.
Register or more information? Contact us!
Send an email titled 'Defiantly Different' to hello@corporatequeer.com or call/text +31 (0)6 538 565 04 (both WhatsApp and Signal).
Read more below about the topics we will discuss during the three days together. The program outline gives an indication, the order and content may differ slightly in practice.
We get to know each other, we tell our personal stories and delve into each other's and our shared world of experiences. We also determine our learning goals. How did our coming out go in private and at the office?
Sandra van Hoof (she/her) explains the influence growing up in a heteronormative society has had on us as a person and in our career. How did that shape us? What do you take along in terms of behavior, clothing and how you lead? And what prejudices do we have ourselves?
We formulate our core values and look at how (and to what extent) we want to be an activist.
We learn from guest speakers who have reached the top, despite—or perhaps thanks to—their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Amin Michel (he/him) teaches us about intersectionality and leadership: he was born and raised in Curaçao, has 24 years of experience as a Management Consultant in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, has worked in over 30 (!) countries, and is the founder/owner of Inclusion4Diversity. What has he encountered in his own career? Homophobia, racism, or the intersection of the two?
Lisa van Ginneken (she/her) was the very first trans woman in the Second Chamber (Dutch House of Representatives) and she talks about her transition and the parallels with organizational change.
We link our core values to those of the company we work for. How would you describe the culture there? To what extent are you allowed to be different?Remco Boxelaar (he/him) invites D&I professionals from different companies and together we create a strategic step-by-step plan tailored to your own organization. We also practice with complex workplace situations.
We will conclude by visualizing what queerness in the boardroom means in practice. What does the most inclusive office look like?
Q: Why are you allowed to participate at a reduced rate from your own pocket?
A: We want to be accessible to everyone, even if you work for an organization or sector with smaller budgets. Contact us and we will discuss the possibilities.
Q: My annual training budget is insufficient. Can I pay in installments?
A: We can split the invoice into two parts if necessary. You pay 50% upon registration and 50% after completion.
Q: I am already in a management position. Can I participate?
A: Certainly, we believe that it is very valuable to learn from different generations. The people who are currently at the top use different words and language than the twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings who are on their way there.
Q: Will you find that top position for me?
A: No, unfortunately we don’t. But you will expand your network enormously through the people you meet in our program.
contact us
hello@corporatequeer.com
+ 31 (0)6 538 565 04