I truly love seeing people grow, developing their careers and businesses, not being their circumstances but creating choice, going places they didn’t dare dreaming of, making something truly special of their lives. I am very interested in working with people to develop creative and innovative ways of learning, financing, working and doing business together.
I work especially with small creative businesses and social enterprises (2-9 employees, 50K to £1m turnover) in the UK and the Netherlands that want to grow and are going through a period of change.
I also work with professional and entrepreneurial women who want to create a true balance in their work and family life.
Combining creativity, entrepreneurship and people management was probably always in my genes, with a creative mum who ran a gift shop and a senior business executive as a dad. Having graduated in Graphic Design in Belgium and Arts Management in the Netherlands, I came to London in the mid 1990′s. Ever since then I have worked in business development, training, advice and marketing. I have worked at the Crafts Council, Design Nation/New Designers in Business, product design Studio Levien, Cultural Industries Development Agency (CIDA) in East London, and creative investment and high growth development consultancy Pembridge Partners. In October 2011 I have become the new Director of The Design Trust, a social enterprise that brings together crafts and design experts and marketing opportunities to start, run and grow design and crafts businesses in the UK and overseas.
Akker & co is founded by Patricia van den Akker, who works together with other consultants in finance, communication, digital marketing and executive & leadership coaching to provide a broader specialist service.
I live in North London with my graphic designer husband and two young daughters. In the limited spare time that I have got I enjoy reading management and marketing books, growing my own vegetables in our garden, and having fun in the playground or on our bikes.
I am a member of Social Enterprise London, The Hub Islington for social entrepreneurs, the creative business membership organisation and venue The Hospital Club, and a small but keen investor in creative female entrepreneurs in the developing world through KIVA
You can find my up to date profile and CV on Linked In
