Summary
Ronald De Jong is a seasoned executive and academic who leverages nearly three decades at Philips and subsequent leadership roles to drive sustainable, societally focused innovation. As Distinguished Professor of Practice and Chair of Global Sustainable Leadership at Tilburg University, he translates corporate experience into curricula and research that connect theory with real-world impact, exemplified by his award-winning course. Founder and former Chair of the Philips Foundation, he has a proven track record building multi-stakeholder partnerships to reduce healthcare inequality and advance UN SDGs. His executive roles—ranging from CHRO to Chief Market Leader and CEO Emerging Markets Healthcare—combine commercial growth, talent strategy, and large-scale transformation across diverse regions. Known for pragmatic collaboration, he helps bridge business, public sector and NGO efforts to tackle climate, refugee and healthcare challenges. Off-duty irreverence (his GitHub quip “got on this planet by accident”) hints at a curious, humble leader who prioritizes impact over ego.
10 years of coding experience
34 years of employment as a software developer
Designing the customer centric organisation, Designing the customer centric organisation at University of Chicago
Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st century, Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st century at Harvard Kennedy School
Competitive decision making and negotiating, Competitive decision making and negotiating at Harvard Business School
Leadership and change management for breakthrough results, Leadership and change management for breakthrough results at IMD
Master of Science (MSc) Business Administration and Marketing Management, Master of Science (MSc) Business Administration and Marketing Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam
Jackson Institute for Global Affairs Foundations for leadership for the 21st century, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs Foundations for leadership for the 21st century at Yale University
Managing the supply chain for global competitiveness, Managing the supply chain for global competitiveness at Stanford University
German, French, English