I was born and raised in and around Rotterdam. The pull of the port, shipping, logistics and international trade was inevitable — and instilled in me from an early age at home too. No-nonsense and 'actions, not words' sum up my work ethic.
Discovering, exploring and innovating give me energy, with delivering quality always coming first. Entrepreneurship and dealing easily with change suit my personality. Loyalty and reliability are high on my list — but so is patience, because improvement and success often come in small steps.
In my free time I love sport, and I alternate the peace and quiet of nature with culture and the buzz of the city. I also travel regularly to Italy with my partner to enjoy la dolce vita — the artisanal food, the wines, the passionate preparation, the history and the varied landscape.
After various studies and operational roles, I gained extensive experience in different international staff and management positions in Freight Forwarding.
I started out as a planner in the NVOCC department at Van Ommeren Transport and grew into varied management roles at regional and global headquarters. With deep knowledge of operations, negotiating contracts with shipping lines, supporting M&S and selecting innovative TMS systems, I was able to make important contributions to the successful, successive integrations of the sea-freight division within Air Express International, Danzas and DHL Global Forwarding.
