Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Peter van Burgel is CEO of AMS-IX, one of the largest Internet exchange points in the world and Digital Gateway to Europe. Under his leadership, AMS-IX has successfully navigated through the challenges of the changing interconnectivity landscape and is preparing his team for the Internet growth of tomorrow. Van Burgel is a thought leader in the field of the Internet and Internet technology. He is the driving force behind the AMS-IX vision of 'creating a better society through a better Internet' and a vocal proponent for initiatives to make the Internet safer and more sustainable. Additionally, he advocates for preserving the neutrality and independence of the Internet. Van Burgel possesses significant IT expertise, particularly in cybersecurity, digital security, and digital resilience. Furthermore, he has a passion for digital transformation and has successfully guided various major organizations through the transformation process, including the global IT distributor Westcon. At AMS-IX, he is also a successful change manager, establishing a new and agile organization. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ►Leading AMS-IX through the challenges of a rapidly changing Internet with innovation, optimization and growth. ►Led digital transformation and SAP implementation spanning 24 countries that future-proofed Westcon-Comstor with a scalable operational model that eclipsed EBIT goals and enhanced customer service. ►Expanded KPN’s IT services into outsourcing, enabling the company to soar during a market downturn while adding greater value to cost-conscious customers. ►Built a customer-focused IT solutions company from the ground up, steering it to profitability in just one year and acquiring 170 enterprise customers. My experience has afforded me vast international exposure, having led transformation initiatives in North America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. I speak fluent Dutch, English, and German. I hold a B.Sc. in Computer Architecture and a BA in Marketing from The Hague University of Applied Sciences. I am an invited member of the President’s Institute. CORE STRENGTHS Global & IT Business Transformation Change Management Profit Maximization Business Development Customer-Focused Approaches P&L Authority Strategic Influence & Executive Buy-In Project Governance SAP Implementations Strategic Alliances
In this UK-based role, I inherited a stalled and unsupported EMEA digital transformation programme involving an organizational overhaul and complex SAP implementation spanning 24 countries. As a strong connector between technology and business, I was ideally suited to gain leadership buy-in for change to carry the project through. I led the project to completion, securing a stronger future for the company due to its scalability, its leaner nature, and its greater customer orientation. ☆ CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ☆ ►Launched global outsourced shared service centre in record timing, which significantly improved bottom-line performance ►Delivered full SAP suite implementation and comprehensive user training to maximize ROI on investment. Launched E-commerce platform and CRM tool across EMEA with a positive impact on customer self-service and proactive selling, as well as an altogether more agile structure. Quantifiable improvements include: - systematic quoting up 90% - quote accuracy up 50% - order entry time down 20% - online transactions up 15% ►Set the derailed project in motion by building trust with key stakeholders and fostering transparency and collaboration. Transferred ownership of the project’s success by redefining governance structure and redirecting P&L responsibility ►Protected ongoing operations by devising a full communications plan with both customers and suppliers, solidifying their trust in company’s stability during times of change ►Automated VAT calculations, which led to lower A/R collection periods and reduced invoice disputes, thus higher customer service levels ☆ EXPERTISE LEVERAGED & STRENGTHENED ☆ Change Management |Global Centralization|Business & IT Transformation |Strategic Buy-In |Governance Structure |Risk Management |Customer-Oriented Solutions |Outsourcing |Shared Services Launch |Team Leadership |Strategic Influence |Cross-Functional Collaboration |SAP Implementation |EBIT improvement |8-Digit P&L |Business Process Improvement
In this leadership capacity, my mandate was to grow the security business in EMEA while leading a transformation initiative to streamline sales and marketing divisions across 14 countries to create a collaborative, one-team culture. In my role as Chair of the Portfolio Board, I helped to balance and optimize the product mix. As a leader, I grew in my ability to prioritize between new and existing business to maximize performance and strengthened my ability to align the priorities of internal and external stakeholders. ☆ CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ☆ ►Built a European Product Management team that supported local sales and marketing functions across the continent. With a single go-to-market approach, fine-tuned the sales and marketing approach to local requirements. ►Launched Palo Alto—a hot new security vendor—across 14 countries, while protecting our account with its #1 competitor Checkpoint. Secured 300+ new partners , yielding 15% top-line growth. ►Created a profitable alliance with vendor Juniper that helped us to diversify the business, reaching 10% growth for Juniper in Europe, achieving 100% of new partner targets. ☆ EXPERTISE LEVERAGED & STRENGTHENED ☆ Global Integration │ Strategic Partnerships │ Portfolio Strategy │ Business Development │ Go-to-Market Strategies │ Revenue Growth │ Cross-Unit Collaboration │ Culture Change │ Stakeholder Management │ Performance Maximization
Based in Tarrytown, NY, I took the helm of a high-visibility project to upgrade an insufficient legacy system—while protecting business continuity. The effort would harmonize operations, e-commerce, and data management across Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and Singapore. Ultimately, it delivered 15% efficiency gains and unlocked the gateway to global expansion opportunities. This role afforded me solid North American and APAC exposure and strengthened my ability to manage international resources under pressure, navigate ambiguity, and anchor a mid-flight program–successfully managing the leadership transition. ☆ CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ☆ ►Turned an IT-driven, digital transformation project into a business-driven one by revamping project governance and securing leadership support for change. Created a SAP Centre of Excellence (COE), setting forth a new operational model and drove global integration to the process framework within just two months. ►Deployed a full SAP suite across North America and APAC which gave greater P&L visibility through standardized data. ►Launched a new E-commerce platform and ERP system to encourage customer self-service and establish a new sales channel. ☆ EXPERTISE LEVERAGED & STRENGTHENED ☆ Executive Buy-In │ Organizational Development │ SAP Implementation │ Digital Innovation │ Business Development │ IT Transformation │ Business Continuity │ Operational Streamlining │ Global Integration │ Business Expansion │ E-Commerce Platforms │ Data Management │ Operational Efficiency │ Project Governance │ Change Management │ ERP Systems
My legacy in this role was to help the company soar during a market downfall while adding value to customers facing financial difficulties. My approach was to expand IT services into outsourcing which led to 10% revenue growth with stable profits and a diversified, crisis-proof revenue stream. I learned to be innovative in the face of crises and to negotiate with large enterprise customers. ☆ CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ☆ ►In response to pressure to reduce prices, offered services that helped customers to lower their internal costs while growing our own revenues and share of wallet. ►Sealed the deal on a $1B contract with a high-profile bank that supported the company’s mission-critical goal of building high-speed infrastructure in an economically viable way. The project involved migrating 1300 Dutch bank branches onto the new fibre infrastructure while protecting business operations. ►Launched a white label mobile operator service for a prominent Dutch bank, bringing 25K bank employees and 100K customers as new users. ►Increased customer satisfaction from 6 to 8 in ranking by creating a new IT support model and by improving escalation procedures to better handle incidents. ►Led a necessary rightsizing of the organization to slash costs. ☆ EXPERTISE LEVERAGED & STRENGTHENED ☆ Revenue Growth │ Crisis Management │ Strategic Partnerships │ Business Development │ Customer Service │ Reorganizations │ Diversification │ Customer-Oriented Solutions │ Negotiation │ Outsourcing