Stories of Purpose - The Hague & Partners

Lilian Knippenberg has been Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Municipality of The Hague since July 2025, and it is her job to ensure its citizens are kept safe from digital threats. CISO is a role that didn't really exist a decade ago, but as the threat levels increase, it has become a critical part of the City's IT framework. In this episode, Tom talks to Lilian about the challenges the city faces - and how events like Hack The Hague can help encourage young people to get involved in ethical hacking. Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international City of Peace and Justice. In this episode, Tom is joined by Maarten Roelfs, a Dutch tech entrepreneur who is co-Founder of Office EU.  Many European organizations are currently over-reliant on workspaces and software office suites provided by massive US firms like Microsoft and Google. This means they cannot protect their data sovereignity from tough US legislation such as the CLOUD Act - which compels tech companies to share data from overseas companies in criminal investigations. Maarten and his colleagues developed Office EU to be an alternative productivity platform that is 100% European owned and runs entirely on European infrastructure. It provides all the same tools such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations - but uses open source technology to ensure complete transparency for users.  Visit for Office EU for more information Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international City of Peace and Justice. In this episode, Tom chats to Jonas Brøg - co-Founder of Firestarters Foundation, a new programme to support disadvantaged young people in The Hague. There are currently more than 14,000 kids in city who don't regularly attend school, and Jonas and his team run sessions at Hart Beach in Scheveningen to try and help some of them to 'find their fire'. Jonas is a former session musician who has toured with some of the biggest bands on the planet, but if it wasn't for his own 'firestarter' moment when he was a teenager - it might have all been so different… Find out about Firestarters at https://firestarters-schev.nl/ Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.  

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, Tom visits the Humanity Hub in the city to speak to Naomi Hija. Naomi is the co-Founder of a unique app called EviSafe, which is designed to help victims of domestic violence. Only one in ten victims of domestic or sexual violence reports an incident, largely due to stigma and a fear of not being believed. EviSafe is helping overcome these persistent barriers by documenting abuse in real time, encouraging more victims to come forward in the knowledge they have the evidence to back up their cases. You can download the EviSafe app for free right now from Google Playstore, or by visiting the EviSafe website at Evisafe.com Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.  

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, Tom visits speaks to Max Koffi from the Equal Trade Alliance (ETA). ETA is a non-profit organization based in The Hague which was established to promote equal redistribution of wealth along the value chains of African raw materials and natural resources.  One of its current campaigns is Chocolate Tastes Better - where a team in Ghana is gathering testimonials from cocoa farmers to help show young people in the West how unfair the current system is.  Sign the petition to help get a fair deal for Ghanaian farmers at https://equaltradeglobal.org/  Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, Tom visits the famous Museon-Omniversum Dome, which is in the middle of a successful run of performances by the U2 tribute band U2Two. The show replicates U2's residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, giving fans from the Netherlands the chance to witness the same visual extravaganza at a fraction of the cost. The Dome is the perfect venue for a show like this with its 360 degree screen and immersive theatrical experience. The visuals took more than a year to create, with the Dome team assisted by students from around The Hague. In this interview Tom speaks to Nancy Zomer, Managing Director at Museon-Omniversum, and Alexandra Van Der Zee, Programme Director for the Dome. For more information about future shows, visit: https://www.museon-omniversum.nl/en  Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, Tom is in The Hague to meet Hugues Derème from the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP).  This year marks the centenary of The Hague System - which is an international collaboration to help organizations protect their designs in countries all over the world. From Heineken's famous green bottles to the Swiss Army Knife, The Hague System goes beyond patent and trademark to ensure unique designs are free from imitation. Visit the Benelux Office for International Property at https://www.boip.int/. Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.  

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, we are talking to Pablo Briggs from DMEC. DMEC is based in The Hague and specialises in offshore renewable energy solutions such as wind, wave and offshore solar power. But with mounting political and budget challenges, the pressure is on to drive public awareness around the Blue Economy and keep the momentum going in this vital area of research. Visit the DMEC website. Find out more about DIOMEDEO.  Join young energy professionals at The Hague Energized - quarterly meetings hosted by DMEC and other energy organizations based in the city. Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, we are talking to Aris Molenaar from the European Seaweed Association. Seaweed has an extraordinary number of applications across diverse industries and sectors. From hybrid meat and fish products to packaging, textiles, paint, wood - even crop protection - seaweed has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions, improve our diets, and create new jobs. This year saw Europe's first ever commercial-scale seaweed harvest at North Sea Farm 1 - a purpose-built facility located in a field of wind turbines just off the coast of the Netherlands, near The Hague. The project was coordinated by North Sea Farmers and the European Seaweed Association - and part-funded by Amazon's Right Now climate fund. To find out more, visit the European Seaweed Association website. Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, we are talking to Carine van Bentum from the Seabed Security Experimentation Centre (SeaSEC). SeaSEC was founded in 2023 by the six countries that make up the Northern Naval Capability Cooperation - that is Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands - and is a response to increasing threats to the security of critical undersea infrastructure in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Find out more about SeaSEC at https://seasec.org/  Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, we are talking to Sajad Sepehri and Hani Mojta from The Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH), also known as Iran Academia. Established in 2012, and based in the Netherlands, Iran Academia is an alternative university that aims to encourage critical thinking and provide accessible and uncensored knowledge to young Iranians both inside Iran and around the world.  You can read the full article that supports this episode on the Stories of Purpose website. Find out more about Iran Academia at https://iranacademia.com/?lang=en  Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

On Stories of Purpose, we share the latest news from the international city of peace and justice. In this episode, we are talking to Nara Moripen, one of the co-founders of PAL - a unique app designed to support families caring for loved ones with life limiting illnesses.  Nara shares her own experiences of navigating the challenges of caring for a terminally ill relative, and explains how the Netherlands is at the forefront of a digital revolution in palliative care. You can read the full article that supports this episode on the Stories of Purpose website. If you want to find out more about Pal, you can download the Pal Caregiver Support app from Apple or Google Play - or visit the website at www.Palhelps.com  Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.storiesofpurpose.thehague.com for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice. Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.