CENTER FOR APPLIED
THEORY OF MIND
PERSPECTIVE TAKING, GAINING, SHIFTING & SHAPING
FOUNDER
AS A CHILD growing up in the Netherlands, Anique was fascinated with animal minds and how they were influenced. As a young child she would spend days in the snow trying to train her aunt's headstrong poodle until its paws were covered with little ice cubes. She also studied cats to figure out what it was that made them ambush her ankles from their hiding place underneath the couch.​​
Get to Know the Founder
AS A TEENAGER she worked as a horse trainer breaking and training young horses. Now this could be a very dangerous job, especially when she was dealing with young and unruly stallions fresh from the fields. She realized then that in order to make sure that these beautiful muscular creatures wouldn’t throw her over the fence she needed to learn to judge their character and “read their minds” to stay one step ahead of them at all time. It worked (most of the time).
WHEN SHE REACHED ADULTHOOD her interest in minding minds shifted from the animal kingdom to human nature. She obtained a degree in business administration and became increasingly fascinated with the human mind. For instance, when she was working as a marketing manager she needed to come up with ways to make sure people wanted to do business with the organization.
IN HER THIRTIES she moved out and up, meaning she moved abroad and took on higher level managerial jobs. She went to Africa for a couple of years, and then to India on another long-term assignment. While living abroad, she discovered that she needed to step up her mentalization game. This was necessary not only to be successful in her job, but also to develop a new social life and (again) to stay safe in Kenya when violence broke out during the 2007 presidential election.
AFTER FINISHING HER ASSIGNMENT IN INDIA, she took some time off to go back to university and pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology. Since completing her studies, she has specialized in industrial and organizational psychology, leading to the development of the products and services featured on this website.
Although Anique resides with her partner, two wolf dogs and a cat on a quinta in Central Portugal, she works virtually and in-person wherever on the globe there is a need for her services. Occasional she still rides horses, though after her assignment in Kenya, where she had to visit beneficiaries in remote areas on a dirt bike, nowadays she prefers a steel horse to take her on adventures.
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Anique van der Putten, M.Psych., B.B.A.
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Her past roles have played a key part in shaping her professional pursuits — take a closer look below.
Organizational Development & Human Resource Management
Total duration of OD & HRM experience spans 6 years
Interim General Manager Software development organization Solid Online India, based in Chennai
​Built a management team and organizational structures ∙ Accelerated personnel recruitment ∙ Tracked employees’ work performance, development and professional contributions ∙ Oversaw software development projects to assure quality and timely deployment of deliverables ∙ Launched software sales department for the Indian market ∙ Established greater autonomy and independence from the Dutch headquarters
Organizational Capacity Builder
Not-for-profit international development organization VSO Kenya
Improved Sustainable Livelihood (ISL) for Women in Kenya Outreach: 2,400 beneficiaries
Donor: European Commission
Implemented the ISL project at partner organizations to empower beneficiaries in the areas of enterprise development, business planning, and management ∙ Developed and conducted needs assessments, feasibility studies, coaching and training on organizational management and administration, and retreats for project evaluations ∙ Developed and implemented monitoring and evaluation systems, and micro-finance products (credits, savings, and insurances) in concert with national financial institutions and insurance companies ∙ Strengthened networks and connections between partners and relevant organizations, leading to sustainable partnerships
International Applicant Assessor
Not-for-profit international development organization VSO Netherlands
Evaluated psychological readiness and adaptability for roles in dynamic, multicultural settings ∙ Assessed mental and emotional stability ∙ Evaluated cultural adaptability ∙ Assessed stress and crisis management abilities ∙ Delivered reports on psychological and behavioral suitability for the role ∙ Offered insights into potential success and risk factors based on psychological profiles
Marketing Strategy Development & Value Chain Management
Total duration of MSD & VCM experience spans 3 years
Marketing Manager
Serviced property management department of TanteLouise-Vivensis in the Netherlands
​Conducted market research and developed strategic plans to address client churn and professionalize full-service convenience offerings ∙ Established and managed sales and marketing department ∙ Initiated and executed value chain development programs ∙ Collaborated with other business leaders in the serviced apartment rental industry to discuss market trends, operational strategies, customer preferences ∙ Revised and renegotiated existing rental contracts (300+)
Interim Marketing Manager Cloud software group providing enterprise software, TIBCO, in the Netherlands
Guided public relations efforts in the region ∙ Identified, developed and facilitated marketing activities with TIBCO partners ∙ Managed a quarterly budget of €50,000.
Marketing Analyst
Software development startup Hippisys in the Netherlands
Conducted qualitative and quantitative market research ∙ Developed a strategic marketing plan to promote an equine dentistry software application for veterinarians
Business Process Re-Engineering & Project Management
Total duration of BPR & PM experience spans 5 years
IT Consultant/Project Manager Software development organization Solid Online, in the Netherlands
Analyzed and advised on automating business processes ∙ Ensured software met customer needs ∙ Co-developed software with user interface designers and programmers ∙ Managed project teams during implementation phases ∙ Conducted product demos and provided user training and support
Project Manager India
Software development organization Solid Online India, in Chennai, India
Managed crucial development deadlines ∙ Scheduled software delivery in collaboration with Dutch headquarters and client to ensure readiness for deployment in client’s environment ∙ Facilitated and supported User Acceptance Testing (UAT) ∙ Managed bug fixing and issue resolution by organizing sprint cycles and applying Agile methodologies for rapid fixes ∙ Initiated kickoff for the development of an online ERP application