Meiny Prins: "Change comes through people; they make the difference"

Contributing to a better world

Last year, Meiny Prins (1962) was awarded the Prix Veuve Clicquot 2009 for Dutch businesswoman of the year. Prins is CEO of Priva BV, a Dutch company that specialises in hardware, software and services for climate and process control. In 2003 she became the second generation of the Prins family to join the Priva Group, succeeding her father as general manager in 2007. Since she has been at the helm of Priva, the company has established a basis for charting a new course from a product-oriented to market-driven organisation. Priva is a family-owned company that attaches the utmost importance to respect for people and the environment. Prins: ‘Just making a big profit at the end of the year is not what matters to me, it doesn’t make me happy. I want to contribute to a better world.’

Interview

What exactly is Priva?

‘Priva is an established leader in climate control in the horticultural and building intelligence sectors, with offices in Holland, Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Mexico. We have expertise in hardware, software and services for climate and process control in greenhouses and public and commercial buildings. We provide integrated systems for energy and water use. This process integration is part of what makes Priva unique; by optimising and integrating multiple processes, we help our clients to achieve better results.’

Where do horticulture and building intelligence converge?

‘Priva used to be two different companies, one in the building sector and one in the horticultural sector. We merged these two companies in a new Priva that focuses on the living and working environment, and on food creation and processing. Real innovations emerge where existing structures and frameworks intersect; that’s how you arrive at innovative and sustainable solutions. The merger facilitated an exchange between the different fields of expertise.’

So both branches enhance each other?

‘In glasshouse horticulture, we’ve come a long way in sustainable innovations; the system of climate, water and energy is completely integrated. There is a strong need for similar innovation in the built environment as well; it needs to be integrated right from the start. As early as the 1990s, we were already working on heat exchange systems and air treatment in the building sector. We are currently implementing these systems in horticulture, leading to very neat innovations.’

How did the change from a product-oriented to a market-driven organisation come about?

‘It was a complete switch, a paradigm shift, thinking how we look at the world and how this company can make a contribution. I started watching trends, taking my employees with me in that next step. Looking at the world in 2040: what happens then? Since 2004, we have been transitioning towards this new vision and the difference we can make as a company. In our own surroundings, but also in reducing CO2, saving energy, getting a higher profit for our customers, focusing on how we deal with our clients as partners. Priva is changing, but our environment is also changing. You need to have your sensors out and feel what is going on internationally.’

Does the fact that you are a family-run company influence the way you work?

‘I am the second generation; my dad co-founded Priva. I think it shows in the way we give people space and opportunities to develop themselves. A family-run business doesn’t just focus on profit, which makes it very special. What drives us is different from the need to satisfy shareholders based on the profits we make at the end of the year. We are shareholders, and making a big profit at the end of the year alone is not what matters to me, it doesn’t make me happy. As a family, you invest more in the growth of the company; you invest in a mission or a vision that you stand by, a personal passion.’

What is that passion?

‘For me, I want to contribute to a better world. At Priva, I can pursue that vision. I can spend time and resources moving towards that goal, which is great. Multinationals drive development and create economic value, but I feel true innovations come from smaller, privately owned businesses such as Priva that are not solely profit-driven.’

How do you feel the Netherlands is doing in terms of innovation?

‘I think there is an enormous power of innovation in the Netherlands, but we have the technological capacity to achieve much more than what we are showing at present. We restrict ourselves with so many complex systems of rules and regulations. I think that if we are capable of breaking out of this cast, if not in our own country then internationally, we have a great future ahead of us. There are so many opportunities, but companies need to work together. Innovation goes across borders: borders of companies, countries, business sectors. In a knowledge-based economy such as the Netherlands, I see innovations as creating market value based on the technology we develop. Inventing the technology is not where it stops; this is where it starts! That aspect is often overlooked.’

Where does Priva fit in this philosophy?

‘We encourage the development of new markets. Priva is world leader in the glass horticultural sector; we cannot grow more in the top segment. We can expand our knowledge to other sectors, open field agriculture for instance. Or take a step down and see if we can help growers that are not yet on the same level as Priva develop to a higher level. We are already taking action by doing demo projects and providing training centres. We started such a centre in Mexico and are starting up something in China in cooperation with the Chinese government. In June we will be opening a Priva campus in Australia.’

Being at the forefront of innovations, are you involved at a governmental level at all?

‘Yes, we are consulting with the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, which I think is great. I think it is good when businesses and government authorities or policymakers find each other and work together to find feasible solutions. We get to give input; the same goes for the Ministry of Agriculture. It takes time, it’s an investment and we are just at the beginning, but I think it is worth it.’

Are Priva’s Dutch roots reflected in the way you do business?

‘Dutch people have a brisk approach to doing business; we are very efficient and our productivity is very high. We solve problems and are very dedicated to our customers, which I think they appreciate. There’s a real sense of commitment here. I think that is something that makes us unique, a Dutch trait.’

What part of your work do you enjoy most?

‘People and innovations. Change comes through people; they make the difference. When you see that and work with it, you can really change something. Setting up innovative projects, where cooperation with other people is necessary, that is what I enjoy most.’

What does the future hold?

‘We are building up a reputation in sustainability in public and commercial buildings. People are starting to see that the biggest CO2 reduction can be achieved in the built environment. Our own company headquarters, the Priva Campus, was completed recently and provides an excellent example, as one of the few carbon-neutral office buildings in the world. My new challenge is water management, most notably in food production. It is an enormous market and I think Priva has a lot of knowledge that we can apply there. It feels good to contribute something to this ever-growing problem. It’s only a small piece, but if we all contribute a small piece I feel we can really make a difference.’

www.priva.nl