Dunbar’s number is the hypothesis that human beings can maintain a maximum of about 150 meaningful social relationships at a time. It is a theory that suggests this number is a social limit, and a number linkedin with tribe size from prehistoric human.
Simply put, when numbers exceed 150, communication becomes harder, and interpersonal relationships may no longer bind a group together.
At Amsterdam in early October, we saw an example of a “tribe” of perfect size, thinking in harmony, engaging with each other, and learning from each other. The 1 to 1 connections, back and forth Q&A’s, and connections created will leave lasting memories in the minds of all who attended.
Sander den Hartog opened the event in style. Accompanied by a hard copy of Jimmy Nelson’s “Before They Pass Away”, he spoke to the value of cultivating this costing tribe. In a digitalizing world, the importance of gathering with our group of peers is paramount.
Scott Wise from Armada Solutions spoke from experience, how an organization benefits from going granular. Every dollar is a decision, and Scott highlighted the importance of those cost management decisions that lead to a healthier and more profitable business.
Stephanie and Aswin illustrated Scott’s philosophy, going granular on organizational costs at PGGM, one of the largest pension providers in the Netherlands. They included an insightful walkthrough of how they built their cost models, and allocate costs from layer to layer.
On Day 2, Danone Al-Safi CFO Ahmed Dawoud demonstrated how experience wins out. His talk showcased operational knowledge from a practical career in FMCG. “Get out of the office”, Dawoud urged us, “Get into factory. You won’t believe how many CFO’s are not familiar with the nuts and bolts of their business.”
Johan from our partner Purple Bridge hosted an eagerly anticipated session on the advances of AI in Costing. LLM’s like ChatGPT and Gemini are transforming industries. Johan spoke of the evolving roles of AI, from assistant to advisor to creator. We wait to feel the impact of AI in Costing.
Russell Vannoy outlined how Central Garden & Pet builds cost models at scale to help distribute and deliver goods to 10,000 stores in the United States. Russel double-clicks on culture as a key point: An organization needs costing and profitability alignment across all functions, from top to bottom.
Tanel turned our thoughts towards healthcare. With experience managing a nationwide healthcare budget in Estonia, his insights were sharp and his data was superb. Can you allocate your business costs as accurately as Tanel?
As the event moved to a close, Mahmoud from OnPoint Advisory gave us a history lesson. From Frederick Taylor in the 1800s upto Kaplan, who really helped costing come into its own as a niche in the 1990s. It’s great to see where we came from.
With investment in IT and AI surging, Costing Conference 2025 reminds us that in-person events remain critical. Connecting with like-minded peers in a community, comparing experiences, and talking solutions. Costing Conference 2025 was a real hit, and a great example of connection, networking, and idea sharing done right.
