Drooghmans International
Strategic Advisor Sustainable Growth, Capital & EU Market NavigationMy work spans more than 25 years across diplomacy, international business development, sustainable finance and sustainable investment, and ecosystem development. That experience shapes how I see change — not as isolated shifts, but as connected movements across markets, capital and regulation that call for sustainable transformation.
Our Philosophy
Vision
Markets are changing faster than most organisations are built to handle. Sustainability requirements and regulation are reshaping competitiveness. Investors and capital providers are increasingly aligning their decisions with sustainability criteria, and technology — especially AI — is changing how value gets created. Customer expectations and supply chains are shifting, and new partnership and ecosystem models are replacing traditional competitive boundaries. The question is no longer whether organisations need to transform, but how they become resilient enough to keep pace.
Mission
I work with leadership teams to structure and prioritise the choices that matter most, combining what they already know with the perspective I bring. I believe long-term value comes from understanding how markets, sustainable finance and investment, regulation and partnerships interact — not from reacting to each change in isolation. My role is to broaden that view and make visible the connections that are often considered separately — and my work results in clearly defined projects and measurable outcomes, not activity or status reports.
Drooghmans International
Who is behind the company
Alice Drooghmans founded Drooghmans International in 2000.
“From international communications and market-launch projects in the 2000s to today’s strategic advisory work in sustainable growth and transformation — continuity and change have shaped my career in equal measure.”
For more than 25 years, I have supported companies, investors and public institutions in strategic decisions in an increasingly complex international environment. My judgement was shaped early — building international business during Russia’s transition to a market economy in the late 1990s, through stakeholder management as part of the century-defining introduction of the Euro, within the European Central Bank’s programme, and through my contribution to the DIN SPEC 90051-1 consortium, ‘Standard Sustainability Assessment of Start-Ups’, at the German DIN Institute. That path through diplomacy, international business development and strategic advisory shapes how I work: connecting business, sustainable finance, political and European market perspectives to identify growth opportunities, understand how they connect, and support sound decisions.
My commitment to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the EU Green Deal as the regulatory framework for sustainable transformation shows up in mandates such as:
- Climate Forest (Germany/Canada) — Strategic preparation for customer and investor conversations for a climate-tech company: assessing the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and voluntary carbon market, positioning within the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF), and validating carbon-credit certification methodologies under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement.
- Cority (Germany/Canada) — Strategic advisor to the executive team on sustainable finance and sustainability regulation, including ESRS, the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule and IFRS S1/S2, as well as on DACH market development and strategic partnerships.
- O3 Shift (Belgium) — Advisory Board member of the SDG real estate fund; advised on aligning portfolio projects with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Subsequently developed a separate market analysis on growth opportunities in Germany for Sustainable Energy Distribution Systems (SEDS), a clean-tech company within the portfolio.
Who We Work With
Companies expanding across Europe
Support with market entry, positioning and the partnerships needed for a successful expansion — whether entering from outside the EU, or moving into new markets within Europe, such as a company expanding from one European country into another.
Scale-ups in transformation-driven industries
Support with sustainable growth, market positioning and capital readiness — consistently viewed through a sustainable finance and impact investing lens, not classic financial modelling.
Investors, family offices and boards
Support in understanding transformation dynamics and long-term value, drawing on sustainable finance and impact investing data to inform investment and board-level decisions.
Consulting & Services
My work is built on trusted strategic relationships rather than one-off projects, and it always starts from sustainable growth and sustainable transformation. Depending on what a leadership team, board or investor needs, this can take the form of:
Strategic Advisory Retainer
Strategic guidance within a clearly defined mandate, aligned to jointly agreed priorities.
Board & Advisory Board Roles
An independent, outside strategic perspective on growth, sustainable transformation and long-term positioning.
European Market Navigation
Structured support for companies entering the market or expanding their presence across Europe.
Ecosystem & Partnership Advisory
Building the strategic partnerships and ecosystems that accelerate growth.
Strategic Positioning & Capital Readiness
Preparing the strategic positioning of a company or project — for customers, partners and capital providers — through a sustainable finance and impact investing lens.
Selective Strategic Projects
Clearly defined, outcome-based projects that emerge from an advisory mandate.
News & Views
Selected commentary on sustainable growth, sustainable transformation and European market dynamics.
KI-Workshop
AI readiness workshop for SME: Understand, apply and benefit from AI. Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing markets and business models. For many SMEs, however, dealing with this megatrend is often associated with uncertainty: Where to start, which tools...
DNK platform for CSRD & VSME reporting
The German Sustainability Code (DNK) has launched a new platform that supports companies in implementing their sustainability reporting efficiently and in a practical manner – in accordance with both the CSRD and the VSME standard. As an official training partner of...
The GoodCapitalist
Sustainable transformation is no longer a topic for the future; it is happening now – and it is hard work. Companies that fail to address it run the risk of falling behind. The good news is that artificial intelligence (AI) provides a powerful tool that can not only...
Contact
If you’re navigating growth, transformation or European market expansion, I’d like to hear from you. Send a short introduction — who you are, and what’s prompting the conversation — and I’ll respond personally.