“I always knew I had it in me to do something new, different, or crazy. My education at Vlerick made that feeling grow – it gave me the confidence to make a huge leap.”
Aged eight, Thomas de Groot was already planning his own recycling company with his best friend.
He knew he was different. “I was always looking to do things my own way or do things that were considered impossible. And I wanted special treatment. Just ask my parents!” he says.
But it’s not enough to be different, or to have good intentions – if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need the confidence and the skills to make it happen. And Thomas gained both at Vlerick.
In 2003, he joined the Vlerick Masters in Financial Management programme.
He says: “During my internship in Shanghai, I was being asked to analyse a lot of financial reports and I wasn’t completely confident in doing that. I wanted to improve.
“I chose Vlerick because it had a great reputation. It’s one of the best business schools out there.”
The selection process was tough – I wasn’t sure I would get through – but they took into account my attitude and approach to life, not just what I had achieved on paper. They looked at the whole package.”
Thomas’ time at Vlerick proved to be life changing. He gained the financial skills he was looking for and also learned lessons about himself too.
“I learned just how hard I can work when I set my mind to something. And that I can make things happen. There’s an entrepreneurial spirit that runs through Vlerick and that ignited something in me.”
During his year on the programme Thomas made friends with a diverse range of classmates. “There were people from all over the world, and from totally different backgrounds,” he says. “It was great to learn from them, but it was also nice to spend some time with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Although we were all very different, we could find something in common, a drive to succeed.”
Thomas is still in touch with his classmates. “We’re a tight, supportive, group, and we meet often. Arguably one of the most important people I met while at Vlerick was my wife, Nathalie! It was a big year for me all round.”
Thomas always believed that business should have a positive impact. Straight after Vlerick, he innovated in healthcare, transforming services and processes to benefit patients.
He says: “It’s something within me. I like to help people and society at large. I find it meaningful, rewarding work.”
So, it was no surprise to him that he ended up founding an environmental organisation.
“I found Vlerick to be ahead of the curve when it came to teaching sustainability,” he says. “Balancing profit with sustainability was an important lesson for me – and keep in mind this was long before it was cool to be green!”
The idea for River Cleanup first came in 2017. Thomas says: “I was challenged to pick up trash for 10 minutes. The moment you start picking up someone else’s rubbish, you start to see it everywhere! I became passionate about cleaning up my local area and I got more and more friends and family to help me tackle the trash in rivers.
“When we started, there were eight billion kilograms of plastic entering our oceans every year via rivers – it’s now 11 billion. And if we don’t do something, we’re on target for 29 billion kilograms by 2040. That’s more plastic in the sea than fish.
“These plastics break down into microplastics and we end up consuming them. On average, we consume a credit card-sized amount of plastic each week. It’s shocking. It’s not good for us, it can give us cancer, disturb our hormones and make us infertile.”
In 2018, while based in Dusseldorf, Thomas took the leap and went from arranging clean-ups with friends to proposing that they create a project to clean up the Rhine – through three different countries. The actual project ended up spanning 60 locations in five countries with more than 10,000 people involved.
This initial success spurred Thomas on to create River Cleanup and to take the mission worldwide.
He says: “I always knew I had it in me to do something new, different or crazy. My education at Vlerick made that feeling grow – it gave me the confidence to make a huge leap.”
River Cleanup is still growing and evolving. In total over 190,000 volunteers have taken action in 85 countries, removing 3m kilograms of river waste. In October 2022, they launched the River Skimmer 2.0, a machine that removes floating waste from water.
Thomas adds: “We have to keep growing. Where we initially focused on the number of kilograms of plastic we removed, our main goal now is to finetune our holistic approach to making rivers plastic-free. Our Ripple Model combines generating awareness, cleaning up, educating communities and transforming organisations. One of our goals is to make 10 rivers plastic-free and to help people in other countries do the same thing for themselves. We develop the method and present ourselves as a hub they can turn to for support.”
Thomas left Vlerick with skills, confidence and a network of friends and peers. He is active in the alumni network and has been on the board of Vlerick Alumni. He says: “You learn a lot about bringing people together, organisation and listening to what people want. Networking is a skill that you can learn here.
“If you’re thinking about studying at Vlerick, just do it. It’s a unique experience that will challenge you and push you to another level. You’ll build strong relationships with people from all over the world, in different industries. It’s a great network that will last a lifetime.”