Air France-KLM · De Haagse Hogeschool / The Hague University of Applied Sciences
Richard is a results-driven international leader with 27+ years of experience in telecom and technical operations, specialising in network engineering, network delivery, network maintenance, and large-scale transformation. He has led multinational teams across Europe and delivered complex programmes that strengthened operational performance, accelerated digitalisation, and improved customer satisfaction. At Nokia, Richard was responsible for establishing and leading the North Europe Field Force organisation. He built the team from the ground up, optimised operational structures, and introduced efficiency and cost-saving initiatives that elevated delivery quality and reduced operational spend. By empowering local Field Managers, he created a scalable, high-performing organisation capable of executing deployments, maintenance, and transformation projects consistently and safely. With a people-focused and visionary leadership style, Richard brings clarity, energy, and direction to teams. He aligns strategy, execution, and stakeholder expectations, enabling organisations to deliver on time, within budget, and beyond quality targets. As Transformation Program Manager, he drove 5% year on year costs reduction in 2020 and again in 2021 by transforming the way of working. He led 23 European transformation programmes for the top 23 European Mobile Operators - Customer Project Organizations. Richard thrives in dynamic environments where change, collaboration, and innovation come together. He builds strong, motivated teams, challenges the status quo, and drives organisations toward sustainable operational excellence. Strengths: • Building and scaling operational deployment organisations. • Creating alignment between commercial, operational, and technical teams. • Motivating and inspiring teams through clear communication and shared goals. • Driving transformation, automation, and continuous improvement at scale. • Establishing a culture of trust, accountability, and high performance. • Ensuring stakeholders and customers are continuously aligned through transparent updates, clear communication, and proactive management of expectations.
• Member of Management Team leading the entire Operations team (Design, Plan, Build, Maintain and Purchase). • Managed multidisciplinary teams including Project Managers, Network Architects, Network & Customer Services Engineers, and Supporting roles. • Partner Contract Management: Dark Fiber partners like British Telecom, Prorail, TenneT and many more in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. • Asset Management: Fiber optic cables and related materials, optical Integrated Line Amplifier sites. • Improved overall team effort by setting clear goals and strategy for the teams and individuals. • Implemented improved workflows, agreements and procedures. • Contract Management of both supplier and customer. Relined delivers Dark Fiber connectivity to professional service suppliers like data centers, system integrators, hosting companies, and as well to hospitals, educational institutions, communities, etc. With the continuously growing glass fiber assets in combination with the glass fiber partners Relined provides dark fiber connectivity in Northwest Europe.
• Automation and digitalization program in Mobile Networks Europe: 16 initiatives including workflow tool, mobile application, 3d video data capture, remote commissioning. • Top 23 customer delivery projects including Telefonica, BT, Turk Telekom, TTN, ICE, A1, Veon. • Managed multi-departmental indirect teams including Project Director, Project Manager, subject matter experts, Procurement, Finance Controllers, back-office reporting, global strategy. • Drove 5% year on year costs reduction in 2020 and again in 2021 by transforming the way of working. • Managed digitalization level to reach 97% utilization over top 23 customer delivery projects.
• Led Service Delivery teams across North Europe (UK&I, Nordics & Baltics, Benelux and Poland), ensuring consistent, high-quality execution of field operations. • Accountable for maintenance, installation & commissioning, migrations, pre-sales support, quality management, and Health & Safety (QH&S). • Drove an organisation-wide efficiency transformation: streamlined the structure from 100+ FTE to 35 FTE by outsourcing field engineering, retaining core project management roles, and transferring administrative tasks to back-office teams. • Held full end-to-end responsibility for operational delivery, financial performance, people leadership, QH&S compliance, and service results. • Established a centralised hub of skilled resources to accelerate international project start-up, standardise ways of working, and improve deployment velocity. • Collaborated closely with Procurement, Customer Delivery leadership, Finance, HR, country management, back offices, and works councils to secure operational alignment and delivery excellence. • Achieved a 98% utilisation rate by implementing clear capacity planning, transparent time-booking guidelines, and strong performance follow-up.
• Led deployment teams in the Netherlands and Belgium, overseeing new build projects, migrations, maintenance activities, and managed services delivery. • Supported multiple business groups (IP & Optics, Fixed Networks, Mobile Networks, Managed Services) and ensured seamless coordination across domains. • Held full end-to-end responsibility for operational performance, financial management, people leadership, quality assurance, and Health & Safety compliance.
• Held end-to-end responsibility for the migration of 7,000 network elements across 2,000 end-customers for KPN, ensuring seamless transition with minimal service impact. • Designed and established the complete migration framework, including communication flows, technical procedures, progress reporting, and post-migration care. • Built and coordinated multidisciplinary teams from KPN, Alcatel-Lucent, and subcontractors, creating an aligned and efficient delivery structure that enabled consistent execution at scale.
• Led a field organisation of 35 engineers and four team leaders, ensuring high-quality delivery of service and support across Belgium. • Oversaw the resolution of approximately 20,000 proactive and reactive incident tickets per year, safeguarding network stability and customer satisfaction. • Demonstrated strong people leadership by coaching teams, enhancing performance, and maintaining high engagement levels. • Delivered structured, data-driven performance reporting to the customer, strengthening transparency, trust, and operational alignment. • Ensured strict adherence to Quality, Health and especially Safety (QH&S) standards, embedding a strong safety-first culture across all field teams.
• Held end-to-end responsibility for network build teams across the Benelux, delivering projects for British Telecom across four platforms: Voice, Data, Transmission, and Glass Fibre Cabling (Outside Plant). • Transformed multiple individually-focused teams into a single, cohesive end-to-end delivery organisation, improving collaboration, efficiency, and project outcomes. • Accountable for operational delivery, financial performance, and people management, ensuring projects were completed on time, within budget, and to quality standards. • Collaborated closely with customer pre-sales and post-sales teams, Procurement, HR, Finance, Product Design, back-office functions, and external subcontractors to secure alignment and smooth delivery. • Embedded a strong focus on Quality, Health and Safety (QH&S), ensuring safe and compliant execution across all sites and activities.
• Managed multiple teams within the Customer and Network Operations department, including 24x7 Network Operations Center teams, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level Technical Support teams for proactive and reactive maintenance. • Established the Planned Work team to prevent customer service outages caused by activities at BT premises. • Held full operational, financial, and people management responsibility, ensuring efficient, high-quality service delivery. • Collaborated closely with customers as well as pre-sales and post-sales teams to ensure alignment, transparency, and customer satisfaction. • Maintained a strong focus on Quality, Health and Safety (QH&S), embedding safe practices across all teams and operational activities.