De Lage Landen, a global provider of asset-based financing programs, was shortlisted for the ‘Business to Employee Award 2011’ with their sponsorship of a yacht in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. De European Sponsorship Association (ESA) chose De Lage Landen as a finalist for the way the ‘De Lage Landen embraces the world’ project is used to connect DLL employees in the 35 countries where De Lage Landen is present. Most significant is the fact that eight De Lage Landen employees are actually participating in the race and act as true internal ambassadors for global connectivity.

Peter Klomp is project manager of the Clipper project. Peter: “The nomination confirms that our company’s decision to invest in our people, despite challenging macro economical times, has been a right one. Because we sincerely believe that a connected and happy workforce is more effective in creating long lasting global partnerships with our customers.” 

De Lage Landen launched the worldwide engagement program for its 5.000 employees in over 35 countries in January this year. Inspired by the Clipper ethos, ‘Raced by People Like You’, De Lage Landen believes that the way the race crew faces challenges as one team, will provide many inspiring examples in everyday practice. To stimulate this further, De Lage Landen will offer a large amount of its employees the opportunity to see the race from up-close in every port. Next to that, the Clipper race metaphor will be used to add value to all existing internal events, trainings and meetings.

Clipper Race

De Lage Landen is the first Dutch competitor in the Clipper Race. This race is the only event of its kind for people from all walks of life regardless of previous sailing experience, offering them a challenge of a lifetime and the opportunity to take on the thrills and spills of ocean racing. Making its debut as a Clipper Race stopover, the port of Den Helder in the Netherlands will welcome the fleet in July 2012 as the penultimate destination of the world’s longest yacht race.

European Sponsorship Association.

The European Sponsorship Association aims to unify, strengthen and advance the business of sponsorship in Europe. With the European Sponsorship Awards the ESA wants to celebrate excellence across all sector of sponsoring (sport, culture, entertainment, media and corporate social responsibility) on a pan-European scale.