Celebrating 15 years of Prowareness!

"Unleashing potential" is the core mission of Prowareness. “It’s the thread that ties everything we do together,” says Derk Zegers. “Our clear goal is to increase both the success and happiness of individuals and organizations.”

This mission was first established in 2008 by founder Vikram Kapoor. Rini van Solingen also joined from day one as CTO and thought leader. Not long after, Zegers began his journey at Prowareness, starting as a trainee in the spring of 2010.

At that time, he never imagined he would still be with the company fifteen years later, and already approaching his ninth year as CEO. “Not for a second,” he laughs. “It’s amazing to see how I’ve been able to grow with the company. Even more remarkable is the impressive transformation Prowareness has undergone in these 15 years.”

Making the Netherlands Agile

Prowareness started as a specialist in agile working. “We were founded to help the Netherlands work faster and more effectively through the power of agile,” says Zegers.

“Agile is now well-established, but back then it was still quite new here,” he explains. “We are truly considered one of the founding fathers of agile in the Netherlands—not just as a development method, but as a smarter way of working for organizations as a whole.”

Over the years, Prowareness has gradually expanded its services. “Today, we help clients thrive in a constantly changing environment by providing expertise in agile working, AI, product management, and lean. Alongside consultancy, we offer coaching, training, and traineeships.”

While our range of services has grown significantly, the core idea remains the same. “Our goal is to make organizations agile, always starting with the unique needs of our clients.”

Since then, the team has successfully guided over 350 transformations, coached 2,500 teams, and trained 60,000 individuals. “We have proven ourselves as a trusted and innovative partner,” Zegers says. “It’s no coincidence that we’ve held Diamond-status in agile consultancy for three consecutive years and have been named Educator of the Year by Springest.”

Culture Consultancy

When helping organizations, Prowareness focuses on both process and culture. “In today’s digital world, the conversation often shifts to advanced technology, but that’s something you can easily purchase,” says Zegers. “The true challenge lies in building a culture and processes that enable an organization to continuously adapt to rapid change.”

This philosophy applies not only to the clients Prowareness serves but also to the agency itself. “For us, it’s all about people and culture,” Zegers adds. “This focus is what truly sets us apart. Clients choose us not only for our expertise but, more importantly, for our pragmatic approach and unique way of collaborating.”

“Our culture is our unique selling point,” he emphasizes. “It’s evident every day in how we collaborate with clients and colleagues, as well as at major events like Scrum Day Europe and Transformational Leadership Europe, where knowledge sharing and connection are at the heart of everything we do.”

The Driving Force

A key pillar of Prowareness's culture is entrepreneurship. Zegers views it as the driving force behind the agency’s growth over the past 15 years.

“Our entrepreneurial mindset has driven successful initiatives, including spin-offs like Devon, which specializes in technical consulting, and the recently launched Xeleron, born from our colleagues' passion and innovation,” he explains.

True entrepreneurship, however, isn't just at the top; it's embedded throughout the organization. “We actively foster this mindset. When colleagues come up with an idea that shows potential, Prowareness provides the support needed to turn that idea into an independent business that reflects our core values.”

A New Era

Looking ahead, Zegers is confident about the next 15 years. “In short, we will stay on the same path: we aim to keep growing, innovating, and investing in our people.”

However, continuing on the same path doesn’t mean standing still. “For us, it’s about continuous development, just as we’ve done since day one.”

And the ambitions are anything but modest. “We aim to become the leading process and culture consultancy in the Netherlands. By focusing on next-level implementation, training, and management consultancy, we are ushering in a new era in our field.”