Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
I am often told that my key-strength is that I understand the business. And not just technology. In 30 years of IT leadership, I have seen the costliest failures happen when those two worlds stop talking to each other. I have spent my career closing that gap. Here is the evidence-based approach I use to turn technical complexity into operational reality... REALITY FIRST My philosophy is rooted in a lesson I learned early on in my career: don't just automate—redesign. When rigid processes blocked results, we didn't just add software; we reimagined the flow of work first. That mindset allowed us to deliver strong results and doubled capacity, and it has guided every major transformation I have led since. THE PROOF IN NUMBERS: GLOBAL EFFICIENCY: As CIO for APM Terminals (Maersk Group), I led 120+ professionals across 15 countries. By delivering a global ERP transformation with local operational needs, we delivered a 25% gain in efficiency. COST OPTIMIZATION: Across 80+ international consulting engagements, I achieved cost reductions of 40%, 50%, and 70%. My method isn't just cutting budgets; it is about stripping away the technical debt that hinders performance and creating work that delivers desired outcomes. PORTFOLIO STEWARDSHIP: I managed a 150M Euro technology portfolio. My role was to restore order to a fragmented landscape, ensuring every country’s tech stack actually served the global business strategy. INNOVATION WITH RIGOR: I founded and scaled an AI-driven energy analytics platform, securing 1.5 million Euro in funding by proving that even emerging tech must have a grounded business case. MY PERSPECTIVE: Whether serving as VP of Service Delivery for Gartner or as a Managing Director, I remain a hands-on change manager. I believe seniority should not mean distance from the work—it should mean a deeper responsibility to ensure technology respects the people and processes using it. I hold Master’s degrees in Information Management (University of Amsterdam) and Business Administration (Bradford), supplemented by a career-long focus on Agile leadership and non-executive management. Let's schedule a discovery call and discuss how to bring your operational reality in line with your strategic ambitions. Geert-Jan Dirven [email protected] +316 1533 1095
K2CP has over 10 years of happy clients, zero programme failures, consistent follow on work from clients, with every client invoice paid in full. We have three key components to achieve this: we get it right first time, we provide ongoing delivery assurance, and the experience of our team working within our K2DF delivery framework.
ERA Group is a global consultancy focusing on mastering cost matters; professionals working with companies to identify areas where they can cut costs and reduce expenses. This includes analyzing financial data and identifying areas of overspending, negotiating with suppliers for better prices, and implementing cost-saving measures. The goal of ERA is to help companies save money and increase profitability without negatively impacting operations or the overall business. Getting all relevant questions competently answered in a fast, transparent and unobtrusive way.
TIO Business School is the highest ranked private Business School in the Netherlands. I teach Bachelor and Master students in Technology Essentials, E-Commerce, Business Intelligence, and the basics of Data Analytics, coding and modeling of algorithms for Artificial Intelligence based functions, including Generative AI and presenting with data. And the works of a good IT Function through the BiSL(R)-framework (see here: https://didfoundation.com/bisl-in-3-minutes/).
A leading research firm offering insights and guidance to businesses worldwide. With a focus on technology and market trends, Gartner helps companies make informed decisions and achieve their strategic goals.
Software company specialized in AI for Energy data analytics, using smart meter data showing energy consumption patterns and appliance usage. Greeniant used algorithms to analyze smart meter data and provide detailed information about energy usage, including breakdowns by appliance and time of day. Their technology could identify individual appliances and track their energy consumption, helping users to identify inefficient devices and potential maintenance issues. Greeniant could analyze energy consumption patterns to understand user behavior and provide personalized recommendations for energy savings. While the company may no longer be active, their work contributed to the development of energy data analytics and smart grid technologies.