NBCC Awards Ceremony
As the speakers clearly established the need to strengthen economic bilateral ties between the UK and the Netherlands, the second part of the evening honoured the top leaders and best practices of the past year. Recognising these achievements is essential to inspire future growth. A big thank you to our dedicated jury members for their hard work in selecting the winners.
NBCC Woman of the Year Award 2026, sponsored by Diageo and Bam
Winner: Saskia Kapinga, Vice President External Relations of Shell
The jury agreed that she exemplifies strong, compassionate leadership, combining commercial credibility with humanity, resilience, and authenticity, including through an immensely difficult personal year. As a senior leader in the energy sector, she is a visible advocate for sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and the advancement of women, while fostering collaboration and responsible business. Her leadership and commitment to people and societal impact make her a respected and inspiring figure beyond her own organization.
As the speakers clearly established the need to strengthen economic bilateral ties between the UK and the Netherlands, the second part of the evening honoured the top leaders and best practices of the past year. Recognising these achievements is essential to inspire future growth. A big thank you to our dedicated jury members for their hard work in selecting the winners.
NBCC Woman of the Year Award 2026, sponsored by Diageo and Bam
Winner: Saskia Kapinga, Vice President External Relations of Shell
The jury agreed that she exemplifies strong, compassionate leadership, combining commercial credibility with humanity, resilience, and authenticity, including through an immensely difficult personal year. As a senior leader in the energy sector, she is a visible advocate for sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and the advancement of women, while fostering collaboration and responsible business. Her leadership and commitment to people and societal impact make her a respected and inspiring figure beyond her own organization.
The NBCC Woman of the Year Award 2026 was presented by Her Royal Highness Princess Annemarie de Bourbon de Parme.
NBCC Tech AI Award 2026, sponsored by META
Winner: RELX
The jury was amazed at RELX as they demonstrates that artificial intelligence delivers its greatest value when applied in environments where accuracy, trust and accountability truly matter. The jury was particularly impressed by the company’s ability to embed AI into critical professional workflows across law, science, healthcare and risk management, while combining proprietary data, domain expertise and responsible AI practices at global scale.
The NBCC Tech AI Award 2026 was presented by Ruud Joosten, CEO of BAM and Geraldine Bouma, Country Director Benelux of Meta
NBCC Sustainability Award 2026, sponsored by Signify
Winner: Van Oord
The jury was unanimous in their opinion that this innovation represents exactly the kind of bold, long-term thinking the energy transition requires. This sector has always been built on innovation and ambition and this company demonstrates what the next stage of that tradition looks like: investing at scale in the infrastructure of the new economy. The jury was particularly impressed by the company’s willingness to make significant, forward-looking capital investments that will help accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy system
Winner: Van Oord
The jury was unanimous in their opinion that this innovation represents exactly the kind of bold, long-term thinking the energy transition requires. This sector has always been built on innovation and ambition and this company demonstrates what the next stage of that tradition looks like: investing at scale in the infrastructure of the new economy. The jury was particularly impressed by the company’s willingness to make significant, forward-looking capital investments that will help accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy system
The NBCC Sustainability Award 2026 was presented by Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony's Chocolonely
NBCC Young Professional Award 2026, sponsored by ING
Winner: Seena Leentjens, Lawyer - Senior Associate of Stibbe
For the jury, she clearly stood out as a candidate delivering beyond her career level, combining strong development, high‑level expertise, and tangible impact within her field. What was particularly valued was not only the level at which she operates, but also how she actively contributes to cross‑border collaboration, with a clear reference to the UK market and a broader international perspective. In a complex and demanding environment, this person demonstrates real commitment, collaboration, and a willingness to support others, making her a very strong choice for this award
The NBCC Young Professional Award 2026 was presented by Neil Musk, President, Knowledge Solutions of BSI
NBCC Stronger Together Award 2026, sponsored by Vialto and Unilever
Winner: TenneT
There is a clear winner for the jury and a particularly strong fit for the Stronger Together Award. Its work shows in a very tangible way how the Netherlands and the United Kingdom can address shared energy challenges through collaboration. Projects such as BritNed and LionLink are not just concepts but real, physical connections that strengthen energy security, support the transition to sustainable energy, and create value on both sides of the North Sea. In today’s geopolitical context, this kind of practical, forward looking cooperation is exactly what the Stronger Together Award is about.
The NBCC Stronger Together Award 2026 was presented by Charles Honée, Partner at A&O Shearman and Robbert de Vreede, General Manager Foods Europe & Head of Country Unilever the Netherlands of Unilever.
NBCC Special Award 2026, sponsored by Dutch Flower Group
Winner: Guido Landheer, Director of Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit
For decades, this person has played a key role in strengthening Dutch–UK relations. First as Director-General for Foreign Economic Relations (BEP) and later as Director-General for Agriculture, he tirelessly supported Dutch companies doing business with the UK. A true bridge-builder, he also expressed his passion for Britain through cricket, including as Chair of the Dutch Cricket Association. His longstanding contribution to Dutch–UK trade and relations makes him a highly deserving recipient of the NBCC Special Award.
Winner: Marjolein Bouwers, Chief Innovation Advisor of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United Kingdom
Since 2019, she has played a leading role in strengthening innovation cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and was instrumental in laying the foundations of the UK–NL Innovation Partnership in December 2025. By securing bilateral funding for quantum technologies, connecting governments, universities and industry, and putting emerging technologies firmly on the bilateral agenda, she has made an exceptional contribution to the future economic relationship between our two countries.
Congratulations once again to all the NBCC Awards 2026 winners and nominees. Your achievements, leadership, and contributions continue to strengthen the British-Dutch business community and inspire others to strive for excellence.
For more information about the dinner, please read the official press release.
Photos from the event can be viewed and downloaded here.
We look forward to celebrating with you again at next year's North Sea Neighbours Dinner!
