Rebels don’t just have a ‘job’, we work on creating a better world. We determine success ourselves: happy clients are not our goal. We trust in our own moral compass and determine ourselves when something is good enough. This purpose has implications for our interactions:
Rebels work on creating positive impact directly in the world, as well as within Rebel itself. We achieve this when Rebel functions as a catalyst for the entrepreneurial development of individuals and the collective.
To achieve this we embrace the following values.
Rebels reach decisions be seeking engagement with those having passionate differences of opinion (the passionate minority). We do not make decisions on the basis of hierarchy (power) or through voting majorities (democracy). Only when passionate minorities are comfortable with the outcome do we confirm the direction. Embracing this value has implications for our interactions:
We apply this value also in the external world, taking into account the differences in contexts and practices that exist. By paying attention to these differences we increase our ability to have impact.
Our activities create both financial and non-financial value. The value we create is shared pro rata by the people who create that value. Embracing this value has implications for our interactions:
Rebels must themselves determine how they will have impact. The structure of Rebel is supportive of this goal: it allows people to excel, rather than to manage them. Embracing this value has implications for our interactions:
We recognize that as a collective we can have more impact than the sum of individuals; we all bring our own competences (knowledge and professional style) and function together as a swarm of swallows. Embracing this value has implications for our interactions:
The Rebel adventure began in 2002 with ten chairs around a large round table. Sitting around that table, we decided to continue our careers in consultancy by starting our own company – we were the first Rebels. It was to be a company without a hierarchy, without bosses, without limits. A place where everyone could realize their full potential. We bring everything we have inside to the table. Intrinsic motivation, the urge to bring change, expertise and one constant focus: to make a real impact with our projects around the world. Here you can get to know the Rebel team, and the skills that every Rebel has to offer. They include strategic advice, policy analysis, partnership consulting, financial advice and the management of investments.
The drive and determination of that first step in 2002 informs how we work with and on behalf of our partners to this day. Trust is everything. In everything we do – and we do a lot! – our objective is to have a positive impact on the world. At the interface between the public and the private, because combining social values with a keen business sense is close to the heart of all Rebels. That might seem like an ambitious goal, perhaps, but we have always relished a challenge. We invite everyone to join in, to become part of the change. Let’s think beyond existing structures. As governments, as companies and as individuals.
In this book, Rebel and MENDO explore the concept of professional rebellion. Former and future Rebels deconstruct the concept of the office as a symbol for the conventional, the uninspiring, the predictable and predetermined. The office might not seem like the most exciting place to bring about change and make a difference, but you can trust Rebel to show you why that makes it all the more important.
We’re not big on formality. Instead, we let our skills speak for themselves, and we’ll tell you if we don’t have all the answers. We keep our finger on the pulse in terms of the best solutions available, so that we’re always sure to find that Rebel road to success. Does this make your heart beat faster?
If you become a Rebel, you’ll be given the freedom to do what you think matters in the world.
Around the world, Rebels work on the issues that will affect our future, from sustainability, transportation, and urban development to healthcare and the social sector. We currently have more than 250 Rebels working on exciting projects out of our offices in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Washington DC, Toronto, Johannesburg, Düsseldorf, London, and Nairobi.
Using our financial-economic and strategic consulting expertise, we support clients in both the public and private sectors. In doing so, we never lose sight of our main goal: to make a positive impact on the world.
We also believe in the value of small-scale initiatives and entrepreneurship. That’s why Rebel is made up of lots of small companies, working together under one banner. And that’s why our Rebels aren’t just employees, but shareholders as well. We not only advise on innovative initiatives – we invest in them.
Rebels give honest advice, even when it isn’t what the world wants to hear. But because we believe in giving the best advice, we’ll give it to you anyway. Advice based on verifiable evidence, always developed through strong collaboration with our partners.
Advice alone is never enough; it’s only the first step. To realise true impact, our commitment carries through the roll-out and realisation phases of our projects.
Rebel also works as a developer and investor on challenging projects. We do this exclusively within projects or organizations where Rebels can add value as a developer/investor. We operate in various sectors, such as renewable energy, social infrastructure, housing, and mobility.
We are still the same boys and girls who sat around that table. But the table has grown steadily larger, and we’ve had to pull up quite a few extra chairs. In Rotterdam, and in other world cities. Growth is not our goal. But we certainly have grown. We go where we are most needed, where we can achieve the most change. From Rotterdam, Antwerp, Düsseldorf, London, and Washington D.C. to Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Toronto. You can follow our journey on the map below.
