Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands
Managing, operational and technology executive with 25+ years of experience building and leading high‑performance, operations, engineering and innovation teams. My career spans the full business spectrum — process industry, product engineering, innovation management, manufacturing, and commercial development — enabling me to connect strategy, technology, and execution seamlessly. Recognized for turning complex technologies into scalable products, optimizing operations, and accelerating business growth. Trusted MT and Board contributor with a balanced mix of technical depth, business acumen, and people‑centric leadership.
MW-Techniek has developed innovative equipment to effectively dry agricultural materials and remove condensibles like ammonia. The equipment is especially suitable for farms. The focus during the development was to use as less energy as possible. Its easy to operate and durable. Our first customers use the equipment to dry cow manure. We dry it to 60-90 % and remove all ammonia and covert it to ammoniumsulphate (renure). In this way manure is transformed from waste into a sellable product.
Paques is a pioneer in biological wastewater treatment. By mimicking nature’s filtration systems, Paques helps customers purify wastewater, recover valuable resources, and produce biogas — reducing environmental impact while optimizing resource use. With over 60 years of expertise and 3,400 references worldwide, Paques delivers reliable, cost-effective solutions that drive the transition to a circular economy. My role is to: > Lead the global R&D and Engineering team to develop and scale biotechnology-based water purification solutions across 60+ countries. > Structure engineering processes and standardize technology deployment, collaborating with regional business units and local engineers. > Drive investment decisions and risk assessments with CEO, CFO, and regional directors to ensure alignment with business growth and sustainability goals. > Develop new technologies to close the water cycle, transform waste into raw materials, and reduce environmental footprint.
Avantium develops innovative chemistry technologies across industry value chains in order to produce chemicals and materials based on renewable feed-stock instead of fossil resources. Avantium also provides advanced catalysis products and services to organizations who desire to gain efficiency in their processes. > Structured and led multidisciplinary teams (20 FTE) to translate market opportunities into commercial products, from concept to industrialization. > Managed the entire EPC process in-house, protecting Avantium’s knowledge in high-throughput equipment and advanced catalysis systems. > Developed and launched innovative products in bio-polymers, electrolysis, and pyrolysis, aligning with sustainability and carbon conversion goals. > Implemented stage-gate processes to ensure alignment with customers and internal stakeholders, facilitating seamless scaling and manufacturing.
Norits activated carbon products effectively remove pollutants, contaminants and other impurities from water, air, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and more. During my leadership I rebuilt the R&D team in Amersfoort and aligned it with the Cabot R&D team in Billerica. Together with the applications team, both the US and Dutch R&D focussed on new activated carbon products for removing PFAS from water, waste medicines in municipal waste water, petrol recovery in cars, new pharmaceutical methods using activated carbon as catalysis or separation method, different applications in food purification and in-depth studies to improve the production of activated carbons from different sources. An important issue on this moment is how to make activated carbon sustainable. During the manufacturing process a lot of CO2 is produced. Different possibilities exist to reduce or reuse the CO2, however incorporating this within the existing process is still a bridge to-far.
Leading the product development, technology and improve department of the DSM engineering plastics plant in Emmen. This department delivered the proper engineering and technology solution to three DSM plants - compounding, nylon production and co-polymer process unit (Compound, PA6, DAP). It consisted of 25 people dedicated to improve the engineering plastics of DSM continuously. Typically, I led the translation of conceptual design to final construction. This involved leading the different FEL sessions, prepare scoping documents to be shared with the different EPC contractors, setup the final build and or plant building team. For this 3 project directors reported to me who took care of the detailed execution. The company is now taken over by Lanxess and known under the name Envalior.