Work in Progress with Marieke Neleman
Three quick questions on building better futures through work, change and hope. Kicking us off this week, Marieke Neleman of Mari's Mosaïque, Fractional Head of Social, formerly at Zalando, H&M and based in Berlin, shares what’s currently a work in progress.
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been working on distributing my Cultural Signals report which I released at the end of 2025 with 5 key signals I spotted: Curation & Intimate experiences, Artisanship & Craftsmanship, Decolonisation & Cultural Reclamation, A celebration of Heritage and Hyperlocal as Premium and it gave me the opportunity to write about Bad Bunny, Karol G, Farm Rio and some of my favourite artisanal brands and platforms like Sac de Soul, Flabelus and Cult Mia.
Apart from signals I spotted, it’s also a bit of an overview of what excites me in music, fashion and design and a manifestation of the changes I would like to see in the world.
If you could change one thing about the world of work right now, what would it be, and why?
Uff, that’s a tough question!
I have so many things I would love to change. My first thought went out to ending the multiple wars going on in the world and taking Trump out of office. But I gave it a bit of a longer thought and what I would love to see the world changing to is people being able see other perspectives than their own. I really think we would have less problems in the world if we accept that multiple perspectives on one thing can exist and even be true at the same time. And I think if people could love with compassion and empathy, or as a bare minimum respect others the world could be a nicer place.
What’s giving you hope right now?
Overall the creativity of people, and all the ways that it's showing up. From protecting artisanal craftsmanship in fashion to people using music as a form of celebrating their culture and showing resistance (can't wait for Bad Bunny's Super bowl performance).
Creativity is one of the most beautiful things humans have and it gives me hope how people use it to express themselves.
The best ideas rarely arrive fully formed.
The good stuff happens somewhere in the messy middle, where ideas are still taking shape and optimism is a choice we make daily. If you’re navigating change and want a thinking partner along the way, explore how we work.